Biomarkers, Cancer Therapy & Clinical Research

Infectious Disease Biomarkers

Infectious disease biomarkers are essential tools for the rapid detection, monitoring, and clinical management of infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, and COVID-19. These biomarkers include a diverse range of indicators, such as pathogen-specific antigens, antibodies, nucleic acid markers, and immune mediators, which provide critical information on pathogen presence, host immune response, and disease progression. Biomarkers like viral load measurements in HIV and antigen-based assays in malaria enable early diagnosis and timely initiation of therapy, leading to improved patient outcomes. In tuberculosis, biomarkers such as interferon-gamma release assays (IGRAs) support the identification of latent infection and treatment monitoring. During emerging infectious disease outbreaks, including COVID-19, molecular diagnostics such as PCR-based viral RNA detection and serological assays have been pivotal for case identification, surveillance, and assessment of vaccine-induced immunity. The integration of infectious disease biomarkers into clinical and public health frameworks strengthens disease surveillance, enables prompt intervention, and informs evidence-based control and prevention strategies at both national and global levels.