The word "biomarker" refers to any of your body's molecules that can be measured to assess your health. ... Biomarker testing is a group of tests that looks for these molecular signs of health so that doctors can plan the best care. Biomarker testing may also be called "molecular testing" or "genetic testing."
Biomarker is short for biological marker, and is used as an indication that a biological process in the body has happened or is ongoing. While some biomarkers are used to show that the body has been exposed to a chemical, toxin or other environmental impact — most associate biomarkers with medicine.There are three major types of biomarkers: biomarkers of exposure, effect and susceptibility. A biomarker of exposure is an exogenous chemical or its metabolite(s), or the product of an interaction between a xenobiotic agent and some target molecule or cell that is measured in a compartment within an organism.
For example, body temperature is a well-known biomarker for fever. Blood pressure is used to determine the risk of stroke. It is also widely known that cholesterol values are a biomarker and risk indicator for coronary and vascular disease, and that C-reactive protein (CRP) is a marker for inflammation.Colorimetric, fluorescent and electrochemical detection remain the most widely used ones. Nevertheless, detection mechanism such as chemiluminescence, electrochemiluminescence and other detection mechanisms have also been applied to disease biomarker detection.