Finding new ways to check for diseases

Biomarker is short for biological marker. These are molecules in blood or urine. They are also in other body fluids or tissues. They can even be microbes. Microbes are living things. They are too small to see with our eyes. We need a microscope. Bacteria are the most common. But they also include viruses and fungi. They live in the soil. In water. And in us. We have millions of microbes that live in us. And on us. We would die without them. Most are good. They help us digest our food. They help us fight disease. And keep us healthy. But some can problems. Like tooth decay. Or infections. The amount of a biomarker can tell us if someone is healthy or sick. We can measure how much is present. But sometimes, it is hard to measure the one we want. So, we use a substitute marker. One related, but easier to measure. Examples include height or white blood cell count. We can also use gene changes linked to biomarkers. We can look for gene changes. Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center will use BioVU to study gene changes linked to biomarkers. They will also look for links between gene changes and a disease. They will test any new links using a different data set. The test will use the amount of biomarker and check for the disease. Their goal is to find new biomarkers linked to diseases. Their results may help us better diagnose diseases. Or help us run better tests. We may also do a better job preventing or treating some diseases.