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Published on: August 14, 2019
Biomarkers for pediatric urological disease
1Department of Urology, Children's Hospital Boston, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA. richard.lee@childrens.harvard.edu
Current Opinion in Urology
|May 15, 2009
Summary
New biomarkers for pediatric urology conditions like ureteropelvic junction (UPJ) obstruction and vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) are needed. While promising markers exist, rigorous validation and clinical utility are lacking, necessitating advanced discovery methods.
Area of Science:
- Urology
- Biomarker Discovery
- Pediatric Medicine
Background:
- Disease-specific biomarkers are crucial for medical advancements.
- Pediatric urology currently lacks validated biomarkers for diagnosing and managing conditions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the existing literature on biomarkers in pediatric urology.
- To discuss future directions and perspectives for biomarker discovery in the field.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of current biomarkers for pediatric urology.
- Exploration of proteomic technologies for novel biomarker identification.
Main Results:
- Numerous potential biomarkers for ureteropelvic junction (UPJ) obstruction and vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) have been identified.
- No biomarkers have yet achieved rigorous clinical validation or demonstrated widespread clinical effectiveness.
- Proteomic technologies offer a promising avenue for discovering marker panels.
Conclusions:
- Clinically significant biomarkers for UPJ and VUR are essential for improved diagnostics and risk assessment of renal damage.
- Limited clinical validation hinders the translation of identified biomarkers into practice.
- Future efforts should combine focused biomarker studies with advanced proteomic and well-designed clinical investigations.
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