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Published on: March 20, 2021

Development of biomarkers to optimize pediatric patient management: what makes children different?

Jennifer Goldman1, Mara L Becker, Bridgette Jones

  • 1Division of Clinical Pharmacology & Medical Toxicology, Children's Mercy Hospitals & Clinics & University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, MO, USA.

Biomarkers in Medicine
|November 23, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Validated pediatric biomarkers are scarce, hindering child healthcare. New approaches are crucial for developing reliable biomarkers tailored to children

Area of Science:

  • Biomarker Discovery
  • Pediatric Medicine
  • Translational Science

Background:

  • Biomarkers are widely used in adult medicine.
  • Limited availability of validated pediatric biomarkers exists.
  • Adult biomarkers are often inappropriately applied to children.

Purpose of the Study:

  • Highlight the need for validated pediatric biomarkers.
  • Emphasize differences in pediatric disease pathogenesis.
  • Advocate for innovative approaches in pediatric biomarker development.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review on pediatric biomarker research.
  • Analysis of challenges in adult biomarker extrapolation.
  • Discussion of ontogeny's influence on pediatric disease.

Main Results:

  • Significant gap in validated pediatric biomarkers identified.
  • Adult biomarker extrapolation poses risks due to developmental differences.
  • Ontogeny critically impacts disease progression and treatment response in children.

Conclusions:

  • Urgent need for novel strategies to develop pediatric biomarkers.
  • Validated biomarkers are essential for advancing pediatric care.
  • Future research should focus on child-specific biomarker discovery.

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