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Updated: May 30, 2026

Detection of Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis in Haematological Malignancy Patients by using Lateral-flow Technology
Published on: March 22, 2012
Harnessing host-derived biomarkers for personalized diagnosis of invasive fungal infections
Jennifer Scott1,2, Ana Machado1,2, Agostinho Carvalho1,2
1Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.
Introduction:
Invasive fungal infections (IFIs) remain a major clinical challenge due to the expansion of high-risk patient groups and drawbacks of conventional diagnostics which contribute to the devastating mortality rates associated with these diseases.
Areas Covered:
Current mycological diagnostics suffer from limitations of sensitivity, specificity, and the capacity to determine invasive infection. We explore advancements in omics technologies which present opportunities to gain insights into the host response to invasive infection. We discuss developments in genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics and their applications for investigating host-pathogen interactions during IFIs. The literature search was conducted in the PubMed database for the period between January 2020 and August 2025.
Expert Opinion/Commentary:
We focus on the potential of host-based biomarkers to facilitate personalized medicine at every stage of disease management. Covering initial risk stratification, diagnosis, prognosis, choice of antifungal therapy, disease monitoring, and antifungal stewardship. We underscore the possibility of exploiting these biomarkers in a proactive and preventative approach to allow early and personalized antifungal treatment of IFIs. To maximize the potential of the data gathered, we highlight the utility of frameworks that integrate and optimize existing diagnostic expertise.
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