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Updated: Jun 21, 2026
06:02
Arbovirus Infections As Screening Tools for the Identification of Viral Immunomodulators and Host Antiviral Factors
Published on: September 13, 2018
Learning from inconsistencies: refining biomarker discovery in viral diseases
Iva Filipovic1, Magda Lourda1, Ujjwal Neogi1
1Center for Systems Infection Biology, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
The Lancet. Microbe
|June 19, 2026
Summary
Developing precise prognostic biomarkers for acute viral infections is crucial for early diagnosis and risk assessment. This framework aims to improve patient outcomes by addressing challenges in current biomarker strategies.
Area of Science:
- Infectious Diseases
- Biomarker Discovery
- Precision Medicine
Background:
- Pandemic-potential viral infections reveal global health system vulnerabilities.
- Current diagnostics and prognostic markers (e.g., IL-6, CRP, D-dimer) lack specificity for acute viral infections.
- Multi-omics data in acute infections are challenging due to rapid molecular signature fluctuations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present a framework for developing clinically actionable biomarker signatures for acute viral infections.
- To enhance precision prognostics and improve patient outcomes.
- To address the need for reliable biomarkers for early case identification and risk stratification.
Main Methods:
- Review and synthesis of current challenges in biomarker development for acute viral infections.
- Exploration of multi-omics technologies and their application to dynamic molecular signatures.
- Proposal of a forward-looking framework for biomarker signature development.
Main Results:
- Identified limitations of traditional diagnostics and prognostic markers.
- Highlighted the time-sensitive and complex nature of molecular signatures in acute viral infections.
- Proposed a conceptual framework to overcome current biomarker development hurdles.
Conclusions:
- Reliable prognostic biomarkers are urgently needed to manage heterogeneous clinical trajectories of acute viral infections.
- A novel framework is proposed to develop precise, clinically actionable biomarker signatures.
- This approach aims to strengthen precision prognostics and improve patient outcomes across diverse viral etiologies.
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