Circulating and Functional Biomarkers

Circulating biomarkers provide a window into specific metabolic processes. These biomarkers can serve as a measure of normal or disease-related physiological activity. In drug development studies, circulating biomarkers are frequently used to assess target engagement or disease-modifying activity in functional domains.

Circulating Biomarkers by Functional Domain:

  • Metabolome
    Biomarkers are used to assess pathway-specific metabolites, such as those that represent disease activity. For example, lipidomic markers can indicate stages of NAFLD or NASH.
  • Inflammasome
    Biomarkers, such as TGF-β1, CRP and others, are used to assess inflammatory activity levels, which may indicate disease activity or risk of progression.
  • Fibrosome
    Biomarkers are used to capture tissue-specific markers of fibrogenesis and fibrolysis. Some examples are the ELF panel, FIB-4, and various collagen precursors, such as PRO-C3.
  • Genome
    Genomic biomarkers, such as PNPLA3 and TM6SF2, are increasingly used to enrich clinical study populations for genotypes associated with certain disease phenotypes.

Learn more about biomarker selection and pharmacological targets for NASH clinical research

biomarker mapping