Mass spectrometry analysis of human tear fluid biomarkers specific  for ocular and systemic diseases in the context of 3P medicine

AbstractOver the last two decades, a large number of non-communicable/chronic disorders reached an epidemic level on a global scale such as diabetes mellitus type 2, cardio-vascular disease,  several types of malignancies, neurological and eye pathologies—all exerted system’s enormous socio-economic burden to primary, secondary, and tertiary healthcare. The paradigm change from reactive to predictive, preventive, and personalized medicine (3PM/PPPM) has been declared as an essentia l transformation of the overall healthcare approach to benefit the patient and society at large. To this end, specific biomarker panels are instrumental for a cost-effective predictive approach of individualized prevention and treatments tailored to the person. The source of biomarkers is crucial fo r specificity and reliability of diagnostic tests and treatment targets. Furthermore, any diagnostic approach preferentially should be noninvasive to increase availability of the biomaterial, and to decrease risks of potential complications as well as concomitant costs. These requirements are clearl y fulfilled by tear fluid, which represents a precious source of biomarker panels. The well-justified principle of a “sick eye in a sick body” makes comprehensive tear fluid biomarker profiling highly relevant not only for diagnostics of eye pathologies but also for prediction, prognosis, and tr eatment monitoring of systemic diseases. One prominent example is the Sicca syndrome linked to a cascade ...
Source: EPMA Journal - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: research