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REVIEW

Role of biomarkers in disease management and drug development in Africa: A narrative review

Komal Zulfiqar1 ,  Maria Qadri2 ,  Sulafa Rasheed Ahmed Ali3 ,  Ummsalamah Adenike Musa4 ,  Malik Olatunde Oduoye5*
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1 Department of Medicine, Allama Iqbal Medical College, Bihar Sharif, Pakistan
2 Department of Medicine, Jinnah Sindh Medical University, Karachi, Pakistan
3 Department of Microbiology, Elfarabi College for Science and Technology, Khartoum, Sudan
4 Department of Medicine, Medicine and Surgery, Yusuf Maitama Sule University, Kano, Kano State, Nigeria
5 Department of Research, The Medical Research Circle (MedReC), Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo
INNOSC Theranostics and Pharmacological Sciences 2024, 7(4), 3656 https://doi.org/10.36922/itps.3656
Submitted: 14 May 2024 | Accepted: 11 September 2024 | Published: 8 November 2024
© 2024 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
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Abstract

Biomarkers are quantifiable components in the body or its byproducts that can be used to evaluate human health or pathogen development. This review aimed to explore and evaluate the utilization, challenges, and prospects of biomarkers in enhancing drug development in Africa. We searched for relevant articles in online databases, such as PubMed, Science Direct, and Google Scholar, covering the period from 2013 to 2024. The use of biomarkers can be traced back to the 1800s when they were initially referred to as surrogate markers and later as surrogate endpoints. Biomarkers are specific molecules or cells in the body that serve as indicators of underlying biological processes, aiding in disease diagnosis or measuring pharmacological responses to therapy. Diagnostic biomarkers are biomolecules that indicate the presence of diseases or help identify specific disease subtypes in individuals. Examples of biomarkers for common diseases, such as malaria, include Plasmodium falciparum lactate dehydrogenase, histidine-rich protein 2, and hemozoins; for colorectal cancer, biomarkers include Rat Sarcoma, microsatellite instability, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2, consensus molecular subtypes, and Circulating tumor DNA/Circulating tumor cells. These biomarkers guide targeted therapy and adjuvant chemotherapy approaches by allowing for patient stratification and determining which patients would benefit from adjuvant treatment. Overcoming challenges such as cost-effectiveness and regulatory approval is crucial. Despite initial financial and logistical constraints, these efforts will ultimately result in significant improvements in efficiency.

Keywords
Biomarkers
African region
Drug development
Disease management
Funding
None.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare they have no competing interests.
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INNOSC Theranostics and Pharmacological Sciences, Electronic ISSN: 2705-0823 Print ISSN: 2705-0734, Published by AccScience Publishing
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