In medicine, a biomarker can be a substance that is introduced into an organism as a means to examine organ function. It can also be a substance whose detection indicates a particular disease state. More specifically, a biomarker indicates a change in expression or state of a protein that correlates with the risk or progression of a disease. There has been an explosion in the discovery of biomarkers for diagnosis, disease monitoring, and prognostic evaluation. Molecular biomarkers are emerging as the key indices for the management of patients with significant diseases. Motivated by the systematic effort to define the human genome, the creation of rapid analytic technologies for evaluating nucleic acids and proteins has provided the technological “boom ” for the development of “molecular biomarkers.” Collaboration and cooperation between stakeholders involved in biomarker development, application, and regulation may be the most expeditious route toward the translation of laboratory discovery into patient management.

The main focus of this special issue will be on the advances in our understanding of how biological processes interact, thus enabling such technologies as genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and lipidomics-combined with drug discovery and development, high-throughput screening, and in silico drug development, place science on the threshold of innovative management. This special issue will become an international forum for researchers to summarize the most recent developments and ideas in the field, with a special emphasis given to the expeditious path toward the translation of laboratory discovery into patient management within the last five years. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• Identification of biomarkers
• Disease-related biomarkers
• Drug-related biomarkers
• Biomarkers in drug development
• Technological advances
• Discovery of molecular biomarkers and elucidation of their role
• Imaging biomarkers and potential disadvantages
• Formalization and approval of their application in modern medicine

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