Biomarkers in Kidney Disease (eBook)

In the past decade there has been a major sea change in the way disease is diagnosed and investigated due to the advent of high throughput technologies, such as microarrays, lab on a chip, proteomics, genomics, lipomics, metabolomics etc. These advances have enabled the discovery of new and novel markers of disease relating to autoimmune disorders, cancers, endocrine diseases, genetic disorders, sensory damage, intestinal diseases etc. In many instances these developments have gone hand in hand with the discovery of biomarkers elucidated via traditional or conventional methods, such as histopathology or clinical biochemistry. Together with microprocessor-based data analysis, advanced statistics and bioinformatics these markers have been used to identify individuals with active disease or pathology as well as those who are refractory or have distinguishing pathologies. New analytical methods that have been used to identify markers of disease and is suggested that there may be as many as 40 different platforms. Unfortunately techniques and methods have not been readily transferable to other disease states and sometimes diagnosis still relies on single analytes rather than a cohort of markers. There is thus a demand for a comprehensive and focused evidenced-based text and scientific literature that addresses these issues. Hence the formulation of Biomarkers in Disease. The series covers a wide number of areas including for example, nutrition, cancer, endocrinology, cardiology, addictions, immunology, birth defects, genetics, and so on. The chapters are written by national or international experts and specialists.

Professor Victor R. Preedy is a senior faculty member of King's College London (Professor of Nutritional Biochemistry) and King's College Hospital (Professor of Clinical Biochemistry). He is attached to both the Diabetes and Nutritional Sciences Division and the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics. He is also Director of the Genomics Centre and a member of the School of Medicine. Professor Preedy graduated in 1974 with an Honours Degree in Biology and Physiology with Pharmacology. He gained his University of London PhD in 1981. In 1993 he gained his second doctoral degree, for his outstanding contribution to protein metabolism in health and disease. He has received membership and fellowship of a number of academic and professional bodies in the UK, including the Royal College of Pathologists, the Royal Institute of Public Health, and the Royal Society of Chemistry. Professor Preedy has published over 570 articles, which includes 165 peer-reviewed manuscripts based on original research, 100 reviews, and over 50 books and book volumes.

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In some countries such as the United States, kidney disease kills more people than cancers of the prostate or breast. In the United States for example there are over 15 million individuals with kidney disease. Translated to a worldwide basis, kidney disease of various aetiologies represent a significant burden on healthcare systems, affecting mortality, morbidity and also the family unit. It is therefore imperative that appropriate use is made of conventional, new and emerging biomarker platforms to aid diagnosis, treatment and an understanding of outcome measures. Biomarkers in Kidney Disease embraces a holistic approach by combining information on different conditions that affect the kidney and the use of biomarkers. Biomarkers are described in terms of conventional, new and emerging analytes, techniques, platforms and applications. It covers the latest knowledge and trends. New platforms are described which combine advances in biomedical sciences, physics, computing and chemistry.