Application of Omic Techniques to Identify New Biomarkers and Drug Targets for COVID-19 (eBook)

The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus has affected nearly every country and territory in the world. Although worldwide vaccination efforts have reduced the risk of serious disease outcomes, disparities in distribution have led to multiple waves of SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks and the emergence of variants of concern, some of which have enhanced infectivity and ability to evade existing vaccines. Hence there is an increasing interest in understanding the evolution of viruses like SARS-CoV-2, as well as improving our capacity to effectively current and manage future pandemics.

This new volume reviews the most effective omic techniques for increasing our understanding of COVID-19, to improve diagnostics, prognostics, and genomic surveillance, and to facilitate development of effective treatments and vaccines. Chapters are written by an international team of experts and explore methods in the areas of genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics. Techniques used to assess physiological function at the molecular level and artificial intelligence approaches used for more effective validation and translation of biomarker candidates into clinical use are also discussed. This book is an excellent resource for researchers studying biomarkers, virology, metabolic diseases, and infectious diseases, as well as clinical scientists, physicians, drug company scientists, and healthcare workers.

Dr. Paul C. Guest, Ph.D, is a scientific researcher/writer with 38 years of experience in the fields of metabolic and neurological disorders. This includes experience in both academia and the pharmaceutical industry with the majority of time spent at the University of Cambridge and Merck Sharp & Dohme in the United Kingdom. He is also affiliated with the University of Campinas in Sao Paulo Brazil and Otto-von-Guericke-University in Magdeburg Germany, still focused on advancing the field of biomarkers for neurological disorders such as schizophrenia, age-related diseases such as diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disorders, sarcopenia and Alzheimer's disease, and more recently on infectious diseases such as COVID-19.