Non-genetic Biomarkers in Isolated Populations: A Blessing or a Curse?
A special issue of Biomolecules (ISSN 2218-273X).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 March 2022)
Special Issue Editor
Interests: Genetics; public health; biobanking
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The search for valid biomarkers dominates the concept of individualized medicine, which is capable of predicting the disease risk and course in a reliable manner. One of the central questions is related to biomarker discovery, especially the study designs that facilitate their identification and validation. Isolated and finite populations are a very interesting concept from the field of genetic epidemiology, owing to the fact that isolated populations may have different genetic backgrounds, including the existence of genetic drift and fixation due to geographical, linguistic or even cultural barriers. In turn, isolation may lead to subtle or more pronounced changes in the population prevalence of biomarkers, facilitating their discovery. While this concept is well explored in the field of genetics, it is far less explored for non-genetic biomarkers.
Although several mechanisms may facilitate the discovery of novel biomarkers in isolated populations, the main methodological limitation of this approach is the generalizability of the results. A biomarker may be population-specific, and therefore of limited importance for the general population. Some biomarkers that are common in isolated populations may be very rare in the general population, further reducing their usefulness. However, even in these cases, a valid biomarker can be used to widen the understanding of the pathogenetic mechanisms and contribute to the development of novel diagnostic and therapeutic products.
This Special Issue explores the usability of isolated human populations in the discovery of novel non-genetic biomarkers.
Dr. Ozren Polašek
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biomolecules is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
