Protein Biomarkers: In Life and After Life

Living humans, elicit certain specific biochemical parameters characteristic of their physiological state. Similarly, various changes in the chemical composition occur in the body after death. Some of these biochemical parameters can be used as biomarkers both for disease diagnosis as well as for gaining a deep understanding of the changes during post-mortem. Biomarkers thus help in understanding the physiological state of an individual, the progression of disease, the effectiveness of various treatments that are targeted to cure the disease, the prognosis of such diseases as osteoarthritis, post-polio syndrome, ovarian cancer, osteosarcoma, alzheimer’s disease etc. Post-mortem degradation products such as amino acids, hypoxanthine, volatile organic compounds and various proteins are some biomarkers that are used to understand the phenomenon of post-mortem.