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Immune biomarkers: the promises and pitfalls of personalized medicine

Nature Reviews Immunology volume 15, pages 323–329 (2015)Cite this article

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Abstract

Substantial progress in molecular immunology, coupled with an increasing focus on translational research and an enthusiasm for personalized medicine, has resulted in a rapid expansion in the field of immune biomarkers in recent years. In this Science and Society article, we provide a conceptual overview of the field and discuss the progress that has been made so far, as well as the future potential in the context of the scientific, logistical, financial, legal and ethical framework within which this research is being carried out and translated into clinical use.

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Figure 1: Volume of immune biomarker publications.
Figure 2: Comparison of different medical approaches.
Figure 3: Timelines for treatment efficacy in allograft rejection.
Figure 4: The immune biomarker workstream.
Figure 5: Decreasing costs of genome sequencing.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge support from grants awarded by the Medical Research Council, UK (M003493), and the British Heart Foundation, UK (PG/12/36/29444). G.M.L. is also supported by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre based at Guy's and St Thomas' National Health Service (NHS) Foundation Trust and King's College London, UK. The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR or the Department of Health.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Experimental Immunobiology, Medical Research Council Centre for Transplantation, King's College London, SE1 9RT, UK, and at the National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centre at Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital, London SE1 9RT, UK.,

    Joanna C. D. Willis & Graham M. Lord

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Correspondence to Graham M. Lord.

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Willis, J., Lord, G. Immune biomarkers: the promises and pitfalls of personalized medicine. Nat Rev Immunol 15, 323–329 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/nri3820

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