The malarial blood transcriptome: translational applications
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Dunican, Claire
Andradi-Brown, Clare
Ebmeier, Stefan
Georgiadou, Athina
Cunnington, Aubrey
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
The blood transcriptome of malaria patients has been used extensively to elucidate the pathophysiological mechanisms and host immune responses to disease, identify candidate diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers, and reveal new therapeutic targets for drug discovery. This review gives a high-level overview of the three main translational applications of these studies (diagnostics, prognostics, and therapeutics) by summarising recent literature and outlining the main limitations and future directions of each application. It highlights the need for consistent and accurate definitions of disease states and subject groups and discusses how prognostic studies must distinguish clearly between analyses that attempt to predict future disease states and those which attempt to discriminate between current disease states (classification). Lastly it examines how many promising therapeutics fail due to the choice of imperfect animal models for pre-clinical testing and lack of appropriate validation studies in humans, and how future transcriptional studies may be utilised to overcome some of these limitations.
Date Issued
2024-04
Date Acceptance
2024-02-21
Citation
Biochemical Society Transactions, 2024, 52 (2), pp.651-660
ISSN
0300-5127
Publisher
Portland Press
Start Page
651
End Page
660
Journal / Book Title
Biochemical Society Transactions
Volume
52
Issue
2
Copyright Statement
© 2024 The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Portland Press Limited on behalf of the Biochemical Society and distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 (CC BY).
License URL
Identifier
https://portlandpress.com/biochemsoctrans/article/doi/10.1042/BST20230497/234157/The-malarial-blood-transcriptome-translational
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2024-02-29