Inherently imperfect, inherently evolving – The pursuit of precision through biomarkers

Featuring a special section on cancer biomarkers, this issue of the Biomedical Journal highlights research on cfDNA, fecal miRNA, mitochondrial pathways, Epstein-Barr virus DNA, multi-biomarker panels combined with LC-MS-based methods, and circulating tumor cell (CTC) growth status as potential tools for cancer detection and management, including colorectal cancer, ovarian cancer, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Additionally, it explores the social stigma surrounding mpox, and discusses the achievements in miRNA research that earned the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Advances in deep learning for trauma imaging are examined, alongside a review of decades of enterovirus research and current vaccination strategies. Other studies investigate the combined use of anthelmintic and antibiotic therapy for roundworm infection, and the application of a well-established Traditional Chinese Medicine herbal formula, commonly prescribed for gynecological conditions, against autoimmune hepatitis. Further articles elucidate the role of the nuclear receptor HNF4 in Schistosoma, mitochondrial dysfunction in acute kidney injury, the effects of astragalus polysaccharides on prostate cancer, and the use of deep learning to predict mortality from electrocardiograms.