Why Settling for Current Detection Limits May Be Stunting Scientific Progress
When it comes to detecting low-abundance biomarkers, how many promising discoveries are we missing because our tools are merely “good enough”?
As researchers, we often adapt to the limitations of our methods. We design experiments around detection thresholds, adjust sampling volumes, and sometimes even shift our focus to more abundant targets. But at what cost to scientific progress?
Consider this: Many of the most clinically significant biomarkers exist in extraordinarily low concentrations during the early stages of disease progression, precisely when their detection would be most valuable. Traditional immunoassays, while reliable workhorses in our laboratories, may be missing crucial early signals that could revolutionize disease detection and monitoring.
The compromise isn’t just about sensitivity. When we push existing methods to their limits, we often face trade-offs that ripple throughout our research:
- Larger sample volumes from patients which can be particularly challenging in pediatric studies or longitudinal research
- More complex and time-consuming protocols that increase the risk of procedural errors
- Higher costs per test due to additional reagents and processing steps
- Increased variability in results, making it harder to establish statistical significance
- Limited reproducibility across labs, hampering multi-center studies
The real tragedy? Some researchers are abandoning promising biomarker candidates simply because they can’t be reliably detected with current methods. This represents a significant opportunity cost for medical science. Think about the potential early-stage cancer markers we might be missing or the subtle neurological changes that could predict disease progression years before clinical symptoms appear.
Take, for example, the field of neurodegenerative disease research. We know that pathological changes begin decades before clinical symptoms manifest. Yet, our ability to track these changes through blood-based biomarkers has been limited by detection thresholds. How many potential therapeutic windows have we missed because we couldn’t reliably measure the earliest molecular changes?
The good news is that we’re seeing a renaissance in biomarker detection technology. New approaches like Exazym® can detect attomole-level concentrations using standard ELISA workflows—no specialized equipment is required. This democratization of ultra-sensitive detection could unlock a new era of biomarker research, where “good enough” is no longer the standard.
For early-career researchers, this evolution in detection technology couldn’t come at a better time. As funding bodies increasingly prioritize translational research with clear clinical applications, the ability to reliably detect and validate novel biomarkers could be career-defining.
To learn more about how Exazym® can enhance your research, visit www.cavidi.se. For inquiries, email us at support@cavidi.se or call us at +46 18 55 20 40.