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Blood-Based Biomarkers in Depression: Emerging Themes in Clinical Research

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Abstract

There is growing interest in identifying blood-based biomarkers for depression. This brief review examines recent research in this area, using a focused literature search to identify emerging themes in current work pertaining to major depressive disorder (MDD). The results suggest that biomarker-based research in MDD is still in its relative infancy and is focused on answering two major questions: what biomarkers reliably distinguish individuals with MDD from those without MDD; and what biomarkers can identify or predict treatment responders versus non-responders? However, a number of issues limit the potential utility of positive findings in each case; chief among these is the lack of truly independent replication cohorts in which to validate initial findings. Some promising results have emerged pertaining to predictors of antidepressant effectiveness and, if validated by future independent studies, these may hold promise as targets to be developed within clinical settings and may ultimately guide treatment regimens for patients suffering from MDD.

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Acknowledgments and Disclosures

The author would like to thank Angela Bustamante for help in retrieving relevant articles. The author would also like to attest that there are no conflicts of interest to declare.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Wayne State University School of Medicine, 540 E. Canfield Ave., Detroit, MI, 48201, USA

    Monica Uddin

  2. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA

    Monica Uddin

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Correspondence to Monica Uddin.

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Uddin, M. Blood-Based Biomarkers in Depression: Emerging Themes in Clinical Research. Mol Diagn Ther 18, 469–482 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40291-014-0108-1

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