Projection of molecular epidemiology in medicine.

Molecular epidemiology is a term to describe the incorporation of molecular and other types of biomarkers into epidemiology. Molecular epidemiology uses the same paradigm as traditional epidemiology but the former represents the opportunity to use the enhances resolving power of molecular biology and contemporary biochemical science to assess exposure disease relationships. There are three types of biomarkers that can be used in this regard: They include markers of exposure, effect and susceptibility. These markers can be used as dependent and independent variables in most epidemiologic study designs. Critical in their use is that they are validated and field tested. This requires extensive collaboration between laboratory and public health scientist. Special attention also needs or be paid to the interpretation and communication of biomarker data and the ethical issues attendant to their use.