Salivary diagnostics powered by nanotechnologies, proteomics and genomics

Abstract

Background: The ability to monitor health status, disease onset and progression, and treatment outcome through noninvasive means is a highly desirable goal in health care promotion and delivery. Oral fluid is a perfect medium to be explored for health and disease surveillance.

Methods: Two prerequisites exist before the goal of salivary diagnostics can be achieved: identification of specific biomarkers associated with a health or disease state and the development of technologies that can discriminate between the biomarkers. A recent initiative of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research has created a roadmap to achieve these goals through the use of oral fluids as the diagnostic medium to scrutinize the health and/or disease status of patients. This is an ideal opportunity to optimize state-of-the-art saliva-based biosensors for salivary biomarkers that discriminate between diseases.

Results: Seven technology groups are developing point-of-care salivary diagnostic technologies. Three groups are working together toward deciphering the salivary proteome.

Conclusion: These collective efforts and the convergence of salivary diagnostic technologies and the salivary proteome will present unparalleled opportunities to explore the diagnostic potential of saliva for oral and systemic diseases.