Written on October 9, 2025 by Dr. Diana Rangaves, PharmD. To give you technically accurate, evidence-based information, content published on the Everlywell blog is reviewed by credentialed professionals with expertise in medical and bioscience fields.
Table of contents
- Overview
- What Are Biomarkers?
- Why Biomarkers Matter in Everyday Health
- Understanding the 7 Types of Biomarkers
- Biomarker Types by Modality
- Top Biomarkers to Know for Preventive Health
- Biomarkers in Cancer and Chronic Disease
- FAQs: Understanding Biomarker Basics
- Take Control of Your Health
- References
Decoding Everlywell 360: A Deep Dive Into Types of Biomarkers
From blood pressure to cholesterol, biomarkers are at the heart of how we understand and manage our health. With the rise of personalized medicine and at-home diagnostics, testing key biomarkers has never been more accessible.
One powerful example of this shift is the Everlywell 360 Full Body Test, a comprehensive tool designed to help you measure and track vital health indicators from the comfort of home.
Here, we’ll decode the different types of biomarkers, explore their roles in health and disease, and show how Everlywell’s 360 test empowers you to track the most meaningful indicators of your well-being.
What Are Biomarkers?
A biomarker, short for biological marker, is a measurable indicator of a biological process, condition, or disease. Biomarkers can be found in your blood, tissues, and organs, or even in data collected from wearables and imaging scans.[1]
They’re used to diagnose illness, assess disease risk, monitor how well treatments are working, and guide therapeutic decisions.[1] Whether it’s blood pressure, blood sugar, or PSA levels, biomarkers help bring clarity to what’s happening inside the body.
Why Biomarkers Matter in Everyday Health
In medicine, biomarkers play essential roles across:
- Diagnosis: Is there disease present?
- Monitoring: How is the disease progressing or responding to treatment?
- Prognosis: What’s the likely outcome?
- Prevention: Am I at risk, and can it be mitigated?
In the age of precision medicine, biomarkers also help tailor treatments to your biology. That’s especially important in areas like cancer treatment, where therapies can be guided by biomarkers like HER2, BRCA, or EGFR.[2]
Understanding the 7 Types of Biomarkers
According to the FDA and NIH, biomarkers fall into seven primary categories based on their clinical use:[1,3]
- Susceptibility/Risk Biomarkers: Indicate a person’s potential to develop a disease.
- Diagnostic Biomarkers: Used to detect or confirm a disease. Elevated troponin levels can signal a heart attack.
- Prognostic Biomarkers: Forecast the likely course or outcome of a condition.
- Monitoring Biomarkers: Track the status of a disease or treatment response.
- Predictive Biomarkers: Help determine whether a patient will benefit from a specific treatment.
- Pharmacodynamic/Response Biomarkers: Indicate whether a treatment is producing its intended effect.
- Safety Biomarkers: Used to monitor for drug-related toxicity.
Biomarker Types by Modality
Biomarkers can also be grouped by what they measure and how they’re collected:[4]
- Molecular biomarkers: DNA, RNA, proteins, and metabolites
- Cellular biomarkers: Hormones or immune cells
- Physiological biomarkers: Blood pressure, heart rate
- Imaging biomarkers: MRI, CT scans, PET scans
- Digital biomarkers: Data from wearables or apps (e.g., resting heart rate trends)
Even common metrics, such as BMI or resting heart rate, can serve as risk biomarkers, although they may not always provide the precision of molecular data.
Top Biomarkers to Know for Preventive Health
The Everlywell 360 Full Body Test includes many biomarkers that serve as key indicators of foundational health. Here are several you can track regularly:
| Biomarker | Type | Clinical Use |
|---|---|---|
| HbA1c | Monitoring | Blood sugar control and diabetes risk[5] |
| hs-CRP | Monitoring/Risk | Inflammation and cardiovascular risk[6] |
| Total Cholesterol, LDL | Diagnostic/Risk | Heart disease and metabolic syndrome[7] |
| ALT, AST | Safety | Liver health and medication response[8] |
| TSH, Free T3, Free T4 | Diagnostic | Thyroid disorders[9] |
| Cortisol | Prognostic/Monitoring | Stress and adrenal function[10] |
| Vitamin D | Risk/Monitoring | Immune support, bone health[11] |
Tracking these markers can help uncover trends early, before symptoms appear, and provide the information you need to partner with your provider in developing a personalized plan.
Biomarkers in Cancer and Chronic Disease
Biomarkers are crucial in managing complex conditions, including cancer, autoimmune diseases, and heart disease.
For example, in small cell lung cancer, researchers use multiple biomarkers, like tumor mutational burden (TMB), circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), and prognostic markers, to predict treatment outcomes and monitor disease progression.[12]
Similarly, inflammatory markers like hs-CRP and lipid profiles are widely used to assess risk and response in cardiovascular disease.[6]
FAQs: Understanding Biomarker Basics
- What are the most common types of biomarkers? The seven types recognized by the FDA are susceptibility, diagnostic, prognostic, monitoring, predictive, pharmacodynamic/response, and safety.[1,3]
- What are common biomarkers tested in blood? HbA1c, CRP, cholesterol, liver enzymes (ALT, AST), and TSH are among the most frequently tested.[1,3]
- Is MRI a biomarker? Yes. When used to visualize and track disease processes (e.g., tumor growth or brain lesions), MRI qualifies as an imaging biomarker.[13]
- Is BMI a biomarker? BMI can be considered a risk biomarker for obesity-related diseases, though it lacks specificity.[14]
- How do biomarkers help in cancer treatment? They help identify specific cancer types, predict treatment response, and monitor effectiveness. For example, HER2 and CA-125 are widely used in breast and ovarian cancer.[15]
Take Control of Your Health
Tracking your biomarkers could mean catching health issues early, before they progress into more serious conditions.
Discover which biomarkers matter most for your body. Order the Everlywell 360 Full Body Test and gain clarity on your wellness today, from the comfort of home.
References
- FDA-NIH Biomarker Working Group. BEST (Biomarkers, EndpointS, and Other Tools) Resource. Food and Drug Administration (US); 2016. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK338448/
- Passaro A, Al
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