Circulating
biomarkers of
drug-induced liver injury (DILI) have been a focus of research in hepatology over the last decade, and several novel DILI
biomarkers that hold promise for certain applications have been identified. For example,
glutamate dehydrogenase holds promise as a specific
biomarker of liver injury in patients with concomitant muscle damage. It may also be a specific
indicator of mitochondrial damage. In addition, microRNA-122 is sensitive for early detection of liver injury in
acetaminophen overdose patients. However, recent events in the field of DILI
biomarker research have provided us with an opportunity to step back, consider how
biomarker discovery has been done thus far, and determine how to move forward in a way that will optimize the discovery process. This is important because major challenges remain in the DILI field and related areas that could be overcome in part by new
biomarkers. In this short review, we briefly describe recent progress in DILI
biomarker discovery and development, identify current needs, and suggest a general approach to move forward.