Importance of IP-10 as a biomarker of host immune response: Critical perspective as a target for biosensing

While the exploration into biomolecules for diagnostic and prognostic devices continues to develop, many molecules continue to be examined for individual diseases or treatments. Consequently, it can be difficult to fully understand the scope of one individual molecule's current and potential clinical utilization. The scope of this study aimed to assess the potential of Interferon Gamma-induced Protein 10 (IP-10) as a biomarker in a wide variety of diseases, both as a main and supplemental indicator of disease infection and progression. IP-10 is a chemokine secreted in response to IFN-γ playing a major role in the activation and regulation of inflammatory and immune responses within the body. Currently, IP-10 has displayed potential application in diseases such as COVID-19, tuberculosis, sepsis, Kawasaki disease, cancer, and many more. Molecular assays developed for the detection of IP-10 take longer testing time, sophisticated instrument utilization, and need more sample volumes. These cannot be utilized for bedside patient monitoring during the illness state of the patient. Biosensing tools are alternative methods used at clinical sites due to their rapid results. Though many types of sensing mechanisms established for the detection of disease biomarkers such as optical, piezoelectric sensors, and electrochemical biosensors are far beyond the other sensing methods due to their ease of mechanism, rapid results, and portable nature. IP-10 has been a promising biomarker in different diseases, evaluation of IP-10 levels at different time points of treatments is necessary. To achieve this, current conventional methods cannot be used and thus a portable device that provides rapid results is in demand. Such point-of-care (POC) device development for IP-10 analysis is very crucial in the current scenario. Beyond this, the clarification of its physiological role in healthy and infected individuals could allow for more proper utilization in clinical diagnoses, prognoses, treatment monitoring, and more. Overall, this study was developed to summarize the associations currently created between levels of IP-10 and other biomolecules and diseases.