ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Biomarkers (journal)

Biomarkers are like little flags that your body can wave to let doctors know about things that are happening inside. It's kind of like when you see a certain color on a traffic light, you know what it means - green means go, yellow means slow down, and red means stop. A biomarker is like a traffic light for your body, and it can show doctors if something is wrong or if you're healthy.

Let's say you get a boo-boo and your knee gets all swollen and red. That's your body's way of telling you that something is wrong. But what if you couldn't see the boo-boo? That's where biomarkers come in. They're like little chemical messages that your body sends to tell doctors what's happening inside.

There are all kinds of biomarkers that doctors can look for to see if you're healthy or if you have a disease. For example, they might look for a biomarker for cancer - a little flag that your body waves to let doctors know that there might be something bad going on. Or they might look for a biomarker for heart disease - another little flag that your body waves to show that your heart might not be working right.

And that's what a biomarker is - a little flag that your body waves to let doctors know what's going on inside. It's kind of like a secret code that only doctors can read, and it can help them figure out how to make you feel better.