Use of Biomarkers to Assess Environmental Exposures and Health Outcomes in Deployed Troops.

Objective: This paper provides an overview of our Military Biomarkers Research Study (MBRS) designed to assess whether biomarkers can be used to retrospectively assess deployment exposures and health impacts related to deployment environmental exposures. Methods: The MBRS consists of four phases. Phase I was a feasibility study of stored sera. Phase II looks at associations between exposures and biomarkers. Phase III examines relationships of biomarkers and health outcomes, and Phase IV investigates in vitro biomarker changes associated with exposures to chemicals of interest. This paper briefly summarizes work already published and introduces the new reports contained in this supplement. Results: Novel biomarkers were identified. These were associated with deployment exposures. Conclusions: Significant associations were noted between deployment exposures, microRNA biomarkers and metabolomic biomarkers, and deployment health outcomes.