pathobiology

Pathobiology is the study of the biological mechanisms through which disease processes arise and progress in living organisms. It integrates concepts from pathology, microbiology, immunology, genetics, and physiology to understand how pathogens, toxins, or dysregulated host responses interact to produce disease. The field emphasizes causal mechanisms, molecular and cellular pathways, and the dynamic interactions between host and agent that determine disease outcome.

While pathology traditionally describes structural changes and dysfunction caused by disease, pathobiology focuses on the mechanisms that drive those changes. It asks how a disease starts, why it advances, and what host and environmental factors shape its trajectory. This mechanistic perspective complements clinical observation and diagnostic pathology by linking symptoms and lesions to underlying processes.

Subfields of pathobiology include infectious disease pathobiology, cancer pathobiology, metabolic and genetic disease pathobiology, toxicopathology, and neuropathobiology. Researchers employ methods from histology, microscopy, genomics and proteomics, cell biology, animal and cell models, and computational analysis to study host–pathogen interactions, virulence determinants, immune responses, tissue injury, and repair.

Applications of pathobiology include informing diagnosis, risk assessment, and prognosis; guiding the development of therapeutics and vaccines; and shaping public health strategies. By elucidating mechanisms such as inflammatory signaling, cell death pathways, and organ-specific injury, pathobiology supports translational research from bench to bedside.