Fact Sheet: Advancing Proteomic Technologies to Combat Cancer
The Potential of Proteomics for Detecting Cancer
While genes are the "recipes" of the cell, containing all of the instructions for assembly, proteins are the products of these recipes and function as the cellular "engines," the molecules that do much of the actual work to keep the cell and the body functioning.
The term "proteome" refers to all of the proteins in a cell, tissue, or organism, while "clinical proteomics" refers to the study of proteomes in health and disease. Of importance to cancer research and treatment was the finding that tumors "leak" proteins and other molecules into blood, urine, and other accessible bodily fluids. This insight has led to the possibility of diagnosing cancer at an early stage simply by collecting such fluids and testing them for the presence of cancer-related molecules, or "cancer biomarkers." Such an approach could be clinically important because the earlier a patient's cancer is diagnosed, the more treatable it is by surgery, radiation or chemotherapy, or drug therapy. Biomarkers found in blood and other fluids might also be valuable for monitoring the response to cancer during treatment or detecting the recurrence of tumors after treatment.
Several scientific developments have propelled proteomics research forward during the past decade, such that attention has now turned toward proteomics as a way to identify protein signatures and to validate their association with cancer. These developments include:
- The mapping of the human genome;
- advances in mass spectrometry;
- development of protein microarrays; and
- development of mouse models.
Despite these developments, continued progress is challenged by several factors, including the fact that the proteome is highly complex and cells are continually modifying proteins once they are produced. A third major complicating factor in the study of proteins is that they exist in a wide range of concentrations in the body. In addition, there is a lack of standardization across research and treatment centers, creating heterogeneity in samples.
To overcome these challenges, several advances in the study of proteomics will be required, including:
- New technologies that can quantify proteins across the entire concentration range as well as detect modified versions of proteins;
- the standardization and optimization of proteomic technologies;
- common bioinformatics resources, with shared algorithms and standards for processing, analyzing and storing proteomic data;
- a standardized procedure for processing and storing biological samples used in proteomics research; and
- availability of high-quality reagents.
To read more about the potential of proteomics in the fight against cancer, download the full Proteomics and Cancer backgrounder.
