Proteomics in Medicine: Biomarkers and Diagnostics

Modern medicine increasingly relies on molecular methods that reveal disease in greater depth than a standard clinical assessment. Proteomics has become one of these fields. It makes it possible to study proteins and therefore to obtain information about how a disease develops, how the body responds to treatment and what molecular changes occur at different stages of the pathological process.

Proteomics is especially valuable when simply detecting a disease is not enough for the clinician or researcher. They need to understand the processes underlying it, how quickly it progresses and whether there are markers that can help guide the choice of therapy.

What Proteomics Offers Clinical and Research Projects

Proteomic studies are most often used for the following tasks:

Oncology is of particular interest. Here proteomics helps identify protein changes associated with tumor growth, prognosis, drug sensitivity and the risk of recurrence.

• discovery of new biomarkers;
• comparison of healthy and diseased tissue profiles;
• assessment of response to therapy;
• study of the molecular mechanisms of disease;
• support for a personalized approach to treatment.

Why Biomarkers Matter So Much

A biomarker is a measurable indicator that can be used to assess the state of the body. Ideally, it should help the clinician answer one of three questions:

Protein biomarkers are considered promising because proteins are directly involved in cellular functions. However, finding such markers is not easy: proteins are present in biological fluids in widely varying amounts, and the molecules of interest sometimes occur at minimal concentrations. For this reason, the laboratory must work carefully and with sound technical skill.

• is the disease present;
• how will it progress;
• how will the patient respond to treatment.

What Matters When Implementing Proteomics in the Laboratory

For a proteomics program to really work, the following must be in place:

The success of a project depends not only on the instrument but on the entire chain: how the sample was collected, how it was stored, what was used during preparation and how the data were interpreted.

• a stable sample preparation system;
• high-quality reagents and consumables;
• a reliable analytical platform;
• standardized protocols;
• bioinformatic processing of results;
• service and training for specialists.

How KombiMED Can Help

KombiMED supports laboratory and medical projects involving the supply of European equipment and consumables. If your institution is developing proteomics research, we can help you select equipment, such as FPLC chromatography systems, chromatographs and mass spectrometers, find the best options for your budget, organize delivery and simplify many organizational matters.