Proteins are workhorses that carry out most of the biological functions in our cells. While the genes we inherit from our parents, our so-called genome, are fixed and usually remain unchanged throughout our lives, proteins in our bodies are constantly changing, as we age, under different health conditions and upon stimulation, such as with medical treatment. This makes monitoring proteins and their molecular changes -; the study of proteomics -; beneficial for drug discovery, disease diagnosis and health management.
It also could one day open the door toward precision medicine. Yanbao Yu, director of proteomics in the University of Delaware's Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, has developed a simplified method for preparing protein samples for proteomics analysis that is quick, easy-to-use, inexpensive and universally compatible with other parts of the process. Yu and his collaborators reported the UD patent-pending method's effectiveness in a paper published June 11 in the journal Cell Reports Methods .
Knowing about the number or composition of proteins in our cells can help researchers understand what is going on inside our bodies, at a specific time or even over time. For example, the presence or absence of certain proteins can be an indicator of a person's biology. Simply speaking, if a protein is present only when people are sick, then this protein can be used as an indicator, or a biomarker, for disease.
" Yanbao Yu, director of proteomics, University of Delaware.
