Worldwide standards for clinical proteome analyses

03-01-2007: After the many pitfalls of the GENOMICS-era, the basis for worldwide standards for clinical proteome research aiming towards early detection of live-threatening diseases as well as evaluation of therapeutic success has been set. With the publication of suggested guidelines in PROTEOMICS - Clinical Applications, a team of 26 scientists from international leading research institutes, led by Prof. Harald Mischak (Mosaiques Diagnostics & Therapeutics AG), established the basis for worldwide standards for the clinical definition of diseases by the use of proteome analysis.

This task has been significantly eased by the successful application of diagnostic polypeptide patterns in several clinical studies recently. This technological advance already enables the early detection of several diseases, for example bladder cancer, prostate cancer and chronic renal diseases, including diabetic nephropathy. The studies were published recently in Nature Medicine, Blood, Lancet Oncology and the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

The use of proteome analysis for the early detection differential diagnosis of several diseases is marketed via DiaPat GmbH, a subsidiary of Mosaiques Diagnostics & Therapeutics AG. According to the company, clinical proteome analysis is also of high value in the development of pharmaceuticals and will result in faster and safer development. Effects and side-effects of drugs can be evaluated on a multidimensional molecular level with unsurpassed precision using diagnostic polypeptide patterns. Diagnostic patterns (DiaPat) are patterns of thousand proteins and peptides, which reflects the difference between healthy and disease, based on indicative changes of specific proteins and peptides. The extremely complex and expensive drug development process can be significantly improved by the DiaPat method, by reducing the rates and the time for drug development.