Clinical OMICs - Issue 5 - (Page 16)

Clinical OMICs INNOVATOR Medically, Proteomics Advances Will Rival the Genetics Advances of the Last Ten Years Mitzi Perdue S eventy percent of the decisions made by physicians today are influenced by results of diagnostic tests, according to N. Leigh Anderson, founder of the Plasma Proteome Institute and CEO of SISCAPA Assay Technologies. Imagine the changes that will come about when future diagnostics tests are more accurate, more useful, more economical, and more accessible to healthcare practitioners. For Dr. Anderson, that's the promise of proteomics, the study of the structure and function Video: A new test provides clinicians an accurate measurement of Courtesy of the Mayo Clinic. serum thyroglobulin in patients with known or suspected antithyroglobulin autoantibodies or heterophilic antibodies. The video link below will take you to a summary of the test's details and a five-minute interview with Dr. Stefan Grebe. 16 Clinical OMICs June 12, 2014 of proteins, the principal constituents of the protoplasm of all cells. In explaining why proteomics is likely to have such a major impact, Dr. Anderson starts with a major difference between the genetic testing common today, and the proteomic testing that is fast coming on the scene. "Most genetic tests are aimed at measuring something that's constant in a person over his or her entire lifetime. These tests provide information on the probability of something happening, and they can help us understand the basis of various diseases and their potential risks. What's missing is, a genetic test is not going to tell you what's happening to you right now." He goes on to say that molecular markers, accessible through proteomic testing, do tell what's happening now. "Defects in proteins underlie most of disease, and that's because the business end of biology involves proteins. They're the molecular machines that manage all the chemical reactions in our bodies. It's proteins that send out signals and provide movement in muscles, and it's proteins that form a lot of the body's structures." He goes on to say, "If we can learn about how these defects are playing out in individuals, particularly by finding out changes in their numbers and types, there will be a vastly expanded use of proteins in diagnostic tests." www.clinicalomics.com http://www.clinicalomics.com

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Clinical OMICs - Issue 5