Proteomics Reveals Biomarkers Associated with Breast Cancer

Several risk factors are associated with breast cancer, but better markers are needed for diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy.

The University of Essex's Proteomics Unit (Colchester, UK), led by director Dr. Metodi Metodiev, has uncovered a panel of protein biomarkers that will lead to improved diagnosis of breast tumor types and fine-tuned treatment. Dr. Metodiev said that the combination of high-throughput screening (HTS) techniques, including nanotechnology and mass spectrometry (MS), powerful algorithms, and sophisticated bioinformation enables them to screen thousands of proteins in a very fast time.

The team conducted proteome-wide analysis of fresh surgery specimens derived from breast cancer patients, using size-based intact protein fractionation, nanoscale liquid separation of peptides, electrospray ion trap MS, and bioinformatics. The MS data revealed distinct qualitative and quantitative patterns that distinguished the tumors from healthy tissue as well as differences between metastatic and non-metastatic human breast cancers. Selected proteins were evaluated by Western blotting using tumors grouped according to histological grade, size, and receptor expression.

Immunohistochemical analysis of a wide panel of breast tumors was conducted to assess expression in different types of breast cancers and the cellular distribution of the candidate proteins. Dr. Metodiev and his colleagues determined a panel of prospective biomarkers and are now narrowing it down to see what patterns emerge. Eventually they will perform a large-scale clinical trial.

Dr. Metodiev's study appeared in the February 2008 online edition of the Journal of Proteome Research.


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