15. Proteomics Revolution

Question 1

what is protein

Answer 1

protein molecule is made of amino acids
there are about 20 amino acids
strung together in chains

Question 2

PSA

Answer 2

prostate specific antigen

used for prostate cancer diagnosis but
high PSA does not mean prostate cancer
low PSA doesn’t mean no prostate cancer

Question 3

haemoglobin

Answer 3

transports oxygen in blood

Question 4

what is a proteome

Answer 4

the entire complement of proteins that is (or can be) expressed by a cell, tissue or organism

Question 5

what are the challenges of proteomics

Answer 5

• isolating them from tissues, cells, parts of cells is ‘difficult’
• they can’t be amplified
• methods for their analysis are complex and still evolving

Question 6

why do proteomics

Answer 6

will lead to the determination of protein ‘function’ and a more detailed understanding of biological terms

Question 7

so what now in relation to proteomics

Answer 7

identify proteins that drive disease mechanisms and protein target for therapeutic intervention

identify and measure proteins that can inform whether someone has a disease/ what treatment they should be given/ whether they are responding to treatment

Question 8

what is the improved precision medicine

Answer 8

new proteins biomarker tests will be complimentary to genomics and add value

Question 9

precision healthcare and clinical diagnosis will reflect;

Answer 9

• the heterogeneity of ‘individual’ diseases
• the variability of individual patients including their co and multi morbidities

Question 10

psoriatic arthritis

Answer 10

complex polygenic autoimmune disease with diverse clinical features

Question 11

unmet needs is Psoriatic Arthritis

Answer 11

1. we do not understand the precise mechanisms of the bony changes in PsA
2. there are no formal diagnostic criteria or lab tests to discriminate PsA from RA
3. lots of treatments but no way of knowing which patient will respond to which patient