"If we get this to work, we can look at many diseases: cancer, inflammation, you name it," Martin said. ISB RESEARCHERS ON GIANT EXPEDITION TO CATCH LITTLE FISH
Researchers at ISB are about to give new meaning to the term "extreme fishing."
A $4.6 million grant from the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is helping scientists at ISB produce the first complete atlas of human proteins. Under the grant, researchers will attempt to synthetically generate signatures to proteins, build molecular "lures" called assays that attract each of the synthetic proteins and then use those lures to "catch" and document the estimated 24,000 naturally occurring protein counterparts in the human body.
"Basically we're going on a giant fishing expedition to catch and tag every protein in the body that the genetic code says should be there," said Robert Moritz, PhD, an associate professor at ISB and director of its proteomics efforts. "It's something that's never been done before and the results could be a watershed
event in the development of predictive and preventive medicine." Proteomics is the study of the structure and function of proteins.
The effort is expected to take two years and will be conducted in close collaboration
"This information will be available and of significant value to researchers around the globe," Moritz said. "Being able to learn which proteins are present and in what numbers when cancer, Alzheimer's or any other illness initiates its disease process will someday allow us to diagnose and treat patients at the very earliest stages, before symptoms even develop."
Robert Moritz, PhD Moritz will lead ISB on an expedition to "catch" 24,000 human proteins.
© 2009 Institute for Systems Biology. All rights reserved.