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Molecular & Cellular Proteomics 3:297, 2004.
© 2004 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

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EDITORIAL

Cancer Proteomics

Following the publication of the first special issue on clinical proteomics, the editors of Molecular & Cellular Proteomics decided to launch a series of clinical issues focusing on the application of state-of-the-art proteomic technologies to the study of human disorders.

Today, the availability of tools for the rapid and efficient analysis of genes and their respective products promises to expedite the translation of basic research findings into routine clinical practice in the areas of diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy. In particular, protein-based technologies are expected to play a key role in the study and treatment of human disorders, as they provide invaluable resources to define and characterize regulatory and functional protein networks both within and outside cells. In addition, proteomics provides the means to investigate, both in tissues and fluids, the precise molecular defect associated with a given disease and may expedite the development of specific reagents to detect different pathological stages of the disease. The main challenge today, however, is how best to apply these powerful and novel technologies to clinically relevant complex samples in a well-defined clinical and pathological framework.

Cancer, being a disorder that impinges on an important fraction of the world population, is at present the target of major interdisciplinary research efforts aiming at 1) elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying disease pathogenesis, 2) revealing new biomarkers for diagnosis, prognosis, and response to therapy, and 3) developing effective therapeutic agents from the wealth of information generated from the "Omics" technologies. For these reasons, it seemed appropriate to devote the first issue in the series to this major disease.

This special issue highlights some relevant developments in the rapidly emerging field of cancer proteomics and provides a solid foundation for future research in this area. It includes invited reviews as well as articles selected from regular submissions that deal with the following topics: 1) clinical infrastructures, support initiatives, and proteomic resources for translational research, 2) biomarker discovery (sources, detection, and screening), 3) antibody-based targeted cancer therapy, and 4) protein profiling of tumor biopsies. In general, the articles highlight the problems and limitations one faces when searching for novel biomarkers and targets, and as a whole emphasize the need for creating integrated research environments in order to accelerate the translation of basic discoveries into the clinical practice.

My thanks to all the contributors for keeping the tight deadlines, and to the staff of Molecular & Cellular Proteomics for the quick and efficient handling of the manuscripts.

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This Article Full Text (PDF) Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Glossary Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Celis, J. E. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Celis, J. E. Social Bookmarking                      What's this?