Novel biomarkers for infectious diseases
Biomarker research constitutes an ongoing quest in the field of diagnostics and preventive medicine. Correlating biomarkers with disease onset or progression facilitates early diagnosis and in certain cases even prognosis. The discovery of new biomarkers has been improved through the development of state-of-the-art proteomic technologies which allow the analysis of multiple samples and the sensitive detection of small amounts of proteins. The EU-funded ‘Novel strategies for biomarker discovery and quantification’ (Biomah) project applied quantitative proteomics on normal and pathological samples in order to gain a clear insight into the protein changes associated with pathology. Experimenting on bovine urinary samples, scientists developed protocols for the preparation of proteomics-friendly urinary protein preparations. The challenge was to clear samples of impurities that could interfere with protein analysis. The developed protocols resulted in the detection of specific antimicrobial proteins in urine samples which have the potential to serve as a generic biomarker for infection status. Additionally, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples of children from developing countries were analysed for bacterial meningitis. Results indicated a clear alteration in the protein profile of infected children, pointing to several biomarkers that could be associated with infectious disease. Biomah biomarker deliverables have the potential to improve diagnostics of infectious diseases, and help implement an early treatment regimen. This will hopefully reduce therapy costs and treatment side effects.
