Precision Medicine: Role of Proteomics in Changing Clinical Management and Care

Abstract

It is now possible to collect large sums of health-related data which has the potential to transform healthcare. Proteomics, with its central position as downstream of genetics and epigenetic inputs and upstream of biochemical outputs and integrators of environmental signals, is well-positioned to contribute to health discoveries and management. We present our perspective on the role of proteomics and other Omics in precision health and medicine.

Keywords: big data; individualized medicine; mass spectrometry; precision medicine; proteomics; remote monitoring.

Figure 1.

Multifactorial influences dictate the individual’s phenotype and proteome. An individual’s phenotype can be assessed by biosensors, OMIC data and patent reported outcomes questionaries’ (PROs). It is the proteome, however, which has the broadest diversity of forms (proteoforms). That diversity is due to isoforms, single nucleotide variants (SNVs), and co- and post-translational modifications (PTMs).

Figure 2.

Accumulative risk with aging can be continuously assessed with biomarkers. Top panel, graphically illustrates the effect of genes (dark blue line) over lifetime versus changes induce by various risk factors which can affect the proteomic contribution (light blue, yellow, orange and red) to overall risk burden. Bottom panel, illustrates the conceptual difference between a static versus continuous biomarker monitoring as a means to assign risk over a lifetime.