Researchers Assess Proteomics to Study COPD

Italian and American researchers have employed a new approach for studying the progression of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The researchers set out to study the suitability of proteomics methods to identify changes in protein expression that are related to the disease, according to spectroscopynow.com. The researchers analyzed sputum from people affected by COPD and compared the protein profiles to pick out potential biomarkers.

Proteins collected at the aqueous interface were digested with trypsin. All digests were analyzed by HPLC-tandem mass spectrometry with electrospray ionisation and the peptides were matched to proteins using standard MS/MS software.A total of 203 proteins were identified, 118 were detected for the first time. As anticipated, the researchers found that several proteins were detected more frequently in some groups of subjects than others. Closer examination is expected to provide a clearer understanding of COPD and to establish a panel of proteins as biomarkers for the different stages of the disease.