The Role of Proteomics in Personalized Medicine

Abstract

The consequences of the differences in the genome of each human individual are the variation in expressed protein isoforms, as well as the changes of the level and timing of protein expression and of the spatial distribution of expressed proteins. These differences are defined as differences in human proteome. The consequence of the changes of individual proteome is the difference in protein–protein interactions (interactome). The network of interactions between proteins underlines every single process in a living organism and makes it happen. This complex network is kept in more or less optimal homeostasis that is unique for each organism. Thus, the capacity of the interactome to overcome disease condition differs among individuals, e.g., to compensate over or down regulations of different processes that are induced, e.g., by mutations. Recent technological advances in high throughput proteomic techniques enabled fast and deep analysis of human proteome and also some understanding of the complex mechanism of protein–protein interactions. However, the human proteome analysis is still not complete, and further improvements in both analytical techniques and accompanying bioinformatics tools are necessary. In this chapter, current state of application of different proteomic approaches for personalized patient proteome profiling and search for diagnostic and prognostic disease biomarkers are presented and the contribution of proteome analysis to personalized approach in most frequent diseases in developed Western World, namely cancer, cardiovascular, urological and neurodegenerative diseases, diabetes mellitus and allergies, has been reviewed.