On the cutting edge of medical diagnostics, plasma proteomics promises to
generate a new wave of technologies to help identify many different diseases and
disease risks.
Plasma and serum are the preferred non-invasive specimens to test normal
individuals, at-risk groups, and patients for protein biomarkers discovered and
validated to reflect physiological, pathological, and pharmacological
phenotypes. These specimens present enormous challenges due to extreme
complexity, huge dynamic range in protein concentrations, non-standardized
methods of sample processing, and intra- and inter-individual variation from
genetics, diet, smoking, hormones, and other sources. This book presents the
major findings from the collaborative Plasma Proteome Project organized by the
international Human Proteome Organization (HUPO). The chapters