Proteome analysis and its impact on the discovery of serological tumor markers

Background: Proteomics is a rapidly growing field of research that is becoming increasingly important as we enter the post-genome era. Remarkable improvements in the technologies of high-resolution two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2D PAGE) and mass spectrometry (MS) have marked the start of proteome analysis and its application to the study of human diseases. Besides studying the proteins involved in carcinogenesis, it is also applicable to the discovery of serological tumor markers for clinical uses, such as for hepatocellular carcinoma. Conclusions: The combination of 2D PAGE and MS is the most widely used technique for proteomics, although other more automated high-throughput techniques are being developed. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.