| Scientific and technical innovations have transformed Proteomics from a promising academic endeavor to a mature enabling technology that is having direct impact on efforts to discover, develop and test new medicines. Advances in protein biochemistry, mass spectrometry and computers and data analysis algorithms have created new opportunities for proteomic investigations and translation of new discoveries to clinical settings. Examples of the basic research applications include the discovery of novel peptide substrates in human plasma, as well as the discovery of markers of disease and drug responsive proteins in cerebral spinal fluid. Importantly, early discovery efforts are not restricted to in vitro systems or animal models but can also be conducted with clinical samples obtained from relatively small numbers of patients. Mass spectrometry based platforms that do not rely on the availability of selective antibody reagents also provide a direct path for testing peptide or protein based biomarkers in the clinic. This presentation will describe Merck's efforts to leverage the value of proteomics by applying today's emerging technologies to important and tractable problems that face the pharmaceutical industry. |
