Mass spectrometry-based methods for protein biomarker quantification: On the road to clinical implementation

Proteins are compounds of which more than ten thousand different types can be found in our bodies, and measuring some of these proteins may, for example, be useful for detecting diseases. Numerous protein measurements are actually performed in hospitals and medical laboratories, although many diseases still lack appropriate tests to assist doctors in providing optimal patient care. Frank Klont conducted research that was focused on the development and simplification of mass spectrometry (MS-)based methods for measuring proteins in blood. MS is an analytical technique which allows for the separation of compounds based on their mass (weight) after which these compounds can be detected separately. Thereby, protein measurements by MS are considerably more specific as compared to those carried out with the analytical techniques that are mostly used in medical laboratories nowadays. MS, however, is not yet applied for patient care on a large scale, as MS instrumentation is rather difficult to operate and since procedures to prepare samples prior to MS measurements are fairly complex. In his thesis, Frank describes the development of an MS-based analytical platform for measuring a class of smaller proteins in an easy, reliable, and automated fashion. He furthermore presents a simple sample preparation methodology by which a class of challenging, low abundant proteins in blood can now be measured more easily by MS. Altogether, Frank attempted to simplify the process of developing novel MS-based blood tests for clinically-relevant proteins and thereby he aimed to lower threshold for implementing MS-based protein tests in medical laboratories