Biomarker identification by LC-MS/MS for patients with brain injury.

• Main Author: Low, Keng Cheng.
• Other Authors: Chen Wei Ning, William
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2009
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering::Chemical engineering::Biotechnology
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/16512
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Proteomics aims to study the whole protein content of a biological sample in one set of experiments. Such an approach has the potential to acquire an understanding of the complex responses of an organism to a stimulus. Recent years have seen the development of powerful technologies that have provided researchers with new analytical capabilities. With Liquid Chromatography- Mass Spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) in particular, there has been an explosion in the discovery of biomarkers that can be used to measure the progress of a disease or injury, or the effects of its treatment. Such proteomics can be applied for the identification and confirmation of peripheral biomarkers for brain injury. Blood serum and urine samples obtained from 9 patients who were suffering from brain injury from Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) and 4 healthy volunteers from the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) were used in an investigation to identify the potential biomarker(s) of brain injury. Results from the prepared samples were obtained by studying the LC/MS/MS analysis and differentiating the up-regulated proteins from the down-regulated ones. These methodologies have made the application of proteomics on the study of brain injury under clinically relevant conditions possible. The quantity of data that is acquired with these techniques has placed new challenges on data processing and analysis. This report will provide an insight to one of the most promising proteomics methods and its application to the biomarkers identification of brain injury research.