Proteomics in Human Healthcare: A Tool in Disease Diagnosis

Proteins are the most relevant markers of cell functions as they represent the functional output of a cell. Systematic studies of the human proteome from both body fluids and tissue samples may be a dynamic and powerful approach towards better understanding numerous malignancies where traditional methods of diagnosis may not be enough. Alterations in the protein profiles may be detected in cells in their normal non-diseased states. Further comparing them with that of diseased state can extend the base information regarding the underlying pathogenesis of a disease. Proteomics has been making giant strides towards uncovering basic biological processes and aiding in better knowhow of some complex biological phenomena involved in some major diseases. This chapter will focus on such studies where various body fluids and tissue samples have been put to several proteomic studies to understand the pathologies of some diseases. Body fluids such as plasma, urine, sputum, CSF, seminal fluid, cervicovaginal fluid, etc., as well as various tissues such as tissues from brain, breast, liver, ovary, vagina, etc., have been used by researchers to study diseases associated with these tissues. Furthermore, continuous advancements and refinements in proteomic techniques will usher healthcare into a revolutionary era of early diagnosis, prognosis and ultimately lead to successful treatment of these human malignancies.