Clinical Infrastructures to Support Proteomic Studies of Tissue and Fluids in Breast Cancer

Proteomic analysis of breast tissue and nipple aspirate fluid for breast cancer detection

Clinical proteomics has great promise, but many hurdles. Proteomic approaches may prove to be the answer to decades of frustrating searches for markers that are specific and selective for breast cancer. In order to achieve this goal, the challenge arises that breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease and individual variations are enormous. To identify sensitive and specific breast cancer markers will require standardization of every method, from tissue collection through statistical analysis and diligence. Small pilot studies of tumors with varied characteristics will not suffice; large, homogeneous sample sets will be the most efficient route to identify breast cancer markers. Proteomic analysis of nipple aspirate fluid may identify markers that can be used for screening with this noninvasive technique. Proteomic analysis of breast biopsies will allow more detailed characterization of the individual's cancer, with therapy tailored to the disease based on this information.

Towards discovery-driven translational research in breast cancer

Discovery-driven translational research in breast cancer is moving steadily from the study of cell lines to the analysis of clinically relevant samples that, together with the ever increasing number of novel and powerful technologies available within genomics, proteomics and functional genomics, promise to have a major impact on the way breast cancer will be diagnosed, treated and monitored in the future. Here we present a brief report on long-term ongoing strategies at the Danish Centre for Translational Breast Cancer Research to search for markers for early detection and targets for therapeutic intervention, to identify signalling pathways affected in individual tumours, as well as to integrate multiplatform 'omic' data sets collected from tissue samples obtained from individual patients. The ultimate goal of this initiative is to coalesce knowledge-based complementary procedures into a systems biology approach to fight breast cancer.

Impact of proteomics on bladder cancer research

Detecting bladder cancer at an early stage and predicting how a tumor will behave and act in response to therapy, as well as the identification of new targets for therapeutic intervention, are among the main areas of research that will benefit from the current explosion in the number of powerful technologies emerging within proteomics. The purpose of this article is to briefly review what has been achieved to date using proteomic technologies and to bring forward novel strategies – based on the analysis of clinically relevant samples – that promise to accelerate the translation of basic discoveries into the daily clinical practice.