A better understanding of molecular mechanisms underlying human disease

This review summarises and discusses the degree to which proteomics is contributing to medical care, providing examples and signspots for future directions. Why do genomic approaches provide a limited view of gene expression? Because of the multifactorial nature of many diseases, proteomics enables us to understand the molecular basis of disease, not only at the organism, whole-cell or tissue levels, but also in subcellular structures, protein complexes and biological fluids. The application of proteomics in medicine is expected to have a major impact by providing an integrated view of individual disease processes. This review describes several proteomic platforms and examines the role of proteomics as a tool for clinical biomarker discovery, the identification of prognostic and earlier diagnostic markers, their use in monitoring the effects of drug treatments and eventually find more efficient and safer therapeutics for a wide range of pathologies.