Structural Proteomics: Detection of Neurodegenerative Protein Modifications

For decades now, neurodegenerative disorders have been explored, but their prompt detection is still very strenuous due to the complexity of the brain. This entails the demand for identification and development of clinical biomarkers in order to comply with the criteria of precision, specificity and repeatability. The use of rapidly evolving technologies such as Mass Spectrometry (MS) in proteomics has opened new ways to speed up the discovery of biomarkers, both for diagnostic and prognostic purposes. The wide range of possibilities for the detection of differentially expressed proteins in specific diseases has been opened by several novel proteomic techniques such as cross-linking mass spectrometry, hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry, protein foot printing and more. Still, much research is required to give a deep insight into the complex system of the brain and its related disorders for unraveling prognostic and diagnostic biomarkers, which can be used to either enhance a certain function of our brain or to cure a particular disease/disorder. This review summarizes the latest developments in neuroproteomics and analyzes existing and potential directions for the discovery of biomarkers for neurodegenerative diseases.