Pioneers: Navigating the Human Proteome for the Future of Precision Medicine

My independent research, commencing in the late 1980s, was launched with the groundbreaking elucidation of human hepatopoietin-a unique liver-regenerating cytokine bridging signaling and enzymatic function. Building upon this molecular cornerstone, I expanded my focus: shifting from characterizing individual proteins to pioneering the development of a comprehensive proteomics research platform aimed at treating complex human diseases. By the early 2000s, recognizing proteomics' unparalleled capacity to capture the dynamic, spatiotemporal, and functional dimensions of biology, I proposed the visionary 'solar system' framework. This conceptual advance was subsequently adopted in the first Human Proteome Project (HPP) guidelines. Leveraging this momentum, I conceived and led the ambitious Human Liver Proteome Project (HLPP), a landmark initiative that delivered the world's first comprehensive organ proteome atlas and an unprecedented tissue-level protein interaction network. This work revealed fundamental principles governing liver organization, function across space and time, and disease mechanisms. Throughout the 2010s, I led large-scale, disease-centric proteomic profiling to translate molecular insight into clinically actionable disease sub-classifications, robust biomarkers, and novel therapeutic targets. This strategy defined and established Proteomics-Driven Precision Medicine (PDPM)-a transformative paradigm rooted in proteome-level functional insight that began actively reshaping clinical landscapes. To propel the PDPM vision into the big-data era, I organized the establishment of national and international proteomics infrastructures. This effort resulted in the creation of the Proteomic Navigator of the Human Body (π-HuB)-a global initiative poised to integrate multi-modal proteomic intelligence and redefine the future of healthcare for decades to come.