Despite significant advancements in medical science, cancer remains one of the most challenging diseases to diagnose and treat effectively. This challenge comes from a complex, multimodal molecular disease pathology that starts with genomic alterations that cascade to changes in cellular functions, in microenvironments, and in the interactions between cells, most of which are mediated by proteins and their functionally relevant post-translational modifications. A promising frontier in cancer research therefore lies within the field of mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics ( ).
The technology enables the comprehensive study of biochemical processes from tissues down to single cells and even individual organelles in humans and model organisms. Recent innovations in proteomics techniques are enabling researchers to uncover new avenues for improving cancer diagnosis and treatment. Spatial biology offers insights into intricate tissue architectures, local cellular biochemistry, and intercellular interactions.
In single-cell next-generation sequencing, spatial resolution has been successfully used to investigate tumor microenvironments identifying phenotypically distinct and disease-relevant tumor types and immune states. Proteomics has matured to a point where over 10,000 proteins can be analyzed from bulk cellular material, and increased sensitivity and throughput has enabled researchers to resolve proteomics signatures across tissues and down to the single-cell level, and to e.