"Dr. Nelson and co-workers have been using cutting-edge proteomic technologies to identify novel markers of type 2 diabetes and its cardiovascular complications. Diabetes is really a group of diseases with the common outcome of hyperglycemia. We hope that the identification of novel markers will help determine disease subsets and lead to treatments that are tailored, or personalized, for individual patients," said Dr. Salvatore Sechi, director of NIDDK's Proteomic Program.

The researchers use state-of-the-art technology including protein identification by mass spectrometer, an instrument used to determine the chemical makeup of a protein sample by generating a spectrum representing the masses of sample components. The team uses mass spectrometers not only to identify proteins and their functional states, but also to measure the quantity of particular proteins. For example, someone with a disease may be producing too much of a given protein that would normally be present in lower amounts in a healthy individual.

Nelson's group has observed that many proteins become "sugar-coated" in people with diabetes, the extent of which is dependent on disease severity. Simultaneously, many proteins known to be risk factors for heart disease become oxidized, affecting the formation of arterial plaques. "We've seen that diabetes and heart disease have a change in their protein signatures over time, which correlates very strongly with the progression of these diseases," said Nelson.

The Biodesign team hopes to identify and validate several new biomarkers before the end of the research study.

Source: Arizona State University