Abstract
Plasma proteome analyses of the future promise invaluable insights into states of health, not only by measuring proteins whose role it is to ensure blood homeostasis, but increasingly also as a window into the health of practically any tissue in the body via so-called leakage protein biomarkers. Realizing more of this vast potential will require progress along many lines. Here we discuss the main ones, such as optimal selection of target proteins, affinity reagents, immunoassay formats, samples, and applications, with a view from ongoing work in our laboratory.
Highlights
Protein leakage markers can allow liquid biopsies that reveal disease processes
Leakage markers promise diagnosis at early timepoints, but progress has been slow
Tissue-specific proteins are of special interest as potential leakage markers
High-quality affinity reagents remain a limiting factor for new assays
Target recognition by two or more antibodies improves specificity
Extensive biobanks of dried blood spot could serve to validate markers
Greatly increased protein assay throughput can be foreseen in research