The Proteomics program contains structural biology and proteomics grants that are relevant to the fields of diabetes, endocrinology and metabolic diseases.
The structural biology component of the portfolio includes grants which aims include various aspects of molecular structure. Studies involving the use of x-ray crystallography, electron microscopy, mass spectrometry, and NMR for structural determination are part of this program. The majority of the structural biology projects in this program are aimed to the determination and characterization of protein 3D structure by X-ray crystallography or NMR spectroscopy. However, this program also includes studies related to folding, stability, design of novel structure, biophysics and theoretical/computational biology as it applies to structural data and their biological application.
The proteomic component of this portfolio contains grants that have major emphasis in characterizing the proteome or subset of the proteome as it applies to the field of obesity, diabetes, endocrinology and metabolic diseases. For example this program includes human plasma/sera proteome studies aimed to identify biomarkers, characterization of the proteome of animal models and cells models, large-scale approaches to study signal transduction pathway or network. More generally the proteomic program includes all grants that use large-scale approaches for studying proteins. It should be noted that a study that uses only one or few antibody for looking at the protein expression during development does not fit within proteomics but a study that uses a set of antibodies (e.g. 20-100) and looks how all these proteins are changing during development would fit within the proteomic program. Large scale approaches include the use of methodologies like 2D-PAGE, 2D-LC, protein arrays, mass spectrometry by it self or coupled to one of these methodologies for profiling/characterizing the proteome or a subset of the proteome (e.g. phosphoproteome, membrane protein fraction, glycoproteome).
Computational/bioinformatic studies meant to address proteomic issues and sharing proteomics data are also part of this program.
For more information, contact Dr. Salvatore Sechi, Proteomic Program Director.
