Area of Expertise: Proteomics and biological mass spectrometry
The mission of our research group is to bridge the gap
between technology and biomedical/biochemical discovery. Mass
spectrometry-based proteomics is the kind of research that is
highly interdisciplinary, bringing together biology, chemistry,
instrumentation, statistics, and bioinformatics. Proteomics thus
holds significant promise for the discovery of diagnostic or
prognostic protein markers, for the detection of new therapeutic
targets, and as a powerful tool to further our understanding of
basic biological processes and mechanisms. The realization of
these expectations relies on the development of novel chemistry
and instrumentation.
Our group focuses on the development of novel strategies and
reagents to efficiently target and discover proteins of
important biological relevance as potential biomarkers. Such
proteins of interest are typically low in abundance, dynamically
expressed, and post-translationally modified. The subject,
called targeted proteomics, therefore involves the integration
of a number of technologies including the selective targeting of
proteins with activities of interest, multi-step sample
preparation, and mass spectrometry. Examining changes in these
proteins within cells under different physiological conditions
will offer insights into understanding cellular and molecular
mechanisms that cannot currently be obtained through traditional
biological studies that usually focus on the detailed analysis
of individual biomolecules.
Current projects in my group are: 1. Quantitative and functional
proteomics in vitro and in living cells using soluble
nanopolymers; 2. Phosphorylation imaging and detection;
3. Molecular signaling in cancer cells: phosphoproteomics. 4.
Mapping protein-protein and protein-ligand interaction network.