Amanda Paulovich, MD, PhD (Damon Runyon Fellow ‘02-‘03), Peter S. Nelson, MD (Damon Runyon Scholar ‘02-‘04, Clinical Investigator Mentor), and colleagues at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, used a highly sensitive and targeted analytical technology, selected reaction monitoring mass spectrometry, to test candidate protein biomarkers. This technology allows highly specific and sensitive measurement of many proteins from a small drop of blood. The researchers identified those proteins that were elevated in the blood of mice with breast cancer as compared to healthy mice. A subset of these proteins were found to be elevated before tumors could be seen, suggesting that they could be used for early detection of the cancer. The goal is to apply this strategy to determine the most promising protein biomarkers associated with early breast cancer development in humans. The study was published in the journal Nature Biotechnology.
