Lisandra, a fellow student studying for her PhD at the University of Buffalo, discussed a review paper titled "Proteomics biomaker discovery: It's more than mass spectrometry" with Eduardo Rivera Cintron and other students. The paper argues that discovering biomarkers requires more than just mass spectrometry and that biomarkers could enable earlier disease diagnosis and improved treatment. It also describes new proteomics technologies developed in recent decades like shotgun proteomics and plasma/tissue analysis that have aided biomarker discovery. However, the biomarker validation process is complex and typically only reaches the qualification step.

1. Eduardo E. Rivera Cintron
September 30, 2011
ID: 804-11-6916
Reflexion on Lisandra’s Seminar
Ms. Lisandra was a fellow student of the UPR of Cayey and she did her major in
Chemistry. She is currently studying to have her PhD at the University of Buffalo.
She discussed with us a review paper titled: “Proteomics biomaker discovery: It’s
more than mass spectrometry”.
The authors in this article wanted to share with us that in the process of discovering
the biomarker you would need more than just a mass spectrometry. These
biomarkers could provide an early diagnosis in the patients and a better treatment
process, because it’s more effective. The search of biomarkers has intensified the
development of new technology during this past decade. Some of this new
technology that was developed through the past years are now known as shotgun
proteomics, plasma/ tissue analysis, cell based assays, etc. Shotgun proteomics led
to be a simpler strategy of discovering biomarkers. Due to the use of plasma and
tissues the investigators chose to unite this into one analysis. The plasma/tissue
analysis was used to narrow down those plasma-based tumor that could have
passed the qualification studies. The process of the validation of a biomarker takes
place in four steps. In those four steps it only gets to the second one that is
qualification due to that the verification of the biomarker that is to complex.
Through the discussion Lisandra pointed out these topics and explained to us the
importance of the biomarkers in the medical society and the advantages it brings.
Even though it hasn’t been approved the qualification process, we could foresee
that in a near future it will be a great advantage in the early diagnosis of cancer and/

2. or other diseases.