A review of proteomics in cancer research.

The most functional compartment encoded by the genome is proteome. Therefore study of proteome i.e. proteomics is the promising approach in identification, separation and quantitation of functional changes. It aims to gain a comprehensive understanding of the expressions, modifications, interactions, and regulation of proteins in cells. The power of two-dimensional electrophoresis and advances in mass spectrometric techniques, combined with sequence data base correlation, has enabled speed and accuracy in identification of proteins in complex mixtures. Therefore, proteomics may provide a better understanding of the molecular basis of cancer growth, with identification of potential pathological markers and therapeutic targets. Tobacco related cancers are the major health hazard in Asian countries; the proteomics approach should be employed for understanding the underlying disease processes and hopefully reveal important clues for identifying high risk individuals and early changes during malignant transformation.