Table 1

Summary of proteomic approaches used to analyze plasma for breast cancer biomarkers

Approaches

Examples
Pros
Cons

Nondirected/global
Identification based
Tandem MS
Unbiased searches
Protein identities are determined
Highly reproducible
Requires fractionation and/or depletion/enrichment to overcome limited dynamic range
Time intensive






Pattern based
MALDI-TOF-MS
High throughput
Potentially applicable for clinical use
Unbiased searches
Protein identities not determined, making validation difficult
Identified proteins have been high-abundance immune and clotting factors




Low reproducibility between laboratories





Target specific

Western/ELISA/antibody arrays
Relatively high throughput
Clinically applicable
Identity of proteins is known
Limited antibody availability
Untargeted proteins will remain undetected

ELISA, enzyme-linked immunoisorbent assay; MALDI, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization; MS, mass spectrometry; TOF, time-of-flight.

Davis and Hanash Breast Cancer Research 2006 8:217   doi:10.1186/bcr1619