A new proteomics technique from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory enables precise identification and spatial characterization of thousands of proteins in single cells within human tissues. This method enhances the mass spectrometry (MS)-based approach, traditionally limited by bulk sample analyses that lack spatial resolution. Named wcSOP, this innovative process allows the detailed mapping of protein expression and tumor microenvironments. Validated with diverse tissue samples, including spleen, breast, and brain tissues, this approach promises improved insights into tissue function and disease progression.
This technology can give you a global picture of the proteins included in one specific cell or tissue region as small as possible that can be laser captured and microdissected. This technology can be broadly applied to analyzing any cell in any tissue in a spatially-preserved manner.
Advanced mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics is used to identify and characterize proteins across the genome in human tissue. However, current methods for bulk tumor tissue analyses lack spatial resolution and fail to capture precisely how proteins differ within the tissue microenvironment.
To address this issue, Liu and her collaborators at PNNL developed a novel, spatial proteomic processing method called wcSOP (wet collection of single microscale tissue voxels and Surfactant-assisted One-Pot voxel processing), enabling high-efficiency MS analysis for sensitive label-free single voxel proteomics.
The tool can also more accurately identify protein patterns and signaling pathways than traditional methods to improve the spatial understanding of tissue function.
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