A
century after its introduction, mass spectrometry is still an
innovative technology, which, due to continuous instrumental
developments and improvements, has provided important scientific
insights in biochemistry, molecular biology and medicine. Now, in 2011,
mass spectrometry is used to analyze various types of molecule, such as
proteins, peptides, carbohydrates, oligonucleotides, estrogens, natural
products, drugs, and drug metabolites. Because modern mass spectrometers
have high sensitivity-ranges, they have become a very popular
analytical research tool in several areas of biomedical research. Mass
spectrometry is frequently applied as research tool in several different
medical disciplines such as pediatrics, oncology, clinical chemistry
and many more. After the introduction of more sophisticated mass
spectrometry instrumentation into routine clinical laboratories, we can
expect future diagnostics to be driven by new developments in for
example mass spectrometry. The overall diagnosis and treatment of
diseases will be improved not only by the introduction of new clinical
diagnostic parameters or better quality-standard regulations for
biomarker discovery and analyses, but also by routine in-vitro
diagnostics. Although scientific research provides the foundation of our
knowledge, a major future challenge in biomedical research is how new
knowledge can be translated into clinical practice. Expectations are
high that new clinical diagnostic parameters, more sensitive
instrumentation, improved bioanalytical quality standards could
influence modern medicine, and therefore especially highly efficient and
individually orientated therapies will result from such research and
the knowledge it generates, not only on the burden of certain diseases,
but also on disabilities. Hopefully, biomedical mass spectrometry will
help fulfill these expectations.
This thesis demonstrates the diagnostic potential and advantages of
innovative mass-spectrometry technology in biomedical research. It
covers three medical research fields –infectious diseases, oncology and
auto-immune diseases – for which we developed new mass-spectrometric
bioanalytical assays to support biomedical research on several specific
drugs used to treat patients.
http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/30590/111104_Meesters%2C%20Roland%20Jacob%20Willem.pdf
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