Although the field of mass spectrometry-based proteomics is still in its infancy, recent developments in targeted proteomic techniques have left the field poised to impact the clinical protein ...biomarker pipeline now more than at any other time in history. For proteomics to meet its potential for finding biomarkers, clinicians, statisticians, epidemiologists, and chemists must work together in an interdisciplinary approach. These interdisciplinary efforts will have the greatest chance for success if participants from each discipline have a basic working knowledge of the other disciplines. To that end, the purpose of this review is to provide a nontechnical overview of the emerging/evolving roles that mass spectrometry (especially targeted modes of mass spectrometry) can play in the biomarker pipeline, in hope of making the technology more accessible to the broader community for biomarker discovery efforts. Additionally, the technologies discussed are broadly applicable to proteomic studies, and are not restricted to biomarker discovery.
Antibodies are used in multiple cell biology applications, but there are no standardized methods to assess antibody quality-an absence that risks data integrity and reproducibility. We describe a ...mass spectrometry-based standard operating procedure for scoring immunoprecipitation antibody quality. We quantified the abundance of all the proteins in immunoprecipitates of 1,124 new recombinant antibodies for 152 chromatin-related human proteins by comparing normalized spectral abundance factors from the target antigen with those of all other proteins. We validated the performance of the standard operating procedure in blinded studies in five independent laboratories. Antibodies for which the target antigen or a member of its known protein complex was the most abundant protein were classified as 'IP gold standard'. This method generates quantitative outputs that can be stored and archived in public databases, and it represents a step toward a platform for community benchmarking of antibody quality.
Despite their potential to impact diagnosis and treatment of cancer, few protein biomarkers are in clinical use. Biomarker discovery is plagued with difficulties ranging from technological (inability ...to globally interrogate proteomes) to biological (genetic and environmental differences among patients and their tumors). We urgently need paradigms for biomarker discovery. To minimize biological variation and facilitate testing of proteomic approaches, we employed a mouse model of breast cancer. Specifically, we performed LC-MS/MS of tumor and normal mammary tissue from a conditional HER2/Neu-driven mouse model of breast cancer, identifying 6758 peptides representing >700 proteins. We developed a novel statistical approach (SASPECT) for prioritizing proteins differentially represented in LC-MS/MS datasets and identified proteins over- or under-represented in tumors. Using a combination of antibody-based approaches and multiple reaction monitoring-mass spectrometry (MRM-MS), we confirmed the overproduction of multiple proteins at the tissue level, identified fibulin-2 as a plasma biomarker, and extensively characterized osteopontin as a plasma biomarker capable of early disease detection in the mouse. Our results show that a staged pipeline employing shotgun-based comparative proteomics for biomarker discovery and multiple reaction monitoring for confirmation of biomarker candidates is capable of finding novel tissue and plasma biomarkers in a mouse model of breast cancer. Furthermore, the approach can be extended to find biomarkers relevant to human disease.
Abstract Immunotherapies are revolutionizing cancer care, but many patients do not achieve durable responses and immune-related adverse events are difficult to predict. Quantifying the hundreds of ...proteins involved in cancer immunity has the potential to provide biomarkers to monitor and predict tumor response. We previously developed robust, multiplexed quantitative assays for immunomodulatory proteins using targeted mass spectrometry, providing measurements that can be performed reproducibly and harmonized across laboratories. Here, we expand upon those efforts in presenting data from a multiplexed immuno-oncology (IO)-3 assay panel targeting 43 peptides representing 39 immune- and inflammation-related proteins. A suite of novel monoclonal antibodies was generated as assay reagents, and the fully characterized antibodies are made available as a resource to the community. The publicly available dataset contains complete characterization of the assay performance, as well as the mass spectrometer parameters and reagent information necessary for implementation of the assay. Quantification of the proteins will provide benefit to correlative studies in clinical trials, identification of new biomarkers, and improve understanding of the immune response in cancer.
Lung cancer is the deadliest cancer worldwide, mainly due to its advanced stage at the time of diagnosis. A non-invasive method for its early detection remains mandatory to improve patients' ...survival. Plasma levels of 351 proteins were quantified by Liquid Chromatography-Parallel Reaction Monitoring (LC-PRM)-based mass spectrometry in 128 lung cancer patients and 93 healthy donors. Bootstrap sampling and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) penalization were used to find the best protein combination for outcome prediction. The PanelomiX platform was used to select the optimal biomarker thresholds. The panel was validated in 48 patients and 49 healthy volunteers. A 6-protein panel clearly distinguished lung cancer from healthy individuals. The panel displayed excellent performance: area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) = 0.999, positive predictive value (PPV) = 0.992, negative predictive value (NPV) = 0.989, specificity = 0.989 and sensitivity = 0.992. The panel detected lung cancer independently of the disease stage. The 6-protein panel and other sub-combinations displayed excellent results in the validation dataset. In conclusion, we identified a blood-based 6-protein panel as a diagnostic tool in lung cancer. Used as a routine test for high- and average-risk individuals, it may complement currently adopted techniques in lung cancer screening.
A woman with estrogen/progesterone receptor-positive, ERBB2-negative metastatic breast cancer developed progressive disease despite treatment with multiple hormonal and chemotherapeutic modalities. ...She carried a germline variant of MLH1 (1835del3), also known as c.1835_1837del and v612del, the pathogenicity of which has not been conclusively determined. MLH1 staining was not seen on immunohistochemical staining of her tumor tissue. The patient experienced a >5-year dramatic response to 4 doses of pembrolizumab. Family studies revealed multiple other relatives with the MLH1 1835del3 variant, as well as multiple relatives with colon cancer. The one relative with colon cancer who underwent genetic testing demonstrated the same variant. Laboratory studies revealed that the patient's tumor showed loss of heterozygosity (LOH) in the MLH1 region, high levels of microsatellite instability, and a high tumor mutational burden. LOH in the MLH1 region, along with the remarkable clinical response to pembrolizumab treatment and the presence of the same MLH1 variant in affected relatives, supports the hypothesis that the MLH1 1835del3 variant is pathogenic. Given the patient's family history, this likely represents an uncommon presentation of Lynch syndrome. Physicians should be alert to evaluate patients for targetable genetic variants even in unlikely clinical situations such as the one described here.
Access to a wider range of quantitative protein assays would significantly impact the number and use of tissue markers in guiding disease treatment. Quantitative mass spectrometry‐based peptide and ...protein assays, such as immuno‐SRM assays, have seen tremendous growth in recent years in application to protein quantification in biological fluids such as plasma or urine. Here, we extend the capability of the technique by demonstrating the application of a multiplexed immuno‐SRM assay for quantification of estrogen receptor (ER) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) levels in cell line lysates and human surgical specimens. The performance of the assay was characterized using peptide response curves, with linear ranges covering approximately four orders of magnitude and limits of detection in the low fmol/mg lysate range. Reproducibility was acceptable with median coefficients of variation of approximately 10%. We applied the assay to measurements of ER and HER2 in well‐characterized cell line lysates with good discernment based on ER/HER2 status. Finally, the proteins were measured in surgically resected breast cancers, and the results showed good correlation with ER/HER2 status determined by clinical assays. This is the first implementation of the peptide‐based immuno‐SRM assay technology in cell lysates and human surgical specimens.
AZD0156 and AZD6738 are potent and selective inhibitors of ataxia-telangiectasia-kinase (ATM) and ataxia-telangiectasia-mutated and Rad3-related (ATR), respectively, important sensors/signallers of ...DNA damage.
We used multiplexed targeted-mass-spectrometry to select pRAD50(Ser635) as a pharmacodynamic biomarker for AZD0156-mediated ATM inhibition from a panel of 45 peptides, then developed and tested a clinically applicable immunohistochemistry assay for pRAD50(Ser635) detection in FFPE tissue.
We found moderate pRAD50 baseline levels across cancer indications. pRAD50 was detectable in 100% gastric cancers (n = 23), 99% colorectal cancers (n = 102), 95% triple-negative-breast cancers (TNBC) (n = 40) and 87.5% glioblastoma-multiformes (n = 16). We demonstrated AZD0156 target inhibition in TNBC patient-derived xenograft models; where AZD0156 monotherapy or post olaparib treatment, resulted in a 34-72% reduction in pRAD50. Similar inhibition of pRAD50 (68%) was observed following ATM inhibitor treatment post irinotecan in a colorectal cancer xenograft model. ATR inhibition, using AZD6738, increased pRAD50 in the ATM-proficient models whilst in ATM-deficient models the opposite was observed, suggesting pRAD50 pharmacodynamics post ATR inhibition may be ATM-dependent and could be useful to determine ATM functionality in patients treated with ATR inhibitors.
Together these data support clinical utilisation of pRAD50 as a biomarker of AZD0156 and AZD6738 pharmacology to elucidate clinical pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic relationships, thereby informing recommended Phase 2 dose/schedule.
PDF
