Serum Proteomic Analysis in Hepatitis C Patients
Author Information
Author(s): Ian R White, Keyur Patel, William T Symonds, Anouk Dev, Philip Griffin, Nikos Tsokanas, Mark Skehel, Chiang Liu, Amany Zekry, Paul Cutler, Mahanandeeshwar Gattu, Don C Rockey, Michelle M Berrey, John G McHutchison
Primary Institution: GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals
Hypothesis
Elucidating novel proteins differentially expressed in patients with advanced fibrosis versus those with minimal fibrosis would allow development of novel assays for accurate staging of hepatic fibrosis.
Conclusion
Biomarkers identified through expression profiling may facilitate the development of more accurate marker algorithms to better quantitate hepatic fibrosis and monitor disease progression.
Supporting Evidence
- Three proteins identified are included in existing non-invasive serum marker panels.
- Seven protein spots were identified as significantly altered between mild and advanced fibrosis.
- The study provides validation for the proprietary FibroTest as a non-invasive alternative to biopsy.
Takeaway
Researchers looked at blood samples from people with liver damage due to hepatitis C to find new markers that could help doctors understand how bad the liver damage is without needing a painful biopsy.
Methodology
Serum protein expression profiles were compared between patients with mild and advanced fibrosis using 2D polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and LC-MS/MS.
Potential Biases
Potential biases may arise from the retrospective nature of the study and the small sample size.
Limitations
The study lacked comparative protein expression profiles from healthy controls or other chronic liver diseases.
Participant Demographics
{"mild_fibrosis":{"sample_size":23,"age":"43.8 ± 9.75","sex":"21 males, 2 females","race":{"White":20,"Hispanic":2,"Asian":1}},"advanced_fibrosis":{"sample_size":21,"age":"48.1 ± 4.18","sex":"19 males, 2 females","race":{"White":19,"Hispanic":2}}}
Statistical Information
P-Value
p = 0.16
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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