Proteomics applied to pediatric medicine: opportunities and challenges

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Care in pediatrics often refers to treatments directed to adults. However, childhood is a specific life period, with molecular pathways connected to development and thereby it requires distinctive considerations and special treatments under disease. Proteomics can help to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying the human development and disease onset in pediatric age and this review is devoted to underline the results recently obtained in the field.

Areas covered: The contribution of proteomics to the characterization of physiological modifications occurring during human development is presented. The proteomic studies carried out to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying different pediatric pathologies and to discover new markers for early diagnosis and prognosis of disease, comprising genetic and systemic pathologies, sepsis and pediatric oncology are thereafter reported. The investigations concerning milk composition in human and farm mammals are also presented. Finally, the chances offered by the integration of different -omic platforms are discussed.

Expert commentary: The growing utilization of holistic technologies such as proteomics, metabolomics and microbiomics will allow, in the near future, to define at the molecular level the complexity of human development and related diseases, with great benefit for future generations.

KEYWORDS:

• Biomarkers
• bodily fluids
• human development
• human milk
• newborns
• pediatric oncology
• pediatric pathologies
• pre-term
• proteomics

Declaration of interest

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

Additional information

Funding

The authors were supported by the Cagliari University, the Catholic University of Rome, the MIUR, the Italian National Research Council (CNR), and the Regione Autonoma Sardegna, Fin. 2013, Lg. Reg. N. 7, project ‘ Studio Proteomico della Saliva Umana in età pediatrica per la diagnosi precoce delle malattie metaboliche congenite’.