Mass spectrometry (MS)-based omics technologies, e.g., proteomics, lipidomics, and metabolomics, have made the systems biology investigation of organisms at a molecular level more extensive and in unprecedented detail. There has been increasing interest for gaining comprehensive, functional understanding of biological mechanisms associated with cells, animal models, and clinical patient, covering a wide range of research areas such as precision medicine, developmental biology, cancer research, drug screening, and target validation. With the fast development in MS instrumentation and liquid handling systems, omics study has become more comprehensive and more applicable in research labs and clinical centers. However, due to the limitation of sample amount, especially for clinical samples, and increasing number of samples to be analyzed, boosting the sensitivity and throughput of the MS-based omics technologies is vital.
Microfluidic sample preparation in combination with nanoflow liquid chromatography (LC) and the latest high-resolution mass spectrometers has improved the sensitivity of MS-based omics technologies substantially, resulting in deep proteomics characterization of small numbers or even single mammalian cells with the identification of over 3000 proteins from less than 10 HeLa cells. Capillary electrophoresis (CE) coupled to MS has shown great potential in omics analysis of mass-limited samples, e.g., single blastomeres of frog embryos. With RapidFire and Acoustic sampling systems, the MS could handle thousands to millions of samples in a day compared to hundreds of samples using traditional HPLC-MS strategy making it easier and more efficient to use MS-based technology for drug screening and clinical sample analysis. With the improvement in sample preparation, separation, and MS, top-down proteomics has enabled large-scale delineation of a complex proteome in a proteoform-specific manner, resulting in a better understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms in diseases and during development. New development in the sample preparation protocol, the separation system, and MS instrumentation will make the impossible more applicable. All these and more technologies could advance MS in a much broader field and become irreplaceable for scientists. In this Research Topic, we would like to attract high-quality manuscripts focusing on the novel technology and methods for improving the sensitivity and throughput of MS-based omics studies, drug screening, and their applications in systems biology.
Potential sub-topics include, but are not limited to:
• Novel MS technology and sample preparation for single cell analysis
• MS-based high throughput drug screening and validation
• MS-based novel methods and applications for drug target analysis
• Highly sensitive and comprehensive top-down protein analysis
• Integrated omics study in Precision medicine
• MS technology and advances in translational science
• Novel informatics advances in single-cell analysis and translational science
Topic Editors Dingyin Tao and Liangliang Sun hold patents related to the Research Topic subject. All other Topic Editors declare no competing interests.
Mass spectrometry (MS)-based omics technologies, e.g., proteomics, lipidomics, and metabolomics, have made the systems biology investigation of organisms at a molecular level more extensive and in unprecedented detail. There has been increasing interest for gaining comprehensive, functional understanding of biological mechanisms associated with cells, animal models, and clinical patient, covering a wide range of research areas such as precision medicine, developmental biology, cancer research, drug screening, and target validation. With the fast development in MS instrumentation and liquid handling systems, omics study has become more comprehensive and more applicable in research labs and clinical centers. However, due to the limitation of sample amount, especially for clinical samples, and increasing number of samples to be analyzed, boosting the sensitivity and throughput of the MS-based omics technologies is vital.
Microfluidic sample preparation in combination with nanoflow liquid chromatography (LC) and the latest high-resolution mass spectrometers has improved the sensitivity of MS-based omics technologies substantially, resulting in deep proteomics characterization of small numbers or even single mammalian cells with the identification of over 3000 proteins from less than 10 HeLa cells. Capillary electrophoresis (CE) coupled to MS has shown great potential in omics analysis of mass-limited samples, e.g., single blastomeres of frog embryos. With RapidFire and Acoustic sampling systems, the MS could handle thousands to millions of samples in a day compared to hundreds of samples using traditional HPLC-MS strategy making it easier and more efficient to use MS-based technology for drug screening and clinical sample analysis. With the improvement in sample preparation, separation, and MS, top-down proteomics has enabled large-scale delineation of a complex proteome in a proteoform-specific manner, resulting in a better understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms in diseases and during development. New development in the sample preparation protocol, the separation system, and MS instrumentation will make the impossible more applicable. All these and more technologies could advance MS in a much broader field and become irreplaceable for scientists. In this Research Topic, we would like to attract high-quality manuscripts focusing on the novel technology and methods for improving the sensitivity and throughput of MS-based omics studies, drug screening, and their applications in systems biology.
Potential sub-topics include, but are not limited to:
• Novel MS technology and sample preparation for single cell analysis
• MS-based high throughput drug screening and validation
• MS-based novel methods and applications for drug target analysis
• Highly sensitive and comprehensive top-down protein analysis
• Integrated omics study in Precision medicine
• MS technology and advances in translational science
• Novel informatics advances in single-cell analysis and translational science
Topic Editors Dingyin Tao and Liangliang Sun hold patents related to the Research Topic subject. All other Topic Editors declare no competing interests.
