Detection of protein biomarkers for medical applications
Proteins that are produced in increased amounts in disease states of can serve as biomarkers to detect specific diseases. Accurate measurement of panels of protein biomarkers in serum, saliva, or tissue has the potential for early detection of disease and for helping direct individualized therapy. While single biomarkers are already used for detection or monitoring of cancers and heart disease, more reliable prediction and widespread use will ultimately require devices that measure panels of biomarker proteins for each disease. For point-of-care use, optimal methodologies need to be accurate, sensitive, cheap, and easy to use to facilitate rapid diagnosis, minimize sample decomposition, and decrease patient anxiety. This symposium will feature invited and contributed papers and will focus on progress toward protein detection for medical applications. It will feature methods such as electrochemical and surface plasmon resonance arrays, fluorescent arrays, mass spectrometry, magnetic bead-based methods, microfluidics, and other emerging technologies for sensitive, multiplexed protein determinations in biomedical samples.
Session organizer
James F. Rusling, Professor of Chemistry and Cell Biology, University of Connecticut. James Rusling obtained a B.Sc. in Chemistry from Drexel University, and a Ph. D. in Analytical Chemistry from Clarkson University (1979). He is Professor of Chemistry at University of Connecticut, Professor of Cell Biology at University of Connecticut Health Center and Adjunct Professor of Chemistry at National University of Ireland in Galway. Current research includes electrochemical and mass spectrometry arrays for toxicity prediction, protein biomarker measurements for early cancer detection, and fundamental bioelectrochemistry. In 2009, he was awarded the American Chemical Society Division of Analytical Chemistry Award in Electroanalytical Chemistry, and also received a Walton Research Fellowship from Science Foundation Ireland. He has nearly 300 research papers, several books, and is also a musician who plays button accordion, guitar and other instruments in traditional Irish and American folk styles.
