The Role of Proteogenomics in Cancer Research

Genomics is the study of the complete set DNA in an organism (called the genome). Analyzing the genome of a patient’s cancer can reveal information about how to best detect, diagnose, and treat the cancer.

Proteomics is the comprehensive study of the complete set of proteins in an organism (called the proteome). Analyzing the proteome of a patient’s cancer can also provide information on how to best diagnose and treat the patient.

In the past researchers often studied patients’ cancer genomes and proteomes separately. In 2016, three research teams combined the comprehensive analysis of patients’ cancer genomes and proteomes, creating a new area of research called proteogenomics. These studies showed that proteogenomics analysis produces a more complete and unified picture of cancer biology than analyzing genomics and proteomics separately.

Researchers are hopeful that proteogenomics may improve our ability to prevent, diagnose, and treat cancer using precision medicine.