Mac Serrano

Detecting very low levels of protein biomarkers in a complex biological sample is very challenging. The fact that these biomarkers are often present in concentrations of µg/mL to pg/mL or lower amidst a very complicated mixture of other proteins that are more abundant underscores the need for a detection method that can meet the desired sensitivity and selectivity. In serum, fractionation and enrichment methods that would reduce the complexity of the sample are usually necessary to conveniently separate the biomarker of interest from interfering compounds. I am developing a strategy that makes use of amphiphilic polymers that can self-assemble into reverse micelles to selectively enrich target peptides and proteins based on their isoelectric point (pI). Once enriched, the biomolecules of interest are analyzed using mass spectrometry (MS). We aim to fundamentally understand how these materials work and exploit their unique properties in order to develop a method for detecting a panel of biomarkers in biological samples with sensitivities that are clinically relevant so that they can be potentially used in the early diagnosis of diseases such as cancer.