Introducing “proteoform” in the nanomedicine field
Dr. Liangliang Sun’s research group at MSU Chemistry and Dr. Morteza Mahmoudi’s team at MSU Radiology & Precision Health Program have collaborated and pioneered the application of mass spectrometry (MS)-based top-down proteomics in nanomedicine, enabling the proteoform-specific measurement of nanoparticle (NP) protein corona, i.e., a layer of protein molecules adsorbed onto the surface of NPs after exposed to biological fluids (e.g., human plasma).
The results have been published in two papers in ACS Nano and Chemical Communications.
The composition of protein corona determines the biological fate and pharmacokinetics of NPs used in nanomedicine. It is fundamental to characterize the protein molecules in the protein corona precisely for advancing nanomedicine. The development of novel MS-based top-down proteomics techniques by Drs. Sun and Mahmoudi’s teams have paved the way for deciphering the proteoform landscape of NP protein corona, reshaping our understanding of protein corona, and advancing nanomedicine.
