Proteomic research in renal transplantation

Expression proteomics is a valuable tool for biomarker discovery. Currently there is a great deal of interest in the development of urine biomarkers for detection of renal allograft rejection as an alternative to percutaneous needle biopsy, which is the "gold standard." Needle biopsy is costly and associated with significant patient morbidity and mortality. This review will discuss the author's current work in proteomics-based urine biomarker discovery, as well as alternative approaches used by other groups that use SELDI mass spectrometry. The current state of urine transplant biomarkers will be discussed, and in conclusion there will be a brief discussion of how urine biomarkers will be used for transplant patient management once they are validated and analyte-specific assays are developed.