Cox

Chronobiologists show in two articles in the journal Science how critical the sleep-wake cycle is for protein and phosphorylation dynamics in synapses to ultimately regulate its activity. more

The protein composition of cells depends on the cells’ function and current condition. Mass spectrometry (MS) can determine the identity and quantity of the proteins found in a sample. However, the data analysis of this method is time- and resource-intensive. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry (MPIB) have collaborated with data science specialists from Verily in the USA to develop a machine learning approach – continuously self-improving algorithms – to facilitate the analysis of mass spectrometry data. Their results, which simplify MS applications and also led to the discovery of new chemical patterns in proteins, are published in the journal Nature Methods. more

Jürgen Cox, head of the research group „Computational Systems Biochemistry“ at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry in Martinsried near Munich receives the Gilbert S. Omenn Computational Proteomics Award 2019. This award acknowledges the specific achievements of scientists that have developed bioinformatics, computational and statistical methods or software used by the proteomics community. Cox and his team developed the software platforms MaxQuant and Perseus. “The developments in this field are impressive and computational approaches are important to reach the goals in the proteomic analysis. I am very proud to receive the prize”, says Cox. The Prize will be awarded at the US Human Proteome Organization (HUPO) Conference in Washington DC, USA, in March. more

Do you speak -omics? If you don't, Perseus ­– www.perseus-framework.org might be able to help you. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute in Martinsried have developed this free software platform for users of high-throughput techniques, such as mass spectrometry, in order to translate raw biological data into relevant findings. As reported in the current issue of Nature Methods, molecular signatures from cells, tissue and body fluids can be identified and characterized on this platform without the need for bioinformatic training. Perseus was designed to deal with proteomic studies in which data on thousands of proteins is processed. It has, however, also proven itself in other molecular studies and will be expanded accordingly. more

Novel proteomic technologies that are so robust and powerful that they can be used in every biological laboratory and in every clinic are expected as results of the currently starting research consortium MSmed. The European Commission is co-funding the project with 3.7 Million Euros for four years starting Dec. 1, 2015 within the research line “Future and Emerging Technologies” under the Horizon 2020 Programme. MSmed will automate workflows in mass spectrometric analysis for proteomics research to prepare them for high-throughput clinical application. more