Special research interests beyond Proteomics
Immunology
We have developed a monocyte-based proteomics assay to quantify the innate immune response to
We have also pioneered which is based on de novo sequencing of the repertoire of antibody motifs present in blood of a patient cohort.
Gas-phase fragmentation
Roman Zubarev is one of the of electron capture dissociation (ECD) and related . He discovered that come in, hydrogen-abundant and hydrogen-deficient radicals, which differ significantly in their reactivity and properties.
(Athens, Greece) built the ultimate device for gas-phase structural analysis of polypeptides for us 鈥 the . With this device, the decades-old dream of the of .
Isospartyl in Alzheimer鈥檚 disease (AD), ageing and stemness
We formulated the isoaspartate () hypothesis of the AD origin, that postulates that deamidation of asparagyl residue and isomerization of aspartyl residues in proteins initiate the cascade of protein aggregation, ultimately resulting in AD, but also .
We are studying ways to:
- measure the isoAsp content in human blood as an AD risk factor,
- reduce the isoAsp load in the organism to prevent AD and slow down ageing,
- study the role of isoAsp repair in stemness.
Cancer and cell death modalities
measured at the molecular level via abundant, structural proteins can faithfully reflect the behavior of drug targets.
Based on this finding, we are identifying all possible types of cell death by treating cancer cells with a variety of anticancer agents (work in progress).
Origin of life and Astrobiology
We have shown that abiotically produced (from simple gases and water) organic matter , supporting the idea that early Earth was a hospitable place for primitive life.
For the first time, a living cell was .
Effect of stable isotopes on biology: Isotopic resonance hypothesis
We have discovered that the average terrestrial isotopic compositions of the elements C, H, N and O but correspond to a 鈥渞esonance鈥 for molecules with Z=0, where Z = C 鈥 (N+H)/2. At an isotopic resonance, a reduction of complexity occurs, and most reactions acquire faster kinetics. Among the molecules with Z=0, 11 out of 20 amino acid residues, and many proteins.
The isotopic resonance hypothesis has been extensively tested and . Therefore, life on Earth has benefitted in early days, and continues to benefit now, by the presence of the Z=0 isotopic resonance. In contrast, neither Mars nor Venus have isotopic resonances. In general, isotopic compositions on Mars are .
We continue to explore the isotopic resonance phenomenon and its consequences for biology, medicine and technology.