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ZIM Network Proteomics4Future: New technologies for proteomics
Dec 02, 2020

Proteins are the most important biochemical function carriers. Their totality is called the proteome. Since the proteome of a cell or an organism is strongly influenced by external factors such as temperature, pH value or drugs, proteome analysis - in short: proteomics - plays a major role in the pharmaceutical industry. The improved availability of modern measuring instruments enables target-independent drug discovery and so-called biotherapeutics to be developed. These drugs, also known as "drugs of the future", are developed from living cells and enable more effective, safer and more cost-efficient therapies for personalized medicine. However, industrialized use and large-scale application in clinical studies and routine diagnostics currently face challenges in terms of user-friendliness, sensitivity, robustness, costs and standardization.


The recently approved ZIM cooperation network "Proteomics4Future" officially started on December 03 with an interactive online meeting. Twelve partners from research institutions and companies have set themselves the goal of helping mass spectrometry-based proteomics to accelerate its industrial dissemination through new methods and standardization of workflows.


Within the framework of cooperative projects, the participating companies and research institutions aim to create solutions for existing problems in industry and medicine by developing new products. These range from standardized technologies for sample preparation to AI-based methods of data analysis. New applications are to be opened up and existing limitations reduced. Routine processes are to make results more reliable, faster and cheaper to achieve. Automation of these laboratory procedures, especially sample handling and processing, is planned as a further lever for these attributes in the network.


The network is funded by the Central Innovation Program for Medium-Sized Enterprises of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Energy. ifectis Innovationsförderung - Dr. Björn Mamat has taken over the network management. Further members of the network are: OmicScouts GmbH, MSAID GmbH, Hahn-Schickard, PreOmics GmbH, A&M Labor für Analytik und Metabolismusforschung Service GmbH, Cellzome GmbH, EpiQMax GmbH, Hamilton Bonaduz AG, Mannheim University of Applied Sciences (CeMOS), Immatics Biotechnologies GmbH and the Technical University of Munich (Institute for General Pathology and Pathological Anatomy).


The network is open for further partners: Interested companies and research institutions that would like to participate in R&D projects and can contribute complementary expertise are just as welcome as potential users of the newly developed solutions. Further information will soon be available at www.proteomics4future.net.