Special Issue "Application of Mass Spectrometry in the Research of Circulating Extracellular Vesicle Biomarkers for Diagnosis and Treatment–Response"

Dear Colleagues,

Blood plasma is an easily obtainable source for discovering protein biomarkers for disease diagnostics, screening, monitoring, and evaluation of therapeutic responses. In this context, mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteome analysis is an attractive analytical technique. However, as plasma proteins span more than 12 orders of magnitude, MS is limited to analysis of only the most abundant proteins in non-processed plasma.

One way to circumvent this limitation is to analyze circulating extracellular vesicles (EVs) in plasma. In the last decade, extracellular vesicles (EVs) have emerged as important intercellular communicators, regulating biological processes, both in a physiological and pathological manner. These vesicles comprise groups of double lipid-layer membranous particles of heterogeneous size and composition. When formed, these entities can be loaded with proteins, genetic material, such as RNAs and miRNAs, as well as lipids. The composition of the EV cargo could therefore reflect the physiological state of the parental cell from where it originated. Hence, mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteome analysis of EVs in plasma has gained much attention as a method to discover novel protein biomarkers.

In fact, discovery-based mass spectrometry analysis of tumor-derived EVs is a relatively new approach for discovering novel biomarker candidates in cancer. In addition, the application of MS, may serve as a promising tool for the identification of novel diagnostic and predicative biomarkers in the future, allowing for precision medicine.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to address specific attributes of EVs as circulating biomarkers for personalized medicine and to translate high-resolution proteomics data through computational science into biological findings of clinical importance. The aim is to pursue goals such as accurate diagnosis, patient stratification, and biomarker discovery. In providing this overview, this Special Issue will, through the application of discovery and targeted MS, identify not only novel candidate biomarkers that allow for diagnosis but also markers that are also able to identify non-responders and predicate disease progression. 

Manuscripts may be either communications, comprehensive reviews or original research data that describe the current challenges of isolating circulating microparticles for shotgun MS proteomics and future perspectives in the development of targeted proteomics for validating candidate disease-related biomarkers.

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• MS-based proteomics
• omics data analysis
• circulating extracellular vesicles
• tandem mass spectrometry
• diagnostic and predictive biomarkers in disease
• system biology
• cell signaling and metabolism
• computation science