Omics technologies for analysis of precious rare biosamples
Omics technologies such as proteomics have far-reaching applications in diagnostics and clinical medicine, ecology, integrative biology research and beyond. Availability of sufficient quantities of biological samples might, however, pose a barrier for their use. In a collaborative study led by the University of Tarapacá (Chile), the Research and Restoration Centre for French Museums (Paris, France) and the Laboratory of Mass Spectrometry of Interactions and Systems, University of Strasbourg (France), researchers have developed and optimized a novel proteomics approach that utilizes an ancient archaeological hair sample from the Atacama Desert in Chile, dated to about 3,880 years ago. The study, which was able to identify 11 ancient hair proteins and visualize the preservation state of mummy's hair from only 500 micrograms of raw material, appears in OMICS: A Journal of Integrative Biology, a peer-reviewed publication from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the OMICS website until August 13, 2017.
Dr. Armelle Charrié-Duhaut, lead author of the study entitled "Omics for Precious Rare Biosamples: Characterization of Ancient Human Hair by a Proteomic Approach," notes that "this work could enable omics scientists to apply a proteomic approach to precious and rare samples, not only in the context of archaeometrical studies but also for future applications that would require the use of very small amounts of a sample."
"We are pleased to publish this innovative study that brings in fresh vistas, and adds to our understanding of hair protein alteration processes such as those due to ageing and ecological exposures," says OMICS Editor-in-Chief Vural Özdemir, MD, PhD, DABCP. "It also attests to the rise of proteomics applications in postgenomics biology."
More information:
Margaux Fresnais et al, Omics for Precious Rare Biosamples: Characterization of Ancient Human Hair by a Proteomic Approach, OMICS: A Journal of Integrative Biology (2017). DOI: 10.1089/omi.2017.0067
Provided by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc
