Abstract
The need to easily isolate small molecular weight proteins and genomic fragments has prompted a search for an alternative biofluid to blood that has traversed sweat, urine, saliva, and even breath. In this study, both the genomic and proteomic profiles of tears and blood are evaluated to determine the similarity and differences between the two biofluids. Both fluids were tested utilizing microarray panels for identifying proteins as well as isolation of microRNA for sequencing. As anticipated, most (118) of the proteins detected in plasma were also detected in the tear samples, with tear samples also showing 34 unique proteins that were not found in the plasma. Over 400 microRNAs were isolated in both samples with 250 microRNA fragments commonly expressed in both tears and blood. This preliminary analysis, along with simplicity of collection and processing, lends credence to further investigate tears as an alternative biofluid to blood.
Highlights
With the advancement in proteomic, metabolomic, and genomic technologies, emphasis on finding novel biological markers for systemic diseases have gained a lot of traction in recent years
Most of the studies have focused on biomarker discovery using blood serum and/or plasma, as blood is generally regarded as an ideal fluid for the evaluation of systemic diseases
We chose the explorer array and cancer array to aid in understanding the overall protein expression levels and one that is associated with a systemic disease
Summary
With the advancement in proteomic, metabolomic, and genomic technologies, emphasis on finding novel biological markers for systemic diseases have gained a lot of traction in recent years. The main objective of biomarker discovery is identifying protein markers that can improve early diagnosis and track therapeutic intervention efficacy; all while advancing the medical field to create predictive, preventive and personalized medicine. Most of the studies have focused on biomarker discovery using blood serum and/or plasma, as blood is generally regarded as an ideal fluid for the evaluation of systemic diseases. A variety of body fluids such as cerebrospinal fluid, urine, saliva, and tears have gained traction as source for novel biomarkers [1]. A standard blood sample contains a multitude of components, such as, large red blood cells, proteins, lipids, small ions, and metabolites [2]
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