Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy and Mass Spectrometry Techniques in the Discovery of Cancer Biomarkers

Dear Colleagues,

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and mass spectrometry (MS) techniques have for years enabled researchers to detect a significant number of biological molecules and expand their knowledge of changes occurring in the cells of living organisms. In recent years, there has been a noticeable increase in interest in the NMR and MS techniques in the context of detecting specific molecules that may be indicative of a developing cancer, so-called biomarkers. Biomarkers can be genes, proteins, as well as metabolites or lipids. Annually, some 19 million new cases of cancer are detected worldwide, and 10 million people die from cancer. The discovery of compounds characteristic of a developing tumor (diagnostic biomarkers) or molecules that differentiate stages (prognostic biomarkers) would enable early detection and effective treatment of cancer. An important aspect is the profiling not only of tissues, but also of body fluids such as urine and blood serum in order to develop minimally invasive methods for cancer detection. In this context, NMR spectroscopy is a good tool, being a non-destructive method while allowing quantitative analysis. Also, the multiplicity of ionization methods in MS techniques such as the currently most widely used electrospray (ESI) or matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) and MS techniques combined with separation methods such as liquid chromatography (LC-MS), gas chromatography (GC-MS) and capillary electrophoresis (CE-MS) makes these techniques have a wide range of possible compounds for analysis, including compounds of biological origin enabling their identification also in very complex mixtures with high sensitivity and resolution. In this special issue, we will discuss the latest information on the application of nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectrometry methods in profiling tissues and body fluids of cancer patients.

Dr. Adrian Arendowski
Prof. Dr. David Aebisher
Guest Editors

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• biomarkers
• cancers
• diagnostics
• mass spectrometry
• metabolites
• nuclear magnetic resonance
• proteins
• spectroscopy