The proteomic discovery platform has been evaluated and validates in other diseases in addition to cancer. Diabetes and obesity represents areas within metabolic diseases that are being investigated further. Celera has established access to human adipocytes (fat cells) from diabetic and normal patients. Cells representing the two types of fat tissue, subcutaneous and visceral have been obtained and interesting differences in protein levels have been observed.
Two other areas that we are moving into are cancer stem cells and tumor angiogenesis
- A new hypothesis in cancer is that there are a small number of self-renewing progenitor cells in a tumor that are capable of establishing new ( metastatic tumors) or recurrences if they are not destroyed by the cancer therapy. We are working toward proteomic analysis of these cancer stem cells to identify targets that might be harnessed to eradicate both the bulk of the tumor and the stem cells.
- Tumors require a supply of blood to provide the nutrients and oxygen for their growth. The process of sprouting new blood vessels is angiogenesis. Celera is engaged in a program to isolate the endothelial cells from tumors and compare them with the cells from normal blood vessels in an effort to identify new targets for cancer therapy and possibly other diseases where there is an overgrowth of blood vessels.
