Antibody-based proteomic approaches play an important role in high-throughput, multiplexed protein expression profiling in health and disease. These antibody-based technologies will provide (miniaturized) set-ups capable of the simultaneously profiling of numerous proteins in a specific, sensitive, and rapid manner, targeting high- as well as low-abundant proteins, even in crude proteomes such as serum. The generated protein expression patterns, or proteomic snapshots, can then be transformed into proteomic maps, or detailed molecular fingerprints, revealing the composition of the target (sample) proteome at a molecular level. By using bioinformatics, candidate biomarker signatures can be deciphered and evaluated for clinical applicability. The approaches will provide unique opportunities for e.g. disease diagnostics, biomarker discovery, patient stratification, predicting disease recurrence, and evidence-based therapy selection. In this review, we describe the current status of the antibody-based proteomic approaches, focusing on antibody arrays. Furthermore, the current benefits and limitations of the approaches, as well as a set of selected key applications outlining the applicative potential will be discussed.
Keywords: Affinity proteomics; Antibody; Antibody arrays; Antibody-based proteomics; Biomarker; Disease proteomics; Protein expression profiling.