ABSTRACT
Proteomics combines various methodologies and strategies, which allow the determination of the proteome, i.e. the whole protein composition of a tissue, cell extract, or fl uid. Recent progress in proteomics has led to a tremendous increase in the basic knowledge of the apoptotic process and its implication in many severe human diseases, such as cancer, infection, and neurodegenerative disease. Th us, the contribution of proteomics to the discovery of biomarkers specifi c of an apoptosis-linked disease or of a treatment has opened novel avenues to the design of innovative diagnosis and therapeutic strategies. However, some pitfalls of proteomics analysis, such as its cost, sensitivity, and lack of reliability may have hampered its application in medicine.
