title: Proteomics applied to pediatric medicine: opportunities and challenges.
abstract: Care in pediatrics often refers to treatments directed to adults. However, childhood is a specific life period, with molecular pathways connected to development and thereby it requires distinctive considerations and special treatments under disease. Proteomics can help to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying the human development and disease onset in pediatric age and this review is devoted to underline the results recently obtained in the field.
  
  
  
  The contribution of proteomics to the characterization of physiological modifications occurring during human development is presented. The proteomic studies carried out to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying different pediatric pathologies and to discover new markers for early diagnosis and prognosis of disease, comprising genetic and systemic pathologies, sepsis and pediatric oncology are thereafter reported. The investigations concerning milk composition in human and farm mammals are also presented. Finally, the chances offered by the integration of different -omic platforms are discussed. Expert commentary: The growing utilization of holistic technologies such as proteomics, metabolomics and microbiomics will allow, in the near future, to define at the molecular level the complexity of human development and related diseases, with great benefit for future generations.
authors: a Dipartimento di Scienze Chirurgiche , Università di Cagliari , Cagliari , Italy.
authors: Gavino
authors: G
authors: Faa
authors: b Istituto di Chimica del Riconoscimento Molecolare - UOS Roma , Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche , Rome , Italy.|c Istituto di Biochimica e Biochimica Clinica , Università Cattolica , Roma , Italy.
authors: Irene
authors: I
authors: Messana
authors: d Istituto di Clinica pediatrica Policlinico Universitario dell'Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria , Monserrato , Italy.
authors: Vassilios
authors: V
authors: Fanos
authors: e Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e dell'Ambiente , Università di Cagliari , Monserrato , Italy.
authors: Tiziana
authors: T
authors: Cabras
authors: e Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e dell'Ambiente , Università di Cagliari , Monserrato , Italy.
authors: Barbara
authors: B
authors: Manconi
authors: f Istituto di Clinica Pediatrica , Università Cattolica , Roma , Italy.
authors: Giovanni
authors: G
authors: Vento
authors: c Istituto di Biochimica e Biochimica Clinica , Università Cattolica , Roma , Italy.
authors: Federica
authors: F
authors: Iavarone
authors: c Istituto di Biochimica e Biochimica Clinica , Università Cattolica , Roma , Italy.
authors: Claudia
authors: C
authors: Martelli
authors: b Istituto di Chimica del Riconoscimento Molecolare - UOS Roma , Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche , Rome , Italy.
authors: Claudia
authors: C
authors: Desiderio
authors: b Istituto di Chimica del Riconoscimento Molecolare - UOS Roma , Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche , Rome , Italy.|c Istituto di Biochimica e Biochimica Clinica , Università Cattolica , Roma , Italy.
authors: Massimo
authors: M
authors: Castagnola
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers; D002648:Child; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D055432:Metabolomics; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000639:trends*; D011379:Prognosis; D020543:Proteome / Q000235:genetics*; D040901:Proteomics
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D020543:Proteome
keywords: Biomarkers; bodily fluids; human development; human milk; newborns; pediatric oncology; pediatric pathologies; pre-term; proteomics