VATIS UPDATE Article

The team researchers from Helmholtz Zentrum München, Germany, and the Technical University of Munich (EKFZ), Germany, has successfully used highly sensitive mass spectrometric methods to identify previously unknown proteins and protein complexes, whose binding to DNA is influenced by SNPs. “Here we could close the gaps that exist today between genetic variations and an understanding of their functional effect on the organism,” said Dr. Stefanie Hauck, at the Helmholtz Zentrum München.

“Concretely, we apply these methods to SNPs that are relevant to type 2 diabetes and to age-related macular degeneration (AMD). In the future, the method will make it possible to identify functionally relevant proteins for all disease-associated SNPs, in order to uncover the mechanisms behind a clinical picture,” said Hauck. An exact understanding of the molecular mechanisms that are modulated by regulatory SNPs can contribute to further development of personalized medicine.