A comprehensive human pan-disease blood atlas based on next-generation protein profiling

In this study, we present the creation of an open-access resource designed to explore the protein profiles in blood across a wide range of diseases. Using a highly sensitive and specific multiplex assay, we conducted parallel analysis of 1,463 proteins in blood from patients with 57 diseases. This approach allowed us to identify several proteins correlating with age and BMI, as well as sex-related proteins showing significant differences in males and females.

Notably, we identified proteins significantly altered in various cancers, including acute myeloid leukemia, glioma, and ovarian cancer, whereas fewer proteins were observed for some of the common cancers, such as breast and prostate cancer. Our findings also revealed that proteins elevated in diseases like pancreatic cancer and autoimmune disorders were similarly elevated in patients with infectious diseases, indicating these proteins are markers for inflammation rather than disease-specific markers. Furthermore, proteins elevated in hepatocellular cancer were also elevated in other liver diseases, showcasing the power of our pan-disease approach in identifying proteins with cross-disease patterns. For cardiovascular disease, several proteins were identified, including proteins elevated in stenosis of the carotid artery. In pediatric patients, we observed protein elevation patterns similar to those in corresponding adult diseases, along with unique proteins elevated across all pediatric samples.

The analyzed protein levels for each disease are visualized and compared against (i) a cohort of healthy individuals, (ii) all other diseases, and (iii) all other diseases within the same class, providing comprehensive differential expression results. This resource offers valuable insights for biomarker discovery and enhances our understanding of protein behavior across various diseases.