Proteogenomics Method Enables Analyses for Cancer Medicine & Marine Research

Dortmund, 6th October 2021

From molecular biology to proteogenomics - an analytical approach that combines information on genomics, proteomics and transcriptomics: During his doctoral thesis, Bernhard Blank-Landeshammer developed a de novo peptide sequencing method at ISAS that can be applied in many ways. His proteogenomic method makes it possible to identify peptides in tissue samples using mass spectrometry.

The 31-year-old molecular biologist was able to contribute the analytical method to the initiative 'Cancer Moonshot' to find and measure point mutations in tissue samples from colon cancer patients. The initiative, launched in 2016 by US President Joe Biden, aims at speeding up cancer research. For this purpose, ISAS collaborates with research institutions from North America on proteogenomic methods to improve research on the causes of cancer and to develop new therapies for precision medicine.

Method allows analyses for cancer & climate research

Blank-Landeshammer's method is not only suitable for cancer research, but also for climate research. In cooperation with the Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (Leibniz-Zentrum für Marine Tropenforschung, ZMT) in Bremen, he has used his method to study foraminifera, single-celled marine organisms. The organisms provide geoscientists with much information, for example on water temperature, salinity or the pH-value. "With the help of proteogenomic analysis, it is possible to measure the cellular stress response of the foraminifera to the increased ocean temperatures as a result of climate change", explains Blank-Landeshammer.

What happened after the doctorate at ISAS?

Working on his doctorate, Blank-Landeshammer worked in the research group Proteomics (Department of Bioanalytics) from April 2015 to December 2019. After his time at ISAS, Blank-Landeshammer returned to his native home Austria in 2021. He is now working at the Centre of Excellence for Food Technology and Nutrition at the Fachhochschule Wels.

(Bianca Weber)

Bernhard Blank-Landeshammer hat in der Arbeitsgruppe Proteomics promoviert und eine Proteogenomics-Methode entwickelt, mit der man Peptide in Gewebeproben mittels Massenspektrometrie identifizieren kann. — Bernhard Blank-Landeshammer completed his doctorate in the working group proteomics and developed a method to identify peptides in tissue samples using mass spectrometry.

© Blank-Landeshammer

Further articles

30th April 2025

Humboldt Fellow Prof Dr Xiaowei Xu started at ISAS in March

Prof Dr Xiaowei Xu from the Chinese Guangdong Cardiovascular Institute is researching the clinical application of artificial intelligence (AI) in the context of cardiovascular diseases. For 18 months in total, he will be researching various AI methods for analysing cell images as a Humboldt Fellow at ISAS.

Prof Dr Xiaowei Xu in front of the ISAS city building.

22nd April 2025

Valuable Connections: Dr Mohammad Ibrahim AlWahsh

Dr Mohammad Ibrahim AlWahsh worked as a research assistant at ISAS during his doctorate. He is now Vice Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy and Assistant Professor of Toxicological Pathology at Al-Zaytoonah University in Jordan. In the Kompakt series ‘Valuable Connections,’ he reports on his time at ISAS and his ongoing network with the institute.

9th April 2025

Bacteria & Sweets: Schoolgirls Examine their Breath at the Girls’ Day

On Girls' Day 2025, twelve schoolgirls got to know the work of researchers and technical assistants at the institute. They investigated the cause of and fight against inflammation, went on the hunt for bacteria and used ion mobility spectrometry to analyze the aromatic substances of various sweets in their breath.

Luisa Speicher erklärt drei Mädchen den Vortexmischer.

27th March 2025

Valuable Connections: Dr Jianxu Chen

Dr Jianxu Chen leads the junior research group AMBIOM - Analysis of Microscopic BIOMedical Images at ISAS since 2021. He previously worked at the Allen Institute for Cell Science in Seattle, USA. In the ISAS -Kompakt series ‘Valuable Connections’, the computer scientist reports on his move to health research and to Germany.

12th March 2025

Two-step Analysis is a Thing of the Past Thanks to Innovative Mass Spectrometry

Fast and accurate mass spectrometric detection of non-polar substances such as cholesterol together with polar substances? And in just one analysis run? This is made possible by a new combination method that unites two ionization sources in one setup.

Daniel Foest steht im Labor und hält ein Papier mit einer Leberprobe, die er am Massenspektrometer untersucht.

26th February 2025

What are you doing at ISAS, Leon?

What do marshmallows and chocolate have to do with cell analysis? Leon is finding out the answer during his school internship at ISAS. For ISAS Kompakt, the 15-year-old talks about what else he is learning during his time at the institute.

Leon hält Marshmallows, Schokolade und die Hardware für sein Projekt zur Bilderkennung.

14th February 2025

Valentines’ Day: Perfect Couples in the Lab

On Valentine's Day, the editors of ISAS Kompakt wanted to know what makes our researchers' hearts beat faster. The examples from the laboratories of the Bioimaging and NMR Metabolomics research groups show that special bonds do not only exist in love, but also in science.

Porträt von Dr. Themistoklis Venianakis.

4th February 2025

Valuable Connections: Adrian Sebuliba

Adrian Sebuliba joined the ISAS junior research group AMBIOM in 2023 as a software engineer. Previously, he worked for a digital commerce platform for the chemical industry in Uganda. In the ISAS Kompakt series ‘Valuable Connections’, he reports on his move into health research, among other things.

28th January 2025

A Small But Very Important Step

Susmita Ghosh joined the Biofluorescence research group at ISAS in October 2021. The PhD student has now received the first funding of her career for her pilot project “Dissecting the neutrophil-tumor cell interactome using SILAC-labelling”.