The Proteomics Shared Resource provides modern tools of mass spectrometry to Knight Cancer Institute members so that they may determine the identity, abundance, and modifications occurring in proteins, the building blocks of the cell. These analyses are crucial to understanding the cause of cancer and devising improved treatments for the disease, since changes in proteins occur in all forms of cancer. Support will be used to partially fund salaries of five staff and four state-of-the-art mass spectrometers to assist Knight investigators studying cancer-causing changes in proteins, including phosphorylation, acetylation, changes in abundance and altered binding to other proteins. A wide array of informatics tools and expertise will also be provided to Knight members to increase their research productivity. The results from the Proteomics Shared Resource will be used to better treat cancer patients by providing earlier diagnosis of the disease and discovering more effective treatments that are personalized for individual patients.

RELEVANCE (See instructions): Alterations in proteins occur in all forms of cancer, and the study of proteins is crucial to devising new treatments and allowing early detection of the disease. The requested support will provide state-of-the-art mass spectrometry and proteomics technologies to Knight Cancer Institute members at The Oregon Health & Science University to speed progress in cancer research.