A world-leading clinical academic has been appointed Chair of Proteomics at the University of Glasgow.

Professor Harald Mischak will take up the Medical Research Council-funded strategic appointment in February, and lead proteomics research within the British Heart Foundation Glasgow Cardiovascular Research Centre (BHF GCRC) at the University. Professor Harald Mischak

Proteomics is an emerging science focused on study of the proteins involved in cell metabolism and function.

Scientists in the Centre will use proteomics techniques to identify biomarkers – substances which indicate a particular biological state – which can be used to detect heart disease earlier than is currently possible and to monitor patient response to treatment.

A biomarker-led approach to diagnosis will pave the way for personalised medicine in which treatments are tailored to the specific requirements of an individual based on their unique gene, protein and metabolic profiles.

Prof Mischak was previously Professor in the Department of Nephrology at the Medical School of Hannover, and is Director of Mosaiques Diagnostics and Therapeutics AG, a company specialising in early detection of diseases, such as cardiovascular, renal and urogenital diseases, using biomarkers such as proteins and peptides.

He has been instrumental in the development and clinical application of revolutionary CE-MS technology (capillary electrophoresis coupled to mass spectrometry) and urinary proteomics in diagnosing diseases by looking at the highly-specific patterns of biomarkers from an individual’s body fluids and comparing them to patterns which indicate disease.

As well as allowing for early diagnoses this approach can also be used to control the efficacy of applied treatments, examine efficacy of new drugs in clinical trials, and to identify therapeutic targets for drugs.

Professor Mischak said: “I am delighted to join the BHF GCRC at Glasgow where I can further advance proteomics research. Proteomics has exciting applications in cardiovascular medicine, enabling us to asses the risk of developing heart disease and treating it before symptoms present themselves.”

Prof Mischak’s appointment is a key phase in the University’s development of Systems Biology and Systems Medicine-led approaches to understanding and targeting therapy over a broad range of diseases.

Professor Anna Dominiczak, BHF Chair of Cardiovascular Medicine and Director of the BHF GCRC, said: “This is an excellent appointment for the University. Professor Mischak is a world-renowned authority on proteomics whose knowledge and research will be a huge boost to the work of the BHF GCRC and advance the application of proteomics to cardiovascular medicine.”

Prof Mischak, who received his PhD in technical science from the Technical University of Vienna in 1986, has worked at the University of Vienna, the Laboratory of Viral Carcinogenesis and the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, USA.

With more than 150 peer-reviewed manuscripts published on signaling and proteomics that have been cited over 10,000 times, he is one of the leading experts worldwide in the field of proteome research and applied systems biology.

Among his achievements in this field is the development of guidelines for clinical proteome analysis, where he led a large international and multidisciplinary group to develop clinically relevant proteomic biomarkers, and the successful demonstration of its application in the diagnosis and prognosis of several diseases.

For more information contact Stuart Forsyth in the University of Glasgow Media Relations Office on 0141 330 4831 or email s.forsyth@admin.gla.ac.uk

First published: 5 February 2010

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