Background
The so called NGFN HBPP 2 started three years ago. The german scientific community - the German National Genome Research Network (NGFN) - got a great boost in its technological advancements in proteome technology with an initial funding of the HUPO Human Brain Proteome Project (HUPO BPP) within the NGFN by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).
As a logical consequence of the outstanding results of this consortium the Human Brain Proteome Project 2 (HBPP 2) will be funded again within NGFN 2 in a new formation with nine academic partners and the bioinformatic specialist MicroDiscovery GmbH, Berlin. The HBPP 2 comprises a critical mass of interdisciplinary german research groups with extensive experience, an unprecedented research infrastructure and a solid record in clinical and pre-clinical work encompassing human genetics, cell biology, animal models, molecular biology, biochemistry, leading to an integration of large-scale functional genomic and proteomic approaches. New knowledge for the diagnosis and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases should be the final outcome of the project.
The three main goals of the HBPP 2 are the following:
I. The advancement of already established technologies: The development and improvement of proteomic and micro array technologies was the main focus of the HBPP within the first funding period. Advancing these achievements will be continued consequently in HBPP2 to provide a reliable and sophisticated technology platform for the planned scientific program as well as for keeping the leading position of German scientists in the international field of Proteomics. Proteomics technologies (Large 2D-PAGE, multidimensional chromatographie, mass spectrometry), Toponomics and functional assays such as cellular overexpression, pharmacological inhibition, RNAi and optical methods such as GFP-labeling, immunofluorescence and FRET/BRET will be employed to analyze the functional implications of gene mutations selected in collaborations with the clinical partners.
II. Investigating neurodegenerative diseases: The application-oriented aim of the HBPP2 is the systematic analysis of proteins in human/mouse brain and nervous system related proteins in bodily fluids under normal and pathological conditions, thereby focusing on the neurodegenerative diseases Morbus Alzheimer and Morbus Parkinson. The technology portfolio provided by the HBPP2 offers a conceptually novel opportunity to understand disease mechanisms in that it attempts to progress from current reductionist approaches to an integrated understanding of biological systems. This occurs at levels of complexity ranging from molecules and molecular machines, via protein networks, to the molecular topology of the cell and – particular important for cells of the nervous system – to the network of cellular cross talks. Thus, the integration of expert clinical phenotyping, mRNA-profiling, proteome analyses and bio-informatics, is essential.III. Networking within NGFN 2: A further important goal of the HBPP2 is the collaboration with clinical groups in the KGs to perform competent and comprehensive proteomic studies or protein analyses to apply the most advanced proteomics technologies to the NGFN-2. The HBPP2 is also open for cooperations with other SMPs, namely Bioinformatics, RNAi, and Mammilian models. Data obtained in the project will be collected in a new type of database. Standards, SOPs and software for data management & integration will be developed. Together, these tools will form the basis for an efficient analysis and generation of knowledge of the fundamental biological processes in normal and disease-affected brain.
