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Medical
Significance of the Plasma Proteome
The proteins found in human plasma perform many important functions
in the body. Having too much or too little of these proteins can
thus cause disease directly, or reveal its presence.
Diagnostic Information from the Plasma Proteome
Sensitive tests (typically immunoassays) have been developed to
measure proteins in plasma as indicators of disease. More than
$1billion is spent on these tests annually.
Despite decades of research, only a handful of proteins in plasma
are measured routinely for diagnostic purposes. These include:
- Cardiac proteins (troponins, myoglobin, creatine kinase) as
indicators of heart attack
- Insulin, for management of diabetes
- Liver enzymes (alanine or aspartate transaminases) as indicators
of drug toxicity
- Coagulation factors for management of clotting disorders
About 150 proteins in plasma are measured by some laboratory for
diagnosis of less common diseases.
The Plasma Proteome as a Source of Therapeutic Products
Over
22 million liters of human plasma are used worldwide by plasma
fractionators each year to generate human therapeutic proteins
administered to more than 1 million people1.
The
major products prepared, in terms of amount, are human serum albumin
and intravenous immunoglobulin, of which, respectively, approximately
50,000 kg and 25,000 kg are distributed in the US each year by
six major manufacturers2.
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Other
therapeutic products made from plasma1 for human use are:
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- Alpha1
Protease Inhibitor (treatment for emphysema caused by genetic
deficiency)
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- Factor
VIII concentrate (prophylaxis and treatment of hemophilia A
bleeding episodes and von Willebrand disease),
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- Anti-Inhibitor
Coagulant Complex (treatment of bleeding episodes in presence
of Factor VIII inhibitor),
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- Anti-Thrombin
III (prevention of clotting and thromboembolism associated with
liver disease and anti-thrombin III deficiency),
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- Factor
IX Complex (prophylaxis and treatment of hemophilia B bleeding
episodes and other bleeding disorders),
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- Factor
XIII (prophylaxis and treatment of bleeding episodes due to
Factor XIII deficiency),
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- Fibrin
Sealant (helps to heal wounds during and following surgery),
and
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- A
series of immune globulin products (e.g., hepatitis B, chicken
pox, measles, rabies, tetanus, vaccinia, hepatitis A and cytomegalovirus).
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Website
of the Plasma Protein Therapeutics Association, July, 2002. http://www.plasmatherapeutics.org/ppta_worldwide/wo_
industry_facts.htm
Georgetown Economic Services. Monthly Industry Aggregation Data.
July 2002 (http://www.colliershannon.com/resources/ges.cfm
describes Georgetown Economic Services). |
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