Journal of Integrated OMICS

Proteomics in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma: Current Advances and Translational Perspectives

Raquel A. P. F. Correia — 2026-09-07

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains one of the most lethal malignancies, with a median overall survival below one year in most clinical settings and limited options for early detection. Although comprehensive genomic profiling has established the dominant mutational landscape, including near-universal KRAS alterations and frequent alterations in TP53, CDKN2A and SMAD4, tumour phenotypes are ultimately executed at the protein level. Mass spectrometry-based proteomics has therefore become a central platform for PDAC research, enabling quantitative assessment of signalling pathway activity, characterisation of the tumour microenvironment, and identification of circulating biomarkers that may reflect tumour biology more directly than individual genomic alterations.

Bloodstain Proteomics as a Molecular Clock for Estimating Time Since Deposition, Biological Age, and Sex in Forensic Investigations

Raquel Fonseca — 2026-07-31

Blood is one of the most informative biological traces recovered from crime scenes. Beyond conventional DNA profiling, its proteome may provide contextual information concerning when a stain was deposited and broad biological characteristics of the donor. This critical review examines three interconnected applications of forensic blood proteomics: time since deposition estimation, biological-age estimation and biological-sex estimation. We evaluate evidence from haemoglobin oxidation, plasma ageing signatures and sex-associated proteins; examine environmental, substrate and donor-related confounders; and compare the statistical and machine-learning approaches used for prediction. Six proteins, ITIHS, HSPA9, SNAP91, FIL, XPO4 and NCF2, currently provide the strongest replicated feature-selection evidence for age association in dried bloodstains. We further propose a nanoLC-timsTOF diaPASEF workflow for future validation, combining trapped-ion mobility, rigorous quality control, and multi-output models to simultaneously estimate several forensic attributes. Although a unified assay has not yet been validated in a single representative bloodstain cohort, the available evidence supports further development of proteomics as a complement to DNA profiling for crime-scene reconstruction.

Integrating Omics into Endocannabinoid Research: a Paradigm Shift Toward a System-Level Understanding of a Dynamic Biological Network

Giulia Bottai — 2026-09-09

Originally identified as the molecular machinery responsible for mediating the effects of cannabis-derived compounds, the endocannabinoid system (ECS) is now recognized as having a role in the regulation of many biological processes. Its contribution to physiological homeostasis relies on the coordinated activity of cannabinoid receptors, endogenous lipid mediators, metabolic enzymes and interconnected signaling pathways. Despite substantial advances in ECS research, several aspects of its regulation and functional relevance remain not completely understood. Many studies have traditionally focused on individual molecular components, involving either cannabinoid receptors or specific enzymes responsible for endocannabinoid metabolism. Although these approaches have provided essential mechanistic knowledge, they may not fully represent the dynamic complexity of the ECS, whose activity varies according to genetic background, metabolic state, environmental factors, cellular identity, tissue context, and disease progression. The integration of omics may provide a broader framework for investigating this complex system. Genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, lipidomics, and metabolomics offer complementary molecular perspectives that allow the ECS to be examined beyond individual pathways and within a systems biology context. These approaches may contribute to the identification of regulatory mechanisms, molecular signatures associated with diseases, potential biomarkers, and factors influencing therapeutic response. The convergence of endocannabinoid biology and multi-omics technologies may support a more comprehensive representation of the ECS as a multidimensional and context-dependent biological network. This perspective paper discusses the current contribution of omics to the study of ECS physiology and dysfunction, together with their potential applications and the methodological and translational challenges that still need to be addressed.