Massachusetts General Hospital

Research Description

Sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NINDS), the Clinical Proteomics Research Center (CPRC) explores the clinical applications of proteomic technology. The goals of the Clinical Proteomics Research Center are to explore neurovascular pathophysiology using a translational approach, to develop prognostic tools to guide clinical decision-making, and to discover new targets of therapeutic intervention at the bedside. Read more about CPRC research in the application of proteomic technology to clinical problem solving in neurovascular disease on our Research Project page.

Principal Investigator

MingMing Ning, MD

• Assistant Professor in Neurology,
  Harvard Medical School
• Associate in Neurology,
  Massachusetts General Hospital
• Director, Clinical Proteomics
  Research Center

Scientific Advisory Board

• Ferdinando S. Buonanno, MD
• Eng H. Lo, MD
• Mary Lopez, MD
• Anne B. Young, MD, PhD

Research Scientists

• Dr. Sherry Chou
• Dr. Meng Ran
• Dr. Jing Cao
• Dr. Dayse Sena
• Dr. Diana Walleigh

Center Staff & Clinical Research Coordinators

• Eric Loesch
• Kathleen Feeney
• Andrea Marckmann
• Molly Thayer
• Maggie Seldane
• Marissa Karchin
• Michelle Weeden

The CPRC has four main areas of focus in the application of proteomic technology to clinical problem solving in neurovascular disease.

1. Bedside sampling of acute neurovascular injury - with full-time dedicated clinical staff to ensure around-the-clock patient enrollment Samples are collected, prepped and analyzed in real-time.
2. Mapping of “pharmaco-proteomic” profiles - to identify the most relevant pathways associated with disease-specific clinical interventions – especially for treatment with a risk/benefit profile such as thrombolysis in acute ischemic stroke, PFO related stroke intervention and hypothermic treatment.
3. Development of prognostic tools and novel biomarkers - to help triage clinical diagnosis and treatment in acute neurovascular injury. For example, working together with the Cardio-Neurology Clinic, the CPRC explores neurological disorders associated with congenital heart conditions such as PFO, to developing more effective approaches in caring for stroke patients.
4. Proteomic repository and database - Building a repository of proteomic data from patient and control plasma, CSF, urine for collaborative efforts and jump-start future research in neuroscience.

Clinical Proteomics Research on the Brain

For information about our ongoing clinical study--sponsored by the National Institute of Health (NIH/NINDS)-- called "Clinical Proteomics Research on the Brain" ("CPR" on the Brain), please contact Dr. Ning at mmning@partners.org. "CPR" on the Brain is actively recruiting patients with acute and chronic history of stroke, neurovascular disease associated with patent forament ovale (PFO), and healthy subjects. More information can be found on http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT00682331.

1. Michael D, Martin KC, Seger R, Ning MM, Baston R, Kandel ER. Repeated pulses of serotonin required for long-term facilitation activate mitogen-activated protein kinase in sensory neurons of Aplysia. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 1998;95(4):1864-9.
2. Plotkin SR, Ning MM. Traumatic cervical spine disruption. N Engl J Med. 2001;345(15):1134-5.
3. Kiernan TJ, Yan BP, Cubeddu RJ, Rengifo-Moreno P, Gupta V, Inglessis I, Ning MM, Demirjian ZN, Jaff MR, Buonanno FS, Schainfeld RM, Palacios IF. May-Thurner syndrome in patients with cryptogenic stroke and patent foramen ovale: an important clinical association. Stroke. 2009 Apr;40(4):1502-4.
4. Ning MM, Sarracino DA, Buonanno F, Krastins B, Chou S, McMullin D, Wang X, Lopez M, Lo EH. Proteomic Protease Substrate Profiling of tPA Treatment in Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients: A Step Toward Individualizing Thrombolytic Therapy at the Bedside.2010;1(4): 268-275.
5. Ning MM, Sarracino DA, Kho AT, Guo SZ, Lee SR, Krastins B, Buonanno FS, Vizcaíno, Orchard S, McMullin D, Wang X, Lo EH. Proteomic Temporal Profile of Human Brain Endothelium Post Oxidative Stress. Stroke 2011 Jan ;42:37-43.

All Selected Publications (PDF)

NCBI PubMed Publications

Cardio-Neurology Clinic, Department of Neurology

Phone: 617-724-4458
Fax: 617-726-5043
Email: mweeden@partners.org

Public Transportation Access: yes
Disabled Access: yes

Cardio-Neurology Clinic

Clinical Coordinator
Phone: 617-724-4458

Mailing Address

Cardio-Neurology Clinic
Mailcode: WACC 7-720
Massachusetts General Hospital
55 Fruit Street
Boston, MA 02114