Our Research
Chemistry of Life Processes Institute is the nation’s premier incubator for protein science and precision medicine that improves lives and defines new fields of study.
RESEARCH
Precision Proteomics
for Precision Medicine
CLP’s chemists, biologists, engineers, physicists and clinicians partner closely to uncover the connection between genes and disease through protein-informed research and translation.
Despite their pivotal role, 99.9% of all the different forms of human proteins (proteoforms) remain undiscovered.
Using novel tools and approaches, Institute faculty are uncovering critical insights to identify more precise protein targets and develop more effective treatments and diagnostics for the most intractable health conditions.
Protein data produced by the Institute will provide new protein-based biomarkers to support disease staging and drug development and increase the specificity of therapeutic targets through increased understanding of protein structure and function.
Research Programs
Over the next five years, CLP will focus on uncovering the protein biology and chemistry behind cancer and neurodegenerative diseases, such as ALS, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s, and
apply that knowledge to new treatments and diagnostics that can turn the tide on these diseases.
convergence research initiatives
CLP has developed a series of Convergence Research Initiatives, which bring together teams of Northwestern chemists, life scientists, and engineers, with clinicians in Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine (FSM) to provide a holistic approach to critical clinical problems that stretch from the lab bench to the patient bedside.
NORTHWESTERN PROTEOMICS
Proteomics is poised to become the next genomics by 2030. CLP houses the premier center for proteomics under the leadership of Neil Kelleher. Leveraging an unsurpassed capability to analyze proteins, the Institute is ready to launch the next era of precision medicine by discovering the changes in proteoforms that cause disease, creating sensitive diagnostics to catch disease early and prevent organ damage, and identifying new, proteoform-enabled targets for drug development and delivery.
Resources for Drug Discovery and Development
From cutting-edge nanoscale imaging platforms to sophisticated computational modeling of drug target interactions, CLP core facilities offer a deep bench of tools for discovery, analysis, and visualization. These technologies make possible steady progress in the understanding of the molecular underpinnings of cancer, neurological disorders, cardiac disease and more.
Human Proteoform Project
CLP is a leading advocate for the Human Proteoform Project, a 10-year, $3 billion global initiative to map all proteins in the human body. Like the Human Genome Project mapping of genes, the Human Proteoform Project will map human proteins. It will create a dynamic atlas of proteoforms in organs, tissues and blood, and advance technology to simplify analyses and reduce cost.
Latest Research
