Webinar: Plasma proteomics in preventative medicine

September 15 @ 11:00 am – 12:00 pm UTC+10

This IonOpticks Insights webinar features Dr Laura Gianni (formerly Dagley), Head, Proteomics Laboratory at The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI).

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15

Before the Diagnosis: Plasma Proteomic Signatures That Precede Pancreatic Cancer and Type 1 Diabetes

Join Dr Laura Gianni as she explores how large‑scale plasma proteomics can reveal disease years before symptoms appear, transforming early detection and prevention strategies for pancreatic cancer and type 1 diabetes. Drawing on two landmark Australian cohorts, PURPLE (PDAC) and ENDIA (T1D), Dr Gianni will demonstrate how a unified high‑throughput DIA workflow using timsTOF and Aurora C18 columns uncovers reproducible proteomic signatures that distinguish PDAC cases from controls and map the earliest molecular changes in children who progress to islet autoimmunity.

The webinar will be recorded for registrants unable to attend.

Abstract

Research advantage: IonOpticks Aurora Series C18 columns delivering the reproducibility needed for cohorts of this scale.

Proteomics offers a dynamic readout of the biological processes that drive disease, capturing functional changes long before clinical symptoms appear. We have applied large-scale, untargeted mass spectrometry to plasma from two Australian cohorts with very different disease trajectories but a shared need for pre-symptomatic biomarkers: the PURPLE registry, a real-world cohort of consecutive pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cases with matched biosamples and deep clinical annotation; and the Environmental Determinants of Islet Autoimmunity (ENDIA) study, a unique cohort followed from pregnancy through early childhood to uncover the molecular signatures that precede type 1 diabetes (T1D). Both cohorts were run through a common high-throughput, nanoLC-MS/MS workflow using data-independent acquisition on a timsTOF platform with Aurora C18 columns (IonOpticks), delivering the reproducibility needed for cohorts of this scale. In PDAC, discovery plasma proteomics across more than 200 samples identified a reproducible signature distinguishing healthy and PDAC disease, subsequently confirmed in two independent validation cohorts. The resulting model discriminates cases from controls with high sensitivity and specificity, with external validation now underway. In T1D, we analysed over 900 ENDIA plasma samples spanning maternal, cord blood and child timepoints, including samples collected at the onset of islet autoimmunity (IA). Leveraging ENDIA’s deep biobank and longitudinal sampling framework, we mapped proteomic trajectories over time and pinpointed the developmental windows in which protein expression begins to diverge in children who progress to IA. Early findings point to disruption of the IGF axis alongside coordinated metabolic, immune and inflammatory changes at IA onset. Together, these programs show that population-scale proteomics of a single, minimally invasive biofluid can resolve disease signals years before clinical presentation — in one case enabling earlier detection of a cancer diagnosed too late, and in the other opening a window for intervention and prevention in genetically at-risk children.

About the presenter

Dr Laura Gianni (formerly Dagley)

Dr. Gianni is a globally recognised expert in mass spectrometry-based proteomics, with expertise in translational biofluid proteomics. She earned her PhD in 2014 from the University of Melbourne under the supervision of Prof. Tony Purcell. During her PhD, she was awarded funding from multiple sources to undertake part of her training at the University of Toronto with Prof. Andrew Emili, where she gained advanced expertise in mass spectrometry technologies. Since 2021, she has served as Head of the Proteomics Facility at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI), where she oversees a state-of-the-art mass spectrometry platform and leads a multidisciplinary team delivering end-to-end proteomics support. Under her leadership, the facility has strengthened its role as a highly collaborative proteomics research platform supporting projects across cancer, immune disorders and neurodegenerative disease. Dr. Gianni has contributed to 70+ peer-reviewed publications (including Nature Immunology, Science, Blood),including 8 as first/co-first author and 2 as senior author, reflecting sustained productivity and leadership in collaborative proteomics. She has a current h-index of 34, more than 4,200 citations, patent-linked discovery, and multiple national and international collaborations. She also provides scientific leadership through service roles with the Australasian Proteomics Society and the Human Proteome Organisation. Her scientific excellence has been recognised through several prestigious honours, including the 2017 Ken Mitchelhill Young Investigator Award, and finalist positions in the 2016 Bupa Health Foundation Emerging Health Researcher Award and the 2017 Women of the Future Award.

Even if you are unable to attend, a recording of the session will be sent to all those who registered.

IonOpticks-hosted Event

For enquiries, email events@ionopticks.com