NEONATAL SEPSIS BIOMARKER DISCOVERY USING PROTEOMIC APPROACHES

Abstract

Neonatal sepsis remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in neonates, largely due to the lack of sensitive and specific diagnostic biomarkers. This study employed a high-resolution mass spectrometry-based proteomic approach to identify differentially expressed proteins in septic neonates compared to healthy controls, aiming to discover novel biomarkers for early diagnosis and clinical stratification. Plasma samples from septic and healthy neonates were analyzed using a bottom-up proteomic workflow with data-independent acquisition. The analysis identified a panel of proteins significantly altered in septic neonates. Notably, acute-phase proteins such as C-reactive protein (CRP), Serum Amyloid A1, Haptoglobin, and Interleukin-6 were markedly upregulated, indicating a robust inflammatory and innate immune response. On the contrary, levels of transport and metabolic proteins fell, suggesting some systemic changes occur in the body due to sepsis. The analysis of Gene Ontology also showed that the acute-phase response, innate immune response and signaling of cytokines were the most impacted biochemical processes. The information reflects that using multiple biomarkers is more accurate than using only one biomarker for diagnosis. Proteomics has proven helpful in understanding the pathological changes seen in neonatal sepsis and can support the development of aid for timely diagnosis and prognosis. It is needed to analyse these biomarkers in larger groups of neonates from different hospitals to confirm their reliability. Incorporating these markers with clinical details may result in earlier sepsis identification and a better outcome for the baby.