Overview of proteomics studies in obstructive sleep apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is an underdiagnosed common public health concern causing deleterious effects on metabolic and cardiovascular health. Although much has been learned regarding the pathophysiology and consequences of OSA in the past decades, the molecular mechanisms associated with such processes remain poorly defined. The advanced high-throughput proteomics-based technologies have become a fundamental approach for identifying novel disease mediators as potential diagnostic and therapeutic targets for many diseases, including OSA. Here, we briefly review OSA pathophysiology and the technological advances in proteomics and the first results of its application to address critical issues in the OSA field. Work partially supported by Harvard Medical School – Portugal Program (HMSP-ICJ/0022/2011), Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT)/Poly-Annual Funding Program and FEDER/Saúde XXI Program (Portugal) and postdoctoral FCT-fellowship (SFRH/BPD/43365/2008).