A recent study by Katy Williams (UCSF), Christie Hunter (SCIEX), and Andrew Olsen (Advaita) used the iPathwayGuide within the OneOmics cloud computing environment to help understand how placental development can go awry during certain pregnancy complications such as pre-eclampsia.

In this pilot study, the researchers studied cytotrophoblast differentiation. Cytotrophoblasts are the cells that are mainly responsible for establishing an anchor between the developing embryo and placenta with the uterine wall. The researchers compared cytotrophoblasts from the primary culture at both 2^nd trimester and full term. SWATH proteomics data acquired using a SCIEX TripleTOF® 6600 System were analyzed in OneOmics using iPathwayGuide to identify differentially regulated proteins and their associated pathways, biological processes, and molecular functions. The proteomics data were then compared with RNASeq transcriptomics data acquired using an Illumina HiSeq System. Both the proteomics data and transcriptomics data were correlated using the OneOmics Platform and iPathwayGuide in the cloud. This meta-analysis allowed the researchers to discover common pathways and processes between the data sets as well as those only observed in the proteomic or transcriptomic datasets alone.

The pilot study helped to illuminate the biological significance of multiple proteins and pathways and provided an effective pipeline for taking raw data to biological answers.

See the complete study by viewing a 10 minute mini webinar. If you’d like to get a demo of the OneOmics Project, just comment below and we’ll be in touch.