Building the 'practical' human proteome project: the next big thing in basic and clinical proteomics

The Human Proteome Project (HPP) promises to deliver novel therapeutic targets, new personalized medicine biomarkers and paradigm shifts in the understanding of human health and disease. This editorial addresses some of the development that has been made since the HPP initiative was proposed in 2008, and examines some of the contentious issues that have been debated at recent meetings. Refreshingly, there has been a transition in the perception of HPP to ensure that all aspects of human biology - both physiological/cell biological and pathological/disease processes - are involved and that the HPP uses and incorporates data from many technologies (not just mass spectrometry) to deliver a high-quality, curated, integrated and evolving suite of database products that will be of enduring value. Suggestions by numerous speakers that an 'HPP Summit' be convened as soon as possible were met with appreciation by the audience at the HUPO 8th World Congress in 2009, indicating that there is recognition that the HPP will need to determine now what the project will become in 50 years, even before the project has delivered anything significant.