Novel Mass Spectrometry-based Epitope Mapping Procedures of Autoantigens

Preventive medicine for patients is to be realized from monitoring and management of early stage disease rather than from late stage treatment. Among the strategies of preventive medicine is the detection of prognostic and diagnostic protein signatures, in particular epitopes against which autoantibodies in blood plasma are directed during the progression of the disease. Recognizing such diseasespecific antibodies in patient screenings requires knowledge of the respective epitopes. In this work, novel mass spectrometry-based methodologies for epitope mapping of autoantigens are described