Stacy Malaker

Over the last few decades, mass spectrometry (MS) has revolutionized the study of proteins, and workflows for unmodified proteins have become routine. Generally, proteins are digested with trypsin, subjected to positive mode electrospray ionization, fragmented by well-documented methods, and the resultant spectra can be searched using a wide variety of reliable search algorithms.

However, the O-glycoproteome is wholly uncharted territory, as densely O-glycosylated domains (aka mucin domains) do not fit into the workflows developed for traditional proteomics. My laboratory is developing original methods to tackle these problems, thus shedding light on the mucinome. Additionally, we use these techniques to investigate the role of mucins in the context of inflammatory bowel disease, cancer, cystic fibrosis, and autoimmune disorders.