Perspectives in 2014

This Perspective discusses methods to measure single-cell mass and their relative strengths and weaknesses for different applications.

Tumor-specific peptides missed in standard mass spectrometry–based workflows can be identified by integrating genomic information to interpret proteomic data. As discussed in this Perspective, an onco-proteogenomic approach to study tumor biology could have a substantial impact on cancer research. Also in this issue, Nesvizhskii reviews proteogenomic technology.

This Perspective discusses the power of large mutational scans for the study of protein properties, the analytical challenges posed by the resulting data sets and the potential of this approach to further our understanding of human genetic variation.

This Perspective takes the reader through the important steps in bacterial genome assembly and activation and concludes with an outlook on how customized genomes may be achieved.

Optofluidic biolasers are emerging as a highly sensitive way to measure changes in biological molecules. Biolasers, which incorporate biological material into the gain medium and contain an optical cavity in a fluidic environment, take advantage of the amplification that occurs during laser generation to quantify tiny changes in biological processes in the gain medium. This Perspective describes the principle of the optofluidic biolaser, reviews recent progress and provides outlooks on potential applications and directions for developing this enabling technology.