Blagoy Blagoev on how proteomics could be the key to understanding the unique biological properties of stem cells. Leanne Marle finds out more

              

Blagoy Blagoev is an associate professor in the department of biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of Southern Denmark in Odense. He is also a member of the Molecular Biosystems editorial board. His research focuses on studying cell signalling and how cells communicate using quantitative proteomics.

Why did you become a scientist?

Looking back I was always very interested in chemistry, especially mixing things together to see what would happen. I can remember how exciting it was dipping iron into copper sulfate solution and watching the colour change from blue to green. At the same time, I was also (and still am) very interested in animals and biology in general. So I guess it combined the two to go on to study biochemistry and molecular biology.

I find it very exciting to work in an area where you seek the answers. You don't do something where you know what is going to happen or know the answers in advance. You just do the experiments, which you believe are good, and see what they show you.

What projects are you working on at the moment?

Like most scientists these days I am working on several projects. One project, which has been my focus for a long time now, is looking at cell signalling by growth factor receptors. For example, we are studying how the signalling networks organised by these receptors are controlling various processes. In particular we are looking at phosphorylation and other protein modifications that are basically responsible for the different growth factor effects on human cells. 

Another exciting research area in the laboratory is related to human embryonic stem cells. They provide an ideal system to study the processes of cell development and differentiation. We are using quantitative mass spectrometry-based proteomics to look at the mechanisms of self-renewal and differentiation of these cells. We are hoping to understand better how a stem cell works. However, the more scientists figure out about cellular systems it becomes clearer that these systems are very complex.  

Why is proteomics an important tool for studying stem cells?

First of all, it is a very powerful technology for looking directly at the protein. It is now widely appreciated that there are many more mechanisms involved in regulating protein activities. Post-translational modifications are one of these mechanisms. Proteomics allows you not to just look directly at the proteins and the protein expression levels, but to also see their modifications. This makes it a very powerful tool for functional studies. By using a labelling technique called SILAC (stable isotope labelling by amino acids in cell culture) for quantification, we hope to gain a much better understanding of the mechanisms of self-renewal and differentiation in human embryonic stem cells.

Another major reason I believe proteomics is widely appreciated now is because it allows you to carry out discovery-driven experiments. It allows you to perform research that is not driven by a requirement to prove particular hypotheses.

What are the major challenges in this area?

In general mass spectrometry technology has become much more user friendly and as a result more widespread, with an increasing number of universities and institutions having their own instrumentation. Whilst the instruments are much easier to operate, they are not a black box instrument in which you can just push a button and produce a list of answers. The major challenge will be to educate people to use the instrumentation appropriately and to deal with the large amounts of data that are generated. There is a lot of knowledge that has to be transferred to scientists to make sure they properly process the resulting data to get the correct information. Otherwise this could lead to false results being reported and a bad reputation for proteomics.

Has there been anyone in particular that has inspired you during your career?

If I had to pinpoint one particular person that has inspired me, I would have to say my former PhD supervisor, Professor Matthias Mann. He is a really great scientist, not just in proteomics but in general. He's a great person to have worked with. But, I've been lucky to have worked with many great scientists during the entire period of my studies and later on in my career. So every one of them has been inspiring to one degree or another. Even now I have a wonderful team of young people, a very clever and talented group, and their enthusiasm inspires me. Interacting with them keeps me excited about the science.

What advice would you give to a young scientist wanting to pursue a career in science?

I think I would say to the young starters in science that it is not easy. Science is a lot of fun but you have to be passionate about it. It's not a normal job the way we understand it, in the sense that you go to work and then when you leave at the end of the day you forget all about it. With science, you have to live with it. Young people really need to make sure that they want to do that. If they do decide to follow this road then it's a lot of fun and a lot of excitement. I don't regret for a single second that I took this direction but it's not an easy life.

Some advice for the ones who do decide to follow science is that they should keep their minds open. What I often see with young researchers is that they just get caught in what they are doing and don't pay much attention to what is happening around them. You have to stay open to what is happening in other fields and other technologies to boost your research projects and interests. So to stay more open would be my top tip.