Systematic approach to characterize the dynamics of protein adsorption on the surface of biomaterials using proteomics

Protein adsorption on biomaterial surfaces has been investigated in the development of protein-repellent implantable devices. While the study of the adsorption of a single protein have produced valuable insights of the role of specific proteins in the biological responses to biomaterials, a systematic high throughput screening method is needed to gain more comprehensive understanding of such a complex process, mainly because biomaterials are exposed to protein mixtures when implanted in the human body. To further advance our knowledge of the dynamics of protein adsorption/desorption at interfaces between proteins and solid surfaces, proteomic technologies have been explored to determine relationships between adsorbed proteins on the surfaces and subsequent biological responses. In this review, we will briefly describe the protein adsorption process and proteomics technologies and focus on subsequent biological responses to biomaterials such as blood/biomaterial interactions, biocompatibility, and cell behavior, to obtain more comprehensive understanding of the process for the development of improved biomaterials. We also highlight a number of challenges of contemporary proteomics technologies and future perspectives to advance our knowledge of protein adsorption/desorption dynamics on the surfaces of biomaterials.