Proteomic analysis in pediatric renal disease.

Children with renal disease have tremendous potential for recovery, particularly when disease processes are detected early in the disease course. However, invasive diagnostic maneuvers can be challenging, especially in younger children who may require general anesthesia. Urine proteomics technologies present an opportunity to discover noninvasive yet informative diagnostic and prognostic markers of renal disease in children. In this article we review current concepts regarding the normal urine proteome, followed by an overview of urine proteomics as applied to nephrotic syndrome, and conclude with a discussion of some of the challenges of performing proteomic profiling on nephrotic urine, with its inherent abundance of proteins.