Evidence mapPaperPMID 41769342Full record

ReviewFrontiers in cellular and infection microbiology2026

Proximity extension assay-based targeted proteomics for biomarker discovery in adult bacterial infections.

Enrico Sguazzini, Carlo Montagna, Tarek Nayfeh, Martina Offer, Marta Colaneri, Francesco Petri, Cristina Banfi, Cecilia Bonazzetti, Andrea Gori, Matteo Passerini

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Enrico SguazziniDepartment of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, "L. Sacco" University Hospital, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
Carlo MontagnaDepartment of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, "L. Sacco" University Hospital, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
Tarek NayfehEvidence-Based Practice Research Program, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States.
Martina OfferDepartment of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, "L. Sacco" University Hospital, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
Marta ColaneriDepartment of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, "L. Sacco" University Hospital, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
Francesco PetriDepartment of Infectious Disease, Luigi Sacco Hospital, Azienda Socio Sanitaria Territoriale (ASST) Fatebenefratelli Sacco, Milan, Italy.
Cristina BanfiUnit of Functional Proteomics, Metabolomics and Network Analysis, Centro Cardiologico Monzino Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS), Milan, Italy.
Cecilia BonazzettiDepartment of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
Andrea GoriDepartment of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, "L. Sacco" University Hospital, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
Matteo PasseriniDepartment of Infectious Disease, Luigi Sacco Hospital, Azienda Socio Sanitaria Territoriale (ASST) Fatebenefratelli Sacco, Milan, Italy.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Bacterial infections remain a major global health burden, causing significant morbidity and mortality. Despite ongoing advances, prompt diagnosis is still hampered by nonspecific host biomarkers and the inherently slow turnaround of traditional microbiological cultures. These limitations often delay the initiation of appropriate treatments. In recent years, affinity-based proteomic approaches have been explored to address this gap. Among them, the Proximity Extension Assay (PEA) has emerged as a promising multiplexed protein quantification tool, capable of simultaneously measuring hundreds of immune and inflammatory proteins with high sensitivity from minimal sample volumes. Such technologies hold the potential to identify novel biomarkers, thereby improving both diagnosis and patient management in bacterial infections. Main body: In this systematic scoping review, we examined studies applying PEA-based proteomics to adult bacterial infections. Out of the records screened, ten studies met inclusion criteria. Most were conducted in Europe and North America, relied primarily on plasma samples, and employed commercially available panels enriched for immune and inflammatory mediators. Study quality varied, with some evidence of variability and potential risk of bias. Across the 379 proteins investigated, a subset of proteins were consistently associated with bacterial infections across multiple clinical contexts, whereas others showed limited or no associations. Conclusions: Current applications of PEA-based proteomics in adult bacterial infections is limited and largely exploratory. Rather than supporting immediate clinical translation, the available evidence suggests the value of PEA-based approaches for informing biomarker discovery. Future research should prioritize well-designed, longitudinal, and pathogen-stratified studies in clinically relevant settings to strengthen evidence robustness and support the rational development of proteomics-informed diagnostic and translational strategies.

Indexed as

Bacterial InfectionsBiomarkersProteomicsHumansBiomarkersbacterial infectionsbiomarkersimmune responsePEAproteomicsproximity extension assaytheranostics

Identifiers

PMID41769342
PMCPMC12945781

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.