2001   Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Proteome Research, Amer. Chem. Soc.                                    

2003   ACS Award in Chromatography

2006   President-elect, US HUPO (Human Proteome Organization)

Research Interests
Prof. Hancock’s research is directed at the study of disease mechanisms and discovery of potential therapeutic agents by proteomic analysis of biological fluids and tissue samples. Proteomic analysis is performed by an approach known as shotgun sequencing in which a sample is digested with a proteolytic enzyme and the resulting complex peptide mixture is separated by HPLC. The identity of the peptide is determined by on-line mass spectrometry (ion trap or Fourier transform), using MS/MS fragmentation patterns and accurate mass measurements.  The corresponding proteins are then identified by searching of

genomic and proteomic databases and in a typical analysis of plasma several hundred proteins are identified.

Prof. Hancock’s laboratory has developed two new platforms that significantly extend the dynamic range of clinical proteomic studies. One approach uses combinations of lectins to study the glycoproteome of blood samples from cancer patients. The other platform uses highly specific MW filtration to analyze peptides in blood generated by disease-associated proteolysis and is being applied to the understanding of diabetes and autoimmune diseases.

Selected Publications

Zheng X, Baker H, Hancock WS.  Analysis of the low molecular weight serum peptidome using ultrafiltration and a hybrid ion trap-Fourier transform mass spectrometer. J Chromatogr A. 2006, 7;1120(1-2): 173-84.

Wang Y, Wu SL, Hancock WS, Trala R, Kessler M, Taylor AH, Patel PS, Aon JC.  Proteomic profiling of Escherichia coli proteins under high cell density fed-batch cultivation with overexpression of phosphogluconolactonase. Biotechnol Prog. 2005, 21(5): 1401-11.

Yang Z, Hancock WS, Chew TR, Bonilla L.  A study of glycoproteins in human serum and plasma reference standards (HUPO) using multilectin affinity chromatography coupled with RPLC-MS/MS. Proteomics. 2005, 5(13): 3353-66.