Northwestern University’s Chemistry of Life Processes Institute (CLP) is launching the next era of precision medicine by discovering the changes in proteins that underlie disease, creating more sensitive diagnostics to catch disease early, and identifying new targets for drug development and delivery.

Hard-working proteins play a critical role throughout the body. When we develop Alzheimer’s, cancer, heart disease and other disorders, the problem is almost always manifested through proteins and their various forms (proteoforms). Studying abnormal proteoforms provides a pathway to understanding and combating these diseases. Despite its pivotal role, the majority of our protein-level biology remains a mystery.

CLP is at the forefront of the study of human proteins and their impact on human health and disease. Our faculty are some of the world’s leading experts in protein science and drug and diagnostics discovery. Under the visionary leadership of Neil L. Kelleher, an internationally recognized proteomics expert, CLP is spearheading a major intiative to map the entire human proteome.

Within the next five years, CLP will apply protein-informed medicine and cutting-edge technology to identify better targets for ALS, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease and cancer, paving the way for the development of new biomarkers and highly precise drugs and diagnostics for these devastating diseases.

Simultaneously, CLP prepares the next generation of biomedical innovators to tackle and defeat future biomedical challenges.