Probing the proteome at cellular scale Rapid technological advances are allowing researchers to identify thousands of proteins in individual cells, revealing the hidden mechanisms underlying development and disease. By Michael Eisenstein

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-02805-w?utm_source=Live+Audience&utm_campaign=38d7039c4f-nature-briefing-daily-20260907&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-33f35e09ea-50432164 Probing the proteome at cellular scale Cells that seem identical can have very different fates, thanks to the proteins they contain. But most analyses of single cells focus on the transcriptome to explore gene expression in the cell. Now a technique that many protein biologists thought was the stuff of science fiction has arrived with a bang: single-cell proteomics, which profiles thousands of proteins in individual cells. For example, in tumour cells, “single-cell proteomics may help us understand why patients have different outcomes due to tumour evolution, immune responses and cell differentiation — all driven by cellular heterogeneity”, says mass spectrometrist Yu-Ju Chen.