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W. Andy Tao
Associate Professor—Analytical Chemistry and Chemical Biology(Courtesy)
Email: watao@purdue.edu
Phone: 765-494-9605
Office: HANS 434
For Professor Tao's individual Home Page click here.
My group focuses on the development of technologies based on the state-of-the-art mass spectrometry and chemically derivatized nanomaterials for functional proteomics. Examining changes in proteins of interest within cells under different physiological conditions will offer insights into understanding cellular and molecular mechanisms that cannot currently be obtained through traditional biological studies that usually focus on the detailed analysis of individual biomolecules. 
Functional proteomics thus holds significant promise for the discovery of diagnostic or prognostic protein markers, for the detection of new therapeutic targets, and as a powerful tool to further our understanding of basic biological processes and mechanisms. The realization of these expectations relies on the development of robust and highly sensitive and specific methods to identify and quantify proteins of interest.
Current projects in my group are: 1. Quantitative and functional proteomics in vitro and in living cells using soluble nanopolymers; 2. Proteomic characterization of Ossabaw Pig: linking metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease; 3. Profiling of protease substrates in apoptotic cells; 4. Molecular signaling in cancer cells: phosphoproteomics.
Education
Ph.D., Purdue University, 2001; Postdoctoral, Institute for Systems Biology, 2002-2004.Recognitions
- 3M Non-Tenured Faculty Grant, 2008-
- NSF Career Award, 2007-2012
- ASMS Research Award, 2006
- Damon Runyon Cancer Research Fellowship, 2002-2004
Selected Publications
- Iliuk A.;Galan, J.;Tao, W. A., Playing tag with quantitative proteomics . Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry 2009 , 393 , 503-513.
- Galan J. A.;Guo, M.;Sanchez, E. E.;Cantu, E.;Rodriguez-Acosta, A.;Perez, J. C.;Tao, W. A., Quantitative analysis of snake venoms using soluble polymer-based isotope labeling . Molecular & Cellular Proteomics 2008 , 7 , 785-799.
- Guo M.;Galan, J.;Tao, W. A., Soluble nanopolymer-based phosphoproteomics for studying protein phosphatase . Methods 2007 , 42 , 289-297.