Exploring the potential of citizen science for de novo sequencing of MS/MS spectra

Abstract

Proteomics is the large-scale study of the function and structure of proteins expressed in a given sample. It generally uses mass spectrometry-based technologies to detect and identify changes in the proteome. One of the common methods is de novo sequencing of MS/MS spectra, which can be used to determine a sequence of amino acids from a mass spectrum. However, while an algorithm using de novo sequencing has a specific approach and would thus give the same solution every time, people on the other hand, would vary more in their approach to solving such a problem and therefore come up with a broader range of solutions. This thesis presents a prototype exploring the feasibility of developing a citizen science game based on de novo sequencing of MS/MS spectra. Furthermore, the main benefits and limitations of such a game are outlined.