Scene 1: A blood sample is taken from a patient.

Scene 2: Laboratory specimens are arrayed on a chip using a mechanical device.

Scene 3: The samples on the chip are inserted into a mass spectrometer. Mass spectrometry has increasingly become the method of choice for analyses of complex protein samples. Mass spectrometry is a technique that measures two properties: the mass-to-charge ratio of a mixture of ions in the gas phase under vacuum; and the number of ions present at each mass-to-charge value.

Scene 4: The mass spectra, or chart, shows a series of peaks, each representing the ion or charged protein fragment present in a given sample.

Scene 5: The height of a peak on a chart is related to the abundance of a protein fragment. The size of the peaks and the distance between them are a fingerprint of the sample and provide a clue to its identity.

Scene 6: Knowing the identity of a protein fragment will allow researchers to develop drugs that can better target a specific defect that is causing the cancer to grow or spread.

Scene 7: The newly developed targeted drug can be give to the patient, potentially prolonging their survival.