This advance simplifies the study of proteins lying at the root of such diseases as cancer and diabetes. Utrecht University Prof. Albert Heck's research group announced this breakthrough on the website of the scientific journal Nature Methods.

Proteins play a critical role in disease and growth processes of humans, animals and plants. Identification was previously only possible when the genetic composition of the organism in question was known. Thanks to Heck's discovery, this is now a thing of the past. Heck used an enzyme from the Japanese mushroom Grifola frondosa to identify proteins. This makes it possible to study the proteins of an organism of which the genetic composition is “ as yet “ unknown (e.g. exotic animal species). In addition, research into proteins responsible for such diseases as cancer and diabetes, which usually undergo modification as a result, is much more effective.

In order to study the role proteins play in biological processes, the proteins themselves are cleaved into peptides, which are analysed using a mass spectrometer. The measurements produce a unique fingerprint ™ for each peptide. In the past, a protein could only be identified using the fingerprint after comparing the fingerprint to a database of known genetic compositions. The enzyme of the Japanese mushroom that Heck used cleaved the proteins in such a way that the peptides produced simplified fingerprints. As a result, the proteins could be identified even though the organism's genome has not been mapped out. This greatly simplifies protein identification.

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They recommend that women who are diabetic seek medical help at least three months before they plan to have a baby so doctors can help them control their blood sugar and increase their intake of folic acid.

Lead author Jean Lawrence, a research scientist with Kaiser Permanente Southern California says there are things women can do before they become pregnant that will increase the likelihood of them having a healthy baby, including controlling blood sugar levels with an insulin pump, and maintaining a healthy diet and exercise routine.

Overweight women are encouraged to shed some pounds before getting pregnant.

According to the American Diabetes Association about 15 million people in the United States are diagnosed with diabetes, and 1.5 million new cases were diagnosed in people age 20 and older in 2005.

The study appears in the journal Diabetes Care.