2D protein electrophoresis: can it be perfected?

23 years after O'Farrel developed two-dimensional gel electrophoresis we st ill debate if the technique can be improved, or if there are other alternat ive separation technologies that can challenge its central position in prot eomic projects. These questions are relevant as the pharmaceutical industry expects proteomic studies to provide novel protein targets for drug discov ery and diagnostics. In our opinion, there are various aspects of the techn ology that can be improved, including resolution, sample preparation and de tection, but so far there is no alternative technique(s) available, or any under development, that can replace it.