• Olink announces collaboration with Element Biosciences and Singular Genomics

    • Read time: 4 minutes

    Two recently announced next-generation sequencing platforms offer increases in Olink Explore readout flexibility and cost-effectiveness

    The Olink Proximity Extension Assay has demonstrated readout flexibility

    When Olink Proteomics offered its first 96-plex Olink Target 96 panels to the marketplace, the molecular barcodes from the Proximity Extension Assay were quantitated with the Fluidigm Biomark HD microfluidic real-time PCR instrument. Now there are fourteen Olink Target 96 panels to choose from and a new Signature Q100 instrument available directly from Olink.

    It was in the Fall of 2020 when Olink Proteomics introduced the Olink Explore 386 and 1536 panels, and subsequent doubling to the Olink Explore 3072 for analysis of up to 3,000 circulating protein biomarkers. These panels were designed in collaboration with the Illumina next-generation sequencing platforms; both the NextSeq 550 and NovaSeq 6000 systems are supported with several flowcell configurations. An automated liquid-handling workflow helps enable generation of ~14 million data points per week, per NGS instrument.

    Element Biosciences offer novel chemistry in their AVITI™ technology

    A new company called Element Biosciences announced in the spring of 2022 a new sequencing approach they call AVITI, where their new instrument offers not only very high quality sequencing data (up to 150 bases per read) with wide availability of their systems in the first half of 2022.

    Olink announced a collaboration with Element Biosciences, to enable Olink Explore products to be read out on the Element Biosciences AVITI system. At the Advances in Genome Biology and Technology (AGBT) Conference taking place in early June 2022, Element will participate in a round table discussion where a proof-of-principle set of data will be discussed.

    Singular Genomics’ G4 platform with Max Read technology offers additional flexibility

    About four months prior to Element Biosciences announcing their AVITI system and technology, Singular Genomics announced a new platform they call G4, promising runs of four billion reads per run with a new format they call Max Read technology. With a four flowcell format and sixteen individually-addressable lanes for physical separation of samples and/or experiments (in contrast to use of molecular barcodes within a single lane), the G4 sequencer from Singular Genomics offers additional flexibility in instrument setup and execution of a sequencing run.

    A second revolution in large-scale proteogenomics throughput

    With the announcement of these two collaborations with Element Biosciences and Singular Genomics, there is greater choice in NGS readout for the Olink Explore platform. It is worthwhile to note these collaborations have just been announced, with no date set for future specific product offerings.

    For the past 13 years the number of whole exomes and whole genomes has been growing exponentially, and now combining the variant data from hundreds of thousands of individuals and being able to combine them with proteomics information promises to unlock valuable insights into the biological mechanisms of disease.

    Related links & sources

    Increasing the Accuracy of Multiple Sclerosis Relapse Monitoring

    Neurology, Protein biomarkers, Proteomics
    In the Relapsing-Remitting form of Multiple Sclerosis (RRMS), a single biomarker (soluble neurofilament light chain or sNfL) is identified as a biomarker for inflammatory activity in MS, but is limited in its ability to identify relapses. Through screening several hundred proteins using Olink® technology, three additional protein biomarkers have been identified as an improved relapse-specific signature to monitor disease activity in RRMS patients. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune disease affecting the nervous system (brain and spinal cord) causing the degradation of myelin, the protective insulating layer around nerve fibers. By disrupting the normal signaling to and from the brain, unpredictable symptoms develop: numbness, fatigue and mood changes, all the way up to pain, paralysis and/or blindness. Nearly 1 million people in the United States and up to 2.8 million worldwide live with multiple sclerosis, which is the most common disabling disease of young adults. Current research indicates that a complex set of genetic and environmental factors play a role in its pathogenesis, including low levels of Vitamin D, infection with Epstein-Barr Virus and childhood obesity all implicated.

    How proteomics helped diabetic kidney disease research advance

    Clinical research, Proteomics
    Dr. Krolewski and his team at the Harvard Medical School found 56 proteins to be significant in diabetic kidney disease patients. Potentially, these could serve as prognostic biomarkers for disease progression and treatment response. This is how adding proteomics to the methodologies elevated their research.

    Developing a high-performance biomarker panel for Alzheimer’s disease

    Clinical research, Neurology, Protein biomarkers
    A simple search of the term ‘scourge of Alzheimer’s Disease’ brings up over half a million website hits. A major disease, about 15% of us that reach the age of 67 to 74, and 44% of those 75 to 84 will develop AD.

    Utilizing proteogenomics technology for novel drug target discovery

    Drug discovery & development
    High-throughput multiplexed proteomic technology is leading the way to the latest developments in pre-clinical disease analysis in drug discovery. The pharmaceutical industry is now increasing its efforts in the discovery of novel drug targets by using protein quantitative trait loci (pQTLs), which allows for a more confident inference of disease causality and associated protein regulation.

    Proteins diagnostic of lung cancer up to 5 years before disease onset

    Oncology
    An earlier Olink to Science blog post covered some amazing research that found that certain blood protein biomarkers have the potential to predict cancer up to 3 years before diagnosis. This may also be the case for lung cancer, as detailed in a recent study by Dagnino and her colleagues, where elevated levels of CDCP1 were detected in participants of a cohort who later developed the disease.

    Study identifies proteins involved in immunotherapy response

    Oncology, Proteomics
    'Ultimately, it is all about understanding and treating patients better in the future.'

    Olink protein biomarker panel indicates fermented foods fight inflammation

    Inflammation, Proteomics
    Could food be used to fight chronic disease?

    Using PEA and RNA-Seq to study disease pathology

    Clinical research, Proteomics
    The following study illustrates how transcriptomics and proteomics complement one another to clarify the pathology of a complex, and little understood disease. Atopic dermatitis (AD) is the most common chronic skin condition affecting up to 20% of children and 7-10% of adults, depending on the population.

    Protein biomarkers are crucial in early detection of cancer

    Clinical research, Oncology, Protein biomarkers
    A central premise of precision medicine is to identify biomarkers indicative of disease transitions early on. This is especially important in cancer where early treatment intervention could increase a patient’s chance of survival and reduce the probability of cancer recurrence.

    Key proteomics publications from 2020

    Proteomics
    Welcome to the first post of the all-new weekly Olink to Science! Our customer survey revealed that you would like to know more about the many publications, research, and other science happening at Olink, therefore this blog aims to do just that: keep you informed on the exciting science taking place with our technology.

    2947

    Biomarker assays

    ~881 million

    Protein data points generated

    940

    Publications listed on website

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