Olink Proteomics announces a new biomarker panel that expands its protein library to over 1000 high-quality assays

Uppsala, Sweden, August 30, 2018 – Olink Proteomics today announced the launch of Olink® NEURO EXPLORATORY, a new biomarker panel that complements and expands on Olink's ever-growing portfolio of high quality protein assays. The new panel extends the power of the Olink platform for discovery-scale application to 1072 different protein biomarkers. This will enable scientists to cast an even broader net in their protein biomarker screening studies.

The panel enables simultaneous measurement of 92 proteins using just 1 µL of primarily plasma, serum or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), as well as other types of human sample. The assays include a combination of exploratory and established markers with a focus on neurology-related diseases, and biological processes. The established proteins include a high-performance assay for Neurofilament light polypeptide (NFL)*, which is an important marker for degenerative neurological diseases and traumatic brain injury. The Olink NFL assay exhibits outstanding performance that is comparable to existing gold-standard low-plex assays, while providing simultaneous measurement of 91 other proteins. Significantly for the globally important neurology field, the assays in this new panel have been fully validated to the same high-quality standards in CSF samples as for plasma/serum. Olink® NEURO EXPLORATORY therefore represents a perfect complement to our existing neurological disease-focused panel, Olink® NEUROLOGY, enabling a wider, more exploratory approach to neurological studies.

“We are delighted to be able to offer this new panel, which provides a useful new tool for neurologists wanting to undertake more targeted studies, into neurodegenerative diseases for example. This addition to the Olink product offering demonstrates our commitment to the incremental expansion of our portfolio, providing an ever-broader discovery solution for biomarker screening, while maintaining our exceptionally high standards of validation and quality.

We will continue to develop new tools for protein biomarker discovery, development and implementation, along the entire chain, from early exploratory studies to clinical application. In this way, we will drive our mission to support academic/clinical research and the pharmaceutical industry to better understand biology and speed up the development of effective drugs in order to drive precision medicine.”

says Andrea Ballagi, VP Sales & Marketing at Olink Proteomics.

(*The assay for Neurofilament light polypeptide uses the NF-light® antibodies from UmanDiagnostics, Umeå Sweden)

Product and technology information
Each Olink panel offers high-throughput multiplex immunoassays that measure 92 proteins simultaneously using only one microliter of serum, plasma, tumor cell lysate, or almost any other type of biological sample. Thousands of samples per week can be analyzed using these panels, which greatly accelerates the speed of protein biomarker discovery. Based on a library of more than 1000 human proteins, Olink panels are now very well-established in clinical research, with more than 600 000 samples analyzed world-wide and over 160 peer-reviewed publications now in the literature.

Olink’s assays are based on the proprietary Proximity Extension Assay (PEA) technology developed by Olink. PEA is a homogeneous assay that uses pairs of antibodies equipped with DNA reporter molecules which upon target binding give rise to new DNA amplicons, each ID-barcoding their respective antigens. Cross-reactive events are not detected since the sequence design allows only the correctly matched antibody pairs to give rise to a signal. The amplicons are subsequently quantified by high throughput real-time PCR. This dual recognition, DNA-coupled method provides exceptional readout specificity and enables the panels to achieve a combination of high multiplexing level and data quality that cannot be matched using standard immunoassay techniques. An animation overviewing how the technology works and what it is used for can be viewed on Olink’s YouTube channel.

For research use only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.