What is Olink Proteomics?

Proteomics is a cutting-edge research area that examines proteins. These diverse and dynamic molecules are responsible for the execution of most biological processes and provide valuable indicators of human health and disease. The technique incorporates multiple methods and approaches to uncover protein-protein interactions, post-translational modifications, and expression patterns to better understand cellular functions and disease models.

The field of proteomics has gained significant recognition in recent years, promising insights into biology, disease mechanisms, drug delivery and personalised medicine.

Why is Proteomics important?

Proteomics provides a better understanding of the structure and function of the organisms than genomics alone. It plays a crucial role in identifying disease-related biomarkers, including those for cancer, Alzheimer’s and diabetes, offering early diagnosis and personalised treatment opportunities. Proteomics unravels disease-specific proteomic profiles, facilitating the identification of potential drug targets and developing more efficient therapies.

Additionally, advanced knowledge of proteins accelerates drug discovery and has the potential to revolutionise healthcare by addressing individual variations in protein expression and function, enabling highly tailored and effective medical interventions.

How does Proteomics drive forward precision medicine?

Protein biomarker discovery enables the identification of signatures with pathophysiological importance, bridging the gap between genomes and phenotypes.

Information about the physiological differences between biological samples based on protein abundance levels can profoundly improve healthcare. This is especially the case with precision medicine — an innovative approach to tailoring disease prevention and treatment that accommodates an individual patient’s genes, environment and lifestyle.

What is Olink Proteomics?

Olink Proteomics is a high-throughput protein biomarker discovery platform for high-quality proteomics that can simultaneously measure the concentration of thousands of human proteins.
Olink uses innovative Proximity Extension Assay (PEA) technology combined with a next-generation sequencing (NGS) readout to provide vital insight into the real-time biology underlying human health and disease.

For researchers and scientists involved in drug development, clinical research and life sciences, Olink is a powerful tool for large-scale discovery proteomics, providing rapid and detailed measurement of protein biomarkers with the highest-level specificity and throughput, minimal sample volume, high sensitivity and dynamic range.

PEA technology

The innovative PEA (Proximity Extension Assay) technology behind Olink Proteomics combines the best of antibody- and DNA-based methods to enable protein biomarker discovery and development.

PEA successfully merges antibody-based immunoassays with powerful polymerase chain reaction (PCR) properties, providing high-throughput, highly scalable and exceptional specificity multiplex immunoassays of proteins that can use minimal volumes of serum, plasma or almost any other type of biological sample without compromising on data quality or assay robustness.

PEA technology follows three or four main steps, depending on the platform:

1. Dual-recognition immunoassay, where two matched antibodies labelled with unique DNA oligonucleotides bind together to target protein
2. Generation of double-stranded unique barcodes specific to antigen and quantitatively proportional to initial target protein concentration
3. PCR amplification, allowing low-concentration sample detection in Olink Explore
4. qPCR or NGS readout (for Olink Target and Olink Explore, respectively)

Olink Explore 3072

Olink® Explore 3072 is a high-multiplex, high-throughput protein biomarker discovery platform that uses PEA technology coupled with a next-generation sequencing (NGS) readout on Illumina instruments for uncompromised data quality.

The Explore platform can simultaneously read 3071 assays, supporting high-quality protein biomarker discovery while using a minimal blood sample. Results from Olink Explore 3072 can provide valuable insight across exploratory proteomics, multiomics studies, and the drug discovery and development process.

Other Olink platforms

Olink® Target, on the other hand, uses PEA technology combined with real-time qPCR that enables readouts of 48 or 96 assays simultaneously, where the number of qPCR cycles is related to the initial concentration of the protein in the sample and reports the final relative concentration of specific protein in each cycle.

Olink® Explore 3072 and Olink® Target 96 panels provide an ideal broad screening-to-targeted discovery solution, providing users with an informative protein profile.

Olink® Focus is a custom panel development that enables customers to take the next steps towards protein biomarker validation and implementation of clinically relevant protein structure by designing a panel of up to 21 proteins from Target and Explore libraries.

Olink ® Flex panels offer mid-plex proteomics with unequalled flexibility and absolute quantification to cover a wide range of needs. It is a customisable, made-to-order product that enables the selection and combination of up to 21 human proteins into one biomarker panel; you can ‘mix and match’ from ~200 thoroughly pre-validated protein biomarkers.

What protein biomarker panels are included in the platform?

Olink Platforms allows flexible and scalable access across an extensive protein library of nearly 3,000 protein assays, allowing customised screening of blood and plasma samples.

There are five main categories of protein defined during target selection:

• Low-abundant inflammation proteins
• Proteins actively secreted into the blood circulation
• Approved and ongoing drug target proteins
• Organ-specific proteins that have leaked into the blood circulation
• Proteins representing more exploratory potential biomarkers

The library also includes eight Explore 384-plex panels organised into four disease and biological processes:

• Cardiometabolic
• Inflammation
• Neurology
• Oncology

Applications for Olink Proteomics

As mentioned above, studying proteins and especially biomarkers helps us understand real-time human biology and discover a range of healthy and diseased landscapes.

Due to the critical importance of all types of biomarkers in healthcare, studies that use proteomics platforms like Olink are accelerating the future of healthcare.

Results from Olink Proteomics enable:

• Identification of novel drug targets
• Disease prediction and creation of patient stratification
• In vivo/In vitro testing in preclinical research
• Aid understanding real-time unique human biology

Why partner with Source Genomics for Olink Proteomics?

Source Genomics is the first UK-based commercial distributor and provider of the full range of Olink Proteomics services, enabling the development of your proteomics project from discovery through to clinical utility. We handle all Olink Proteomics enquiries, ensuring sample processing in-house at our Cambridge laboratory, guaranteeing data protection and rapid, market-leading turnaround times.

We support you throughout the entire process with a free consultation at the initiation of your project, and project management from an experienced scientist who will manage your request from start to post-data delivery.

Summing up, when you book Olink Explore 3072 through Source Genomics, you get the following:

• Broad Dynamic Range: up to 3,000 validated proteins across 10 logs
• Elevated Flexibility: interchangeable panels covering all major biological pathways
• Minimal sample volume: only 6 µL of sample is required for the entire library
• Exceptional specificity: dual antibody recognition and barcoding
• High sensitivity: enable low pg/mL range detection