Thermo Fisher Scientific is rolling out a research test to profile dozens of proteins linked to neurodegenerative diseases—such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, ALS, multiple sclerosis and others—with the goal of aiding in the development of new clinical biomarkers.
The addition of the multiplex immunoassay panel to the company’s Target 48 proteomics line follows last year’s $3.1 billion acquisition of Olink, the Swedish developer of protein-based analyzers, tests and services.
The neurodegeneration panel simultaneously quantifies 41 proteins, using as little as 1 microliter of plasma or cerebrospinal fluid, through the Olink Signature Q100 benchtop system. According to the company, this will aid in high-throughput studies of biobanks and other valuable samples, or in tracking individual patients over time during their participation in a clinical trial.
Its full list of analytes includes amyloid beta and pTau-217 proteins, as well as the neurofilament light chains long-used in Alzheimer’s research, plus newly emerging research pathways such as LRRK2 in Parkinson’s disease, among others.
The broader Target 48 family also includes tests for cytokines and immune responses, alongside the customizable Olink Flex platform. Thermo Fisher says that, taken together, the panels can help researchers parse a large library of protein biomarkers spanning inflammation and synaptic function in the brain.
“Neurological diseases are complex, multifactorial and urgently in need of translational insights, especially with non-invasive proteomic biomarkers for longitudinal monitoring,” Yan Zhang, president of Thermo Fisher’s proteomic sciences business, said in a statement. “The panel, designed in close collaboration with leading clinical researchers, offers absolute quantification of multiplex key biomarkers to monitor disease progression and therapeutic responses to power precision medicine.”