Targeted biomarker assays

FIMM Genomics unit offers NanoString nCounter analysis services to support a wide range of research applications, including gene expression profiling and miRNA analysis. The nCounter system provides a robust, sensitive, and highly multiplexed platform for digital quantification of up to 800 RNA or miRNA, in a single reaction, with no need for amplification steps that could introduce bias. The CodeSet probes are about 100 bases in length. Therefore, the system is very resistant to lower RNA quality and is suited for critical samples such as FFPE samples.

Panels available include: 

• Oncology
• Immunology
• Neuroscience
• Cardiovascular disease
• Infectious disease
• Cell & Gene Therapy
• miRNA
• Custom solutions 

Olink’s Proximity Extension Assay (PEA) technology is a highly specific and sensitive method for multiplex protein quantification that can be paired with either quantitative PCR (qPCR) or next-generation sequencing (NGS) as the readout, depending on the platform—Olink Target or Olink Reveal, respectively.

Olink Target platforms (qPCR based method by Olink Signature Q100)

• Olink Target platforms (such as Target 48 and Target 96) utilize PEA technology followed by real-time qPCR for protein detection and quantification.
• In this workflow, two matched antibodies, each labeled with a unique DNA oligonucleotide, bind to the same target protein in solution. When both antibodies are bound, their DNA tags come into proximity, allowing them to hybridize and be extended by DNA polymerase, generating a unique double-stranded DNA barcode specific to the protein.
• This DNA barcode is then amplified by qPCR. The number of qPCR cycles correlates with the initial concentration of the target protein in the sample, enabling relative or absolute quantification of up to 96 proteins simultaneously per panel.

Olink Reveal (NGS-based method by Illumina sequencing)

• Olink Reveal leverages the same PEA technology but uses next-generation sequencing (NGS) as the readout, allowing for even higher multiplexing—quantifying approximately 1,000 proteins in a single assay from just 4 ul of sample.
• After the dual-antibody binding and DNA barcode generation steps, the barcodes are PCR-amplified with the addition of sequencing adaptors and sample indices, making them compatible with standard NGS workflows.
• The pooled and purified DNA barcodes from all samples are sequenced, and the number of reads for each barcode reflects the abundance of the corresponding protein in the original sample.
• Data are processed and reported as NPX values (on a log2 scale), providing precise, scalable and robust quantification of protein abundance across a broad range of targets, with particular enrichment for immune and inflammation markers