Mary R. Rooney · medRxiv 2024 · Technical split-sample validation study · n=102

Plasma proteomic comparisons change as coverage expands for SomaLogic and Olink

Cited 36 times in the scientific literature.

Level 4 - case-series / case-control

Cross-sectional split-sample technical reproducibility study (graded by design analogy for assay validation)

OpenAlex W4400577998 · doi:10.1101/2024.07.11.24310161 · record verified 2026-08-26

What was done

Assessed the technical reproducibility and cross-platform agreement of the expanded plasma proteomic platforms SomaScan 11k (>11,000 aptamer assays) and Olink Explore HT (>5,400 antibody proximity extension assays). Split plasma samples from 102 Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study participants were measured to determine technical coefficients of variation (CV), relation of CV to limit of detection (LOD), and between-platform correlation across 4,443 overlapping target assays.

What was found

SomaScan 11k assays showed a median CV of 6.8% (versus 6.6% for assays on the SomaScan 5k subset). Olink Explore HT assays showed a median CV of 35.7% (versus 19.8% for assays on the Olink Explore 3072 subset). Olink CVs were strongly negatively correlated with the percentage of samples above the limit of detection. Across 4,443 overlapping assays, between-platform correlations exhibited a bimodal distribution with one peak near r ~ 0 and a smaller peak near r ~ 0.8.

Why it matters

Demonstrates that as multiplex proteomic platforms expand coverage, technical precision diverges significantly between platforms, and correlation between overlapping targets is low for many proteins.

Limits

Based on split plasma from a single cohort of 102 participants. The abstract assesses technical precision and correlation only, without evaluating analytical specificity, epitope validation, or biological validity. Published as a preprint.

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