Highly multiplexed, quantitative protein biomarker profiling (hmqPro)

Project Information

hmqPro

Grant agreement ID: 101069454

DOI

10.3030/101069454

Project closed

EC signature date 16 May 2022

Start date 1 July 2022

End date 31 December 2023

Funded under

• European Research Council (ERC)

Total cost

No data

EU contribution

€ 150 000,00

Coordinated by

KAROLINSKA INSTITUTET
Sweden

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - hmqPro (Highly multiplexed, quantitative protein biomarker profiling (hmqPro))

Reporting period: 2022-07-01 to 2023-12-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The project will develop a multipurpose, highly multiplexed, quantitative protein profiling (hmqPro) platform that can be adapted to a wide range of applications, particularly biomarker discovery. Biomarkers are a 43 Billion USD market spanning applications in diagnostics, drug discovery & development, personalized medicine, disease risk assessment. The project aimed to develop a new quantitative protein profiling platform without the need for specialized laboratory equipment that will have the capacity to impact the biomarker discovery market by combining unique flexibility with high-throughput.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

In an academic-commercial partnership between Karolinska Institutet and Epigenica AB, technological foundations were laid for a method comprising antibody-based quantitation of multiple proteins in a large number of samples. Various chemistries and molecular biology steps in the procedure required extensive optimization and trouble-shooting. Alternative quantitation strategies on solid support and in solution were piloted. The outcome of the project is a optimized reagents design and workflow that we will further develop into the intended highly multiplexed protein profiling method in the future.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

In parallel with validating the fundamentals of the intended assay platform, we have performed market analysis focussing specifically on diagnostic applications of protein profiling methods in liquid biopsies.
Following up on the results and insights gained in this project, we will continue the product development trajectory, first completing development of the assay platform, then performing a variety of validations on different biological source material and protein targets. Ultimately, the novel hmqPRO assay platform will join Epigenica AB's product development program in form of kit and service offerings.