SomaLogic Awarded Grant from NSF Convergence Accelerator Funding to Advance Development of Novel Proteomic Devices Based on Quantum Sensing

(GlobeNewsWire) SomaLogic, Inc. has announced that a collaborative project between SomaLogic scientists and academic researchers at the University of Chicago, University of California, Los Angeles, University of California, Santa Barbara, and University of Washington, Seattle has received a $1 million dollar Phase 1 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Convergence Accelerator program to apply recent advances in quantum sensing to improve methods for proteomic screening.
Entitled “High-Throughput Proteomics Technology Based on Quantum Sensing,” the project aims to bring together quantum technology with SomaLogic’s unique ability to profile human proteins at scale. Specifically, the team plans to develop a modified aptamer-binding assay on a diamond surface, using quantum sensing for simultaneous detection of thousands of proteins in a biological sample such as blood or urine, reliably and at very low cost. If successful, the new technology will be employed to more conveniently identify specific protein patterns that reflect an individual’s current health, future disease risk and the impact of behavioral or therapeutic interventions.
The NSF Convergence Accelerator supports multidisciplinary efforts to address challenges of national importance that will produce deliverables of value to society in the near future. “Creating a cost-effective and potentially reusable “protein chip” based on quantum sensors would increase sample throughput and greatly reduce the current costs of proteomic analysis,” said Jason Cleveland, principal fellow at SomaLogic and co-principal investigator of the new NSF grant. “This would open the door to a new generation of biomedical devices that enable protein-based health screening at point of care, including the home.”
SomaLogic seeks to deliver precise, meaningful, and actionable health-management information that empowers individuals worldwide to continuously optimize their personal health and wellness throughout their lives. This essential information, to be provided through a global network of partners and users, is derived from SomaLogic’s precise, proprietary, and personalized measurement of important changes in an individual’s proteins over time.