Proteomics for Genomic Analysis
Integrate proteomics and genomics for deeper biological insight with high-throughput protein profiling powered by SOMAmer™ proteomics.
Why pair proteomic and genomic data?
Together, proteomics and genomics help researchers uncover causal biology, connect genotype to phenotype, and gain a more complete understanding of disease.
A broader view of biology
Understand disease more completely by combining genomic variation with direct measurements of protein abundance with direct protein measurements.
Deeper insight into disease mechanisms
Prioritize drug targets with greater confidence by linking genes, proteins, pathways, and phenotypes in a single discovery framework.
Stronger support for target discovery and prioritization
Advance high-throughput discovery at scale with proteomic profiling that complements sequencing-based research.
Proteins reveal biology in action
Proteomic data adds a dynamic, accessible layer of insight to genomic analysis, helping observe changes that may not be visible from DNA and RNA alone.
Proteins are dynamic
Proteins change with disease, treatment, environment, and time, offering a real-time view of biology in action.
Proteins are accessible
Many proteins circulate in blood and other biofluids, enabling minimally invasive sample collection for large discovery studies.
Proteins are measurable at scale
SOMAmer proteomics measures over 9,500 proteins across ~10 orders of magnitude, capturing high- and low-abundance signals for discovery research.
Not all protein measurements are the same
Most proteomic approaches force tradeoffs in sensitivity, reproducibility, and scalability
High-plex proteomics can be difficult to scale because researchers often have to compromise between sensitivity, reproducibility, and study throughput. These tradeoffs matter in genomic studies, where protein data must remain comparable across cohorts, sites, timepoints, and large sample sets.
Key challenges in high-plex proteomics
Sensitivity
- Limited sample volume
- Proteome coverage, including low-abundance proteins
Reproducibility
- Data must be comparable across sites, cohorts, and time
- Need for data lakes and unified datasets
Scalability
- Large studies require thousands to tens of thousands of samples
- Precision retained as plex increases
SOMAmer proteomics is designed to eliminate those tradeoffs, delivering broad protein coverage, sensitive measurement, and reproducible data at scale.
Why SOMAmer proteomics?
Built for high-throughput proteomic discovery
SOMAmer proteomics gives geneticists a scalable way to add precise, reproducible protein measurements to large genomic discovery studies.
SOMAmer proteomics eliminates tradeoffs
Sensitivity
~10,000 human proteins, >10 orders of magnitude (fM–µM)
Reproducibility
Measure proteins consistently across cohorts, sites, and time with ~5% median CVs
Scalability
Consistent performance across study size and multiplexing depth
With broad proteome coverage, low variability, and proven performance across population-scale research, SOMAmer proteomics is designed to generate data that can be trusted across cohorts, sites, and time.
SOMAmer proteomics solutions for proteogenomic studies
SOMAmer proteomics enables high-throughput protein profiling in proteogenomic studies through flexible NGS-based or array-based readouts. Powered by SOMAmer Reagents—affinity reagents engineered for exceptional specificity—both assay formats deliver scalable, reproducible proteomic data that complement genomic insights.
Choose the approach that best fits your existing infrastructure and study design.
Illumina SomaScan™ Discovery
A high-throughput, array-based proteomics solution
Turn genetic associations into biological insight
SOMAmer proteomics adds a complementary protein layer that can help explain how genetic variation translates into biological function, strengthening genomic studies across:
- pQTL discovery
- Genotype-to-phenotype research
- Pathway analysis
- Biomarker discovery
- Target prioritization
- Population-scale cohort studies
Research and resources
Population-scale proteogenomics
Large-scale plasma proteomics combined with genetic and phenotypic data can help connect sequence variation to disease biology and traits.
pQTL discovery across diverse cohorts
Proteomic analysis across European and African ancestry cohorts identified protein quantitative trait loci (pQTLs) and supported models for proteome-wide association studies.
pQTLs and the missing link between genes and disease
This white paper explains how pQTLs can help researchers connect genetic variants to protein biology, disease mechanisms, and potential therapeutic targets.
Biobank-scale SOMAmer proteomics
Illumina announced a pilot program to analyze 50,000 UK Biobank samples with the SomaSeq Discovery assay, supporting population-scale proteomics that can be paired with genomic and phenotypic data.