SomaLogic

Last updated
SomaLogic
Nasdaq: SLGC
IndustryHealth information
Founded2000
FounderLarry Gold
FateMerged with Standard BioTools
Headquarters,
Website www.somalogic.com

SomaLogic is a protein biomarker discovery and clinical diagnostics company [1] located in Boulder, Colorado. It became listed on Nasdaq in September 2021 with a merger with the special-purpose acquisition company CM Life Sciences II, Inc. [2] The company was acquired by Standard BioTools in January 2024 in an all-stock deal. [3]

Contents

History

SomaLogic was founded in 2000 by Larry Gold, who served as both Chairman of the Board of Directors and as the company’s first CEO. In 2013, Byron Hewett was appointed as CEO, [4] with Gold continuing to serve as Chairman. [5] Gold previously founded the pharmaceutical company NeXstar Pharmaceuticals, which merged with Gilead in 1999. [6] [7] Hewett stepped down in 2017 and board member Alister Reynolds was appointed the new CEO, [8] who was replaced by Roy Smythe in 2018. [9]

In July 2022, SomaLogic agreed to acquire Palamedrix Inc, DNA nanotechnology company. [10]

Systems

SomaLogic monitors health and disease through the analysis of protein concentration changes in biological samples. [11] They developed the SomaScan platform, which allows scientists and researchers to identify protein biomarkers for diseases and conditions, and apply them to drug and diagnostic research and development. [12] The hypothesis behind the analysis is that different diseases and conditions each have novel protein profiles, including in early stages of onset. As of 2013, the commercial version of the SomaScan platform could identify and quantify 1,129 protein analytes simultaneously. [6] As of 2017, the number had increased to about 4,200. [13] The platform is based on modified-aptamer binding technology (“SOMAmers”) that bind to their respective target proteins in order to determine their presence and quantity in a sample. [14] [15] [16]

Partnerships

In 2013, SomaLogic partnered with Agilent Technologies to distribute SomaScan systems to American research and educational institutions. It also signed a development deal with Quest Diagnostics to create a blood test for early-stage, non-small-cell lung cancer. [6] [17] It also has partnerships with Otsuka and New England Biolabs. [18] In 2016, a study was published that used the SomaLogic system to identify nine biomarker proteins that could predict the risk of a second heart attack in those who have suffered a previous cardiovascular event. [13] [19] A study in Circulation also used the 9-protein cardiovascular risk score for early detection of the harmful effects of Torcetrapib. [20] In 2016 they also developed a test to diagnose latent tuberculosis, and to predict the progression of the disease after onset. [21] In 2019, a study was published that used the SomaScan platform to build protein-based models for 11 different health indications: liver fat, kidney filtration, percentage body fat, visceral fat mass, lean body mass, cardiopulmonary fitness, physical activity, alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking, diabetes risk, and primary cardiovascular event risk. [22]

SomaLogic has a long-term partnership with the Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, with Novartis taking an ownership stake in SomaLogic in 2014 as a part of the extension of their initial agreement. [12] In 2016, SomaLogic formed a collaborative partnership with Oxford University, [23] and in 2017, it joined the iCarbonX Digital Life Alliance (including an investment by iCarbonX in SomaLogic). [24]

In 2018, SomaLogic teamed up with the Leeds Centre for Personalised Health and Medicine to test the SomaScan platform in clinical studies in the UK. [25] That same year, SomaLogic also began to package its insights as diagnostic information for sale to other companies, focusing on proteomic data. [26] In 2019, SomaLogic entered into a new 10-year agreement with Novartis to use the SomaScan proteomics technology in drug discovery and development efforts. [27] Also that year, SomaLogic began commercially offering health information tests on the SomaScan Platform to prescribing physicians in Colorado. [28] In 2020, NEC Solution Innovators, Ltd. of Japan, a subsidiary of NEC Corporation, launched a new company, FonesLife Corporation, that will collaborate with SomaLogic to bring proteomic-based health monitoring tests to people in Japan. [29]

Related Research Articles

deCODE genetics is a biopharmaceutical company based in Reykjavík, Iceland. The company was founded in 1996 by Kári Stefánsson with the aim of using population genetics studies to identify variations in the human genome associated with common diseases, and to apply these discoveries "to develop novel methods to identify, treat and prevent diseases."

Quest Diagnostics is an American clinical laboratory. A Fortune 500 company, Quest operates in the United States, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Brazil. Quest also maintains collaborative agreements with various hospitals and clinics across the globe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Personalized medicine</span> Medical model that tailors medical practices to the individual patient

Personalized medicine, also referred to as precision medicine, is a medical model that separates people into different groups—with medical decisions, practices, interventions and/or products being tailored to the individual patient based on their predicted response or risk of disease. The terms personalized medicine, precision medicine, stratified medicine and P4 medicine are used interchangeably to describe this concept though some authors and organisations use these expressions separately to indicate particular nuances.

Biomarker discovery is a medical term describing the process by which biomarkers are discovered. Many commonly used blood tests in medicine are biomarkers. There is interest in biomarker discovery on the part of the pharmaceutical industry; blood-test or other biomarkers could serve as intermediate markers of disease in clinical trials, and as possible drug targets.

In medicine, a biomarker is a measurable indicator of the severity or presence of some disease state. It may be defined as a "cellular, biochemical or molecular alteration in cells, tissues or fluids that can be measured and evaluated to indicate normal biological processes, pathogenic processes, or pharmacological responses to a therapeutic intervention." More generally a biomarker is anything that can be used as an indicator of a particular disease state or some other physiological state of an organism. According to the WHO, the indicator may be chemical, physical, or biological in nature - and the measurement may be functional, physiological, biochemical, cellular, or molecular.

John Mendlein is a biotech executive who has held leadership positions in biotech companies in Boston, San Diego and Toronto.

Ortho Clinical Diagnostics is an in vitro diagnostics company that makes products and diagnostic equipment for blood testing. Ortho serves two primary industries in the medical field: clinical laboratories, by producing platforms and assays that test for a variety of diseases, conditions, and substances; and immunohematology, by providing the means to ensure blood transfusion recipients receive appropriate and compatible blood.
Johnson and Johnson acquired Eastman Kodak's Clinical Diagnostics Division in 1994, which was then merged with Ortho Diagnostic Systems in 1997. Ortho's global corporate offices are in Raritan, New Jersey, while their global research and development center is in Rochester, New York.

Codexis, Inc. is a protein engineering company that develops enzymes for pharmaceutical, food and medical applications.

Rosetta Genomics Ltd. was a molecular diagnostics company with offices in Israel and the United States that uses micro-ribonucleic acid (microRNA) biomarkers to develop diagnostic tests designed to differentiate between various types of cancer. The company expects the first three tests based on its technology to be submitted for regulatory approval in 2008. The diagnostic tests will differentiate between squamous and non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC); differentiate between adenocarcinoma and peritoneal mesothelioma; and seek to identify the origin of tumors in patients representing cancer of unknown primary (CUP). Using a single microRNA, the highly sensitive, highly specific test for squamous and non-squamous lung cancer has passed the prevalidation phase and has been submitted for approval to the New York State Department of Health Clinical Laboratory Evaluation Program in April 2008.

Nuvelo Inc. was a biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery, development and commercialization of drugs for acute cardiovascular disease, cancer and other debilitating medical conditions. On January 27, 2009, the company was acquired by ARCA Biopharma, Inc. in a reverse takeover transaction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Selected reaction monitoring</span> Tandem mass spectrometry method

Selected reaction monitoring (SRM), also called multiple reaction monitoring (MRM), is a method used in tandem mass spectrometry in which an ion of a particular mass is selected in the first stage of a tandem mass spectrometer and an ion product of a fragmentation reaction of the precursor ions is selected in the second mass spectrometer stage for detection.

NanoString Technologies, Inc. is a publicly-held biotech company offering discovery and translational research solutions.

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is an American biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of RNA interference (RNAi) therapeutics for genetically defined diseases. The company was founded in 2002 and is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In 2016, Forbes included the company on its "100 Most Innovative Growth Companies" list.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ceritinib</span> ALK inhibitor for treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer

Ceritinib is a prescription-only drug used for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). It was developed by Novartis and received FDA approval for use in April 2014..Ceritinib is also sold under the brand name Spexib in few countries by Novartis.

Ayoxxa Biosystems is a biotechnology company founded in 2010 in Singapore, and headquartered in Germany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Exact Sciences (company)</span> American company in Madison, United States

Exact Sciences Corp. is a molecular diagnostics company based in Madison, Wisconsin specializing in the detection of early stage cancers. The company's initial focus was on the early detection and prevention of colorectal cancer; in 2014 it launched Cologuard, the first stool DNA test for colorectal cancer. Since then Exact Sciences has grown its product portfolio to encompass other screening and precision oncological tests for other types of cancer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">3Scan</span> American biotechnology company

3Scan, Inc. was an American biotechnology company based in San Francisco, California which was acquired in 2019, when 3Scan became a part of Strateos. It offered automated microscopy services using a coordinated combination of both hardware and software for the 3D analysis of cells, tissues, and organs. The company was founded in 2011 by Todd Huffman, Megan Klimen, Matthew Goodman, and Cody Daniel. The 3Scan technology is based on the Knife Edge Scanning Microscope developed in the late 1990s by Bruce McCormick, founder of the Brain Networks Lab at Texas A&M University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helmy Eltoukhy</span> American scientist and entrepreneur

Helmy Eltoukhy is an American scientist and a businessperson who co-founded startups Avantome and Guardant Health. He is best known for his contributions to genomics, semiconductor DNA sequencing, and personalized medicine. His startups were acquired by Illumina in 2008. Avantome was founded to develop and commercialize semiconductor-based DNA sequencing, during the race for the $1,000 genome. Guardant Health was founded to pioneer non-invasive liquid biopsy approaches for cancer diagnosis, monitoring, personalized medicine treatment, and research.

Owkin is an AI biotech company that uses artificial intelligence to identify new treatments, optimize clinical trials and develop AI diagnostics. The company uses federated learning, a type of privacy preserving technology, to access multimodal patient data from academic institutions and hospitals to train its AI models for drug discovery, development, and diagnostics. Owkin has collaborated with pharmaceutical companies around the world to improve their therapeutic programs.

References

  1. "Term Sheet — Tuesday, March 1". Fortune.com. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
  2. "SomaLogic Closes Business Combination and Will Begin Trading Under the Ticker "SLGC" on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange" (Press release). GlobeNewswire. September 1, 2021.
  3. "Standard BioTools and SomaLogic to Combine in All-Stock Merger Creating a Diversified Leader in Life Sciences Tools" (Press release). GlobeNewswire. October 4, 2023.
  4. "INterview with Bryron Hewett, CEO of SomaLogic". Innovationsews.com. 26 January 2016. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
  5. "SomaLogic Names New CEO; Founder Larry Gold to Stay on as Chairman - Xconomy". Xconomy.com. 3 December 2013. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
  6. 1 2 3 "SomaLogic Partners with Agilent to Distribute Proteomic Technology - Xconomy". Xconomy.com. 13 August 2013. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
  7. "Gilead Sciences and NeXstar Pharmaceuticals to Merge - Gilead". Gilead.com. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
  8. "People in the News: Alister Reynolds, Erik Phelps, and James Heath" . Retrieved 26 November 2017.
  9. "Slone Partners Finds New CEO for SomaLogic". 3 December 2018.
  10. "SomaLogic to Acquire DNA Nanotech Firm Palamedrix for up to $52.5M". Genomeweb. 2022-07-26. Retrieved 2022-07-26.
  11. "PatientsLikeMe Nabs $100M, Works to Advance Personalized Medicine - Xconomy". Xconomy.com. 6 January 2017. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
  12. 1 2 "Somalogic Lands Funding After Novartis Extends". Bizjournals.com. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
  13. 1 2 Cyranoski, David (12 January 2017). "Chinese AI company plans to mine health data faster than rivals". Nature. 541 (7636): 141–142. Bibcode:2017Natur.541..141C. doi: 10.1038/541141a . PMID   28079091.
  14. Chi, Kelly Rae (March 31, 2014). "High-Density Info". The Scientist Magazine.
  15. Rastogi, S. C.; Rastogi, Parag; Mendiratta, Namita (2008). Bioinformatics Methods And Applications: Genomics Proteomics And Drug Discovery (3rd ed.). PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd. p. 362. ISBN   978-81-203-3595-0.
  16. Keeney, Tracy R.; Bock, Christopher; Gold, Larry; Kraemer, Stephan; Lollo, Bridget; Nikrad, Malti; Stanton, Martin; Stewart, Alex; Vaught, Jonathan D.; Walker, Jeffrey J. (December 2009). "Automation of the SomaLogic Proteomics Assay: A Platform for Biomarker Discovery". Journal of the Association for Laboratory Automation. 14 (6): 360–366. doi:10.1016/j.jala.2009.05.003.
  17. Powell, Kendall (8 October 2014). "New platform for cataloging hundreds of proteins gets test drive". Nature Medicine. 20 (10): 1082–1083. doi:10.1038/nm1014-1082. PMID   25295926.
  18. "People to Watch : Larry Gold". Bizjournals.com. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
  19. Ganz, Peter; Heidecker, Bettina; Hveem, Kristian; Jonasson, Christian; Kato, Shintaro; Segal, Mark R.; Sterling, David G.; Williams, Stephen A. (21 June 2016). "Development and Validation of a Protein-Based Risk Score for Cardiovascular Outcomes Among Patients With Stable Coronary Heart Disease". JAMA. 315 (23): 2532–41. doi: 10.1001/jama.2016.5951 . PMID   27327800.
  20. Williams, Stephen A.; Murthy, Ashwin C.; DeLisle, Robert K.; Hyde, Craig; Malarstig, Anders; Ostroff, Rachel; Weiss, Sophie J.; Segal, Mark R.; Ganz, Peter (6 March 2018). "Improving Assessment of Drug Safety Through Proteomics". Circulation. 137 (10): 999–1010. doi:10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.117.028213. PMC   5839936 . PMID   28974520.
  21. "SomaLogic Developing Tests to Diagnose Latent Tuberculosis, Predict Progression". Genomeweb.com. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
  22. Williams, Stephen A.; Kivimaki, Mika; Langenberg, Claudia; Hingorani, Aroon D.; Casas, J. P.; Bouchard, Claude; Jonasson, Christian; Sarzynski, Mark A.; Shipley, Martin J.; Alexander, Leigh; Ash, Jessica; Bauer, Tim; Chadwick, Jessica; Datta, Gargi; DeLisle, Robert Kirk; Hagar, Yolanda; Hinterberg, Michael; Ostroff, Rachel; Weiss, Sophie; Ganz, Peter; Wareham, Nicholas J. (December 2019). "Plasma protein patterns as comprehensive indicators of health". Nature Medicine. 25 (12): 1851–1857. doi:10.1038/s41591-019-0665-2. PMC   6922049 . PMID   31792462.
  23. "University and SomaLogic announce agreement for discovery". University of Oxford. 8 February 2016.
  24. "China's iCarbonX Invests in SomaLogic, Grows Medical Data Alliance". Genomeweb.com. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
  25. "Boulder's SomaLogic to partner with UK medical center". Daily Camera Boulder. February 8, 2018.
  26. Adam Bonislawski (January 18, 2018). "Somalogic Exploring New Models for Selling Clinical Products Based on SomaScan System". GenomeWeb.
  27. “SomaLogic Expands Agreement with Novartis” genomeweb.com. 21 October 2019. https://www.genomeweb.com/proteomics-protein-research/somalogic-expands-agreement-novartis#.XzLRyRNKi-o
  28. "SomaLogic launches its firsts SomaSignal tests in Colorado". 5 September 2019.
  29. “NEC Company Collaborating with Somalogic on Proteomics-Based Health Monitoring” 360dx.com. 10 July 2020. https://www.360dx.com/business-news/nec-company-collaborating-somalogic-proteomics-based-health-monitoring#.XzLWhhNKi-o

www.somalogic.com