US biotechnology company Seer has partnered with Korea University to launch a novel study to identify blood-based biomarkers for cancer diagnostics in young adults.
The study will use Seer’s Proteograph platform to analyse 20,000 plasma samples, advancing proteomics to enhance early cancer detection and patient outcomes.
It employs Seer’s Proteograph ONE Assay and SP200 Automation Instrument alongside the Thermo Scientific Orbitrap Astral mass spectrometer.
Thermo Fisher Scientific senior vice president and analytical instruments president Dan Shine said: “When it comes to plasma proteomics studies such as this, the Orbitrap Astral MS and Proteograph ONE workflow provide a powerful solution to drive groundbreaking research.
“We’re proud to be a part of initiatives like this to enable earlier detection and help progress precision medicine.”
By leveraging mass spectrometry and AI-driven analytics, the research aims to improve early cancer detection and patient care.
The study will include samples from 15,000 cancer patients and 5,000 healthy controls, sourced from leading Korean institutions.
The institutions include the National Cancer Center, Samsung Medical Center, and Seoul National University Hospital.
Korea University Center of Proteogenome Research (CPGR) professor Sang-Won Lee said: “We carefully evaluated multiple approaches to expand the dynamic range of the plasma proteome, including some attempting to replicate Seer’s Proteograph platform, and Seer’s assay stood out as the only solution capable of delivering the depth, scale, and, critically, reproducibility needed for this ambitious study.
“The unique combination of Seer’s latest platform and CPGR’s proprietary dual online liquid chromatography technology gives us the ability to conduct population-scale research that would otherwise be prohibitively complex and slow.
“This collaboration represents a major step toward developing AI-powered diagnostics that could fundamentally improve how we detect and treat cancer in younger adults.”
The three-year project is funded by the K-Health MIRAE initiative under the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Republic of Korea.
The research aims to develop sensitive, scalable, and personalised diagnostics that drive earlier interventions and improve survival outcomes for cancer patients worldwide.
Seer’s Proteograph system, which can process over 1,000 samples weekly per instrument, requires a single mass spectrometry injection per sample.
The system can complete 80-sample batches in under five hours and identify up to ten times more proteins than traditional methods.
Thermo Scientific’s Orbitrap Astral MS, a leading mass spectrometer, complements the Proteograph offerings, enabling comprehensive plasma proteome analysis.
Seer’s next-generation offerings represent a significant evolution of the Proteograph Product Suite, delivering the scale and efficiency needed for population-level proteomics.
Seer CEO and chair Omid Farokhzad said: “Korea University selected Seer’s new Proteograph ONE workflow as the foundation for this critical and forward-looking initiative so that they can unlock the full potential of proteomics in population-scale research.
“We’re excited to help define a new generation of diagnostics that can transform how diseases like cancer are detected and managed around the world.”
