Illumina SOMAmer proteomics

Illumina SOMAmer proteomics

Proteomics without compromise

Gain biologically meaningful insight with proteomics designed to deliver specificity and reproducibility at scale across studies and datasets

A unified future for SOMAmer proteomics

Illumina is bringing its proteomics portfolio together under a unified naming framework that reflects a shared technological foundation and long-term commitment to SOMAmer proteomics.

Illumina Protein Prep is now Illumina SomaSeq Discovery, and the SomaScan 11K Assay is now Illumina SomaScan Discovery.

Together, SomaSeq Discovery and SomaScan Discovery assays represent a proteomics portfolio built on SOMAmer Reagents, a shared, rigorously validated foundation enabling high‑specificity protein measurement across multiple workflows.

This unified approach reflects our commitment to advancing proteomics through scalable, reproducible technologies—supporting continuity across platforms, and enabling researchers to generate, integrate, and extend proteomic data with confidence.

SOMAmer proteomics:
Key features and benefits

Broad proteome coverage

Measure over 9500 proteins across ~10 orders of magnitude, capturing high‑ and low‑abundance signals to support biomarker discovery and pathway‑level insight.

Designed for specificity

SOMAmer Reagents are synthetic affinity reagents engineered for monoclonal‑like performance, validated through a 28‑step process for reproducible performance.

Study power

Low ~5% CV enables detection of subtle biological signals, reducing required sample size, cost, and study complexity while maintaining statistical confidence.

Reproducible data

Generate consistent measurements across studies, sites, and time—without bridging or re‑normalization—ensuring data remains comparable and reliable as studies scale.

Validated performance

Supported by 1700+ peer‑reviewed publications across diverse disease areas, with evidence spanning academic, clinical, and population‑scale research.

Population‑scale adoption

Trusted by 25+ consortia and biobanks across 270,000 samples, demonstrating reliable performance across diverse populations, large cohorts, and multi‑site research programs.

Product data highlights

Comprehensive coverage

The Illumina SomaSeq solution targets > 9K unique human proteins, providing extensive coverage of the human proteome with high proportionality with the protein content included in the Human Protein Atlas.¹

Broadest coverage of the human proteome

Illumina SomaSeq Discovery detects more proteins across every major biological process than any other NGS-based proteomics assay on the market.¹

Reliable and highly reproducible data

The scatter plot shows high correlation of signal to background noise between test sites when automating Illumina SomaSeq Discovery, contributing to exceptional batch-to-batch consistency.

Data continuity

Highly correlated and comparable measurements across SomaSeq Discovery and SomaScan Discovery assay platforms to enable dataset integration and expansion as proteomics workflows evolve.

Technical note: Integrating array- and NGS-based proteomics data

Testimonial

The SomaScan [assay] has a two-step approach to specificity that is sometimes forgotten by non-experts…between these two steps, the assay turns out to be quite highly specific.”

SOMAmer proteomics products

Illumina SomaSeq Discovery

An automated NGS-based proteomics solution

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Illumina SomaScan Discovery

An automated NGS-based proteomics solution

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Continue your research with expert guidance

Share your research goals and study challenges with our team to explore how Illumina Proteomics can support your research, from study design to data interpretation and integration.

References

Illumina. Illumina SomaSeq Discovery data sheet. https://www.illumina.com/content/dam/illumina/gcs/assembled-assets/marketing-literature/illumina-protein-prep-data-sheet-m-gl-02533/illumina-protein-prep-data-sheet-m-gl-02533.pdf. Published October 22, 2024. Accessed January 21, 2025.