Map Neurological Disease Beyond Known Biomarkers

Beyond Established Markers: Mapping Complex Neurobiology at Scale Neurological disorders affect over 3.4 billion people worldwide, representing the leading cause of global disease burden.1 These diseases are driven by complex, interconnected pathways; yet established protein biomarkers capture just a fraction of the underlying pathology, leaving critical drivers of disease across interconnected pathways undetected. This infographic explores a comprehensive, robust proteomics platform that moves beyond established markers toward a scalable, high-specificity, multi-pathway approach that helps uncover what truly drives disease and accelerate translational progress. Targeted biomarker panels How does PEA technology work? System-level proteomics Why current approaches fall short and the rise of system-level proteomics The right proteomics platform for a systems-level approach Uncover the biology behind neurological disease with extensive biomarker coverage The Olink Explore HT and Olink Reveal panels enable broad, high-performance proteomic profiling through a comprehensive library of assays designed for disentangling complex disease biology. To move forward, neurology research must overcome the limitations of current biomarker frameworks and adopt strategies capable of capturing the full complexity of disease biology. Based on the Proximity Extension Assay (PEA), Olink offers a system-level proteomic platform that supports seamless progression from discovery to translational research. When established dementia biomarkers are mapped onto the human proteome, they capture only a small fraction of the underlying disease biology. Recent large-scale proteomics studies are expanding this landscape, revealing hundreds of additional protein associations across diverse biological pathways. Powering neurology research with Olink solutions Large-scale, comprehensive proteomics on the Olink PEA platform is revealing biology beyond established markers—capturing signals across pathways and disease stages that more targeted approaches may overlook. Turning proteomic insights into neurological impact Olink Explore HT and Reveal platforms offer a systems-biology, broad, pathway-level view leading to biomarker discovery, while the Olink Target 48 panels enable researchers to refine analysis and focus on key and emerging markers. Powerful both individually or combined, these approaches offer comprehensive and scalable libraries without compromising data quality and specificity. Anchor your discoveries in what is known Curated in collaboration with neuroscience experts, Olink Target 48 Neurodegeneration brings together established and emerging biomarkers spanning the biological processes most relevant to neurological disease. • Two DNA-tagged antibodies conjugates bind to the same target protein. • The DNA tags hybridize and extend, creating a unique DNA barcode for each protein. • This barcode is read by qPCR or next-generation sequencing. PEA enables simultaneous measurement of 10s to 1000s of protein biomarkers while maintaining exceptional specificity, sensitivity, and analytical performance from minimal sample input. When exploring a disease biomarker fingerprint, the results obtained using each of these approaches can be substantially different. Expanding the molecular fingerprint of dementia Predefined biological scope Built around established biomarkers and predefined hypotheses Fragmented view of disease complexity May miss interacting pathways, emerging biology, and molecular drivers Limited biological context Limited ability to compare discoveries against broader biological networks and population-scale datasets An expanded, multi-pathway disease fingerprint generated through large-scale proteomics, revealing novel biomarker candidates and underlying disease mechanisms. Novel biological insight Broad coverage enables exploration beyond established biomarkers System-level understanding Reveals interconnected pathways driving heterogeneity and progression Deeper biological interpretation Enables findings to be interpreted within broader biological networks, molecular pathways and large datasets A focused view of dementia biology centered around established biomarkers such as amyloid, tau, NfL, and GFAP C T C T T T G G A C T A T A G A A A Broad discovery Hypothesis driven discovery Analytical validation and translational research Extensive library of biomarkers covering all major biological pathways. Targeted panels including key and emerging biomarkers for neurodegenerative diseases and critical immune mediators. Custom-designed panels to transition from biomarker discovery to translational research. Olink Explore HT Olink Reveal Olink Target 48 Neurodegeneration Olink Target 48 Cytokine Olink Flex Olink Focus Olink Explore HT Olink Reveal 5,400+ biomarkers, designed to mirror the human proteome 1,000+ biomarkers covering all major pathways 42 established and emerging markers spanning multiple disease mechanisms Generate insights from as little as 1 µL of plasma or CSF Absolute quantification enables comparison across scientific studies and cohorts Olink Target 48 Neurodegeneration Curated biological coverage Preserve precious sample Quantify with confidence Data-driven design, filtered for performance, curated by scientific advisors Proteomic profiling uncovered stage-specific microglial biology across AD progression, revealing a shift from early innate immune activation to broader immune involvement. An 18-protein signature distinguished preclinical AD from dementia, providing a framework for potential future inflammatory staging and a deeper understanding of AD progression. Research utilizing proteomic profiling identified ALS specific plasma signatures, including many previously unreported proteins, with strong replication across independent cohorts. Integrated protein models accurately classified ALS and predicted future disease onset, expanding the molecular landscape of ALS and supporting potential future blood-based detection of prodromal disease. Identify disease mechanisms across interconnected pathways to uncover meaningful biological insights. Leverage a comprehensive, scalable portfolio and integrated data ecosystem that advances research from discovery to translational research. Generate reliable data across cohorts, sample types, and longitudinal studies. Accelerate progress through standardized workflows, global datasets, and partnerships spanning academia, healthcare, and biopharma. Plasma proteomics revealed molecular changes years before MS onset, uncovering a trajectory from early myelin injury to axonal damage and later astrocyte activation. This research data derived multi-protein models which identified subjects before clinical manifestation, providing mechanistic insight into disease development before clinical onset. Research data generated using broad proteomic profiling supported the identification of PD-associated proteins and a multiprotein signature with potential future use in distinguishing PD from both healthy individuals and other neurological disorders. The publication reported independent replication across cohorts and associations with inflammatory and metabolic pathways, providing disease-specific biological insights. References 1. GBD 2021 Nervous System Disorders Collaborators. Global, regional, and national burden of disorders affecting the nervous system, 1990-2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021. Lancet Neurol. 2024;23(4):344-381. doi:10.1016/S1474-4422(24)00038-3 2. Blujdea ER, van Bokhoven P, Martino-Adami PV, et al. Microglia protein profiles in CSF across Alzheimer’s disease clinical stages. Nat Aging. 2026;6(3):520-533. doi:10.1038/ s43587-026-01088-0 3. Abdelhak A, Cerono G, Sheikhzadeh F, et al. Myelin injury precedes axonal injury and symptomatic onset in multiple sclerosis. Nat Med. 2026;32(1):362-368. doi:10.1038/ s41591-025-04014-w 4. Chia R, Moaddel R, Kwan JY, et al. A plasma proteomics-based candidate biomarker panel predictive of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Nat Med. 2025;31(10):3440-3450. doi:10.1038/s41591-025-03890-6 5. Adewale B, Chia R, Moaddel R, et al. Machine learning model based on plasma proteomics for the identification of Parkinson’s disease. Brain. 2026. doi:10.1093/brain/ awag140 Move beyond fragmented insights. Reveal complex neurobiology with confidence Key proteins relevant for neurology research include: Established Biomarker Fingerprint Emerging Proteomic Fingerprint Profound insights Key proteins relevant for neurology research include: Exploring microglial biology across Alzheimer’s disease (AD) stages2 Uncovering early molecular signatures of ALS4 Mapping the pre-symptomatic trajectory of multiple sclerosis (MS)3 Capturing the molecular complexity of Parkinson’s disease (PD)5 Reveal complex neurobiology with superior specificity Drive discoveries to translational insights Leverage global expertise and support Make confident decisions with trusted proteomics OMG/OMGP, RTN4R Myelin integrity and axo-glia interaction sRAGE, ITGAM Neuroinflammation immune activation P53, KLK8 Protein aggregation and Tau/Amyloid pathology DDAH1, SDC4 Vascular and neurovascular pathology >30 markers including BDNF, Neurogranin, PSD-95 Synaptic and neuronal health markers >90 markers, including PLAUR, YKL-40, TREM2 Cytokines and neuroinflammatory markers GLRX, FOXO3 Oxidative stress and mitochondrial health BMP7, WWOX Neuroprotection and regeneration including Tau, TDP-43, alpha-synuclein Key neuropathology markers >30 markers including ICAM1, VCAM1, ADAMTS13 Endothelial and vascular health markers NPTXR, SYT1, CLSTN3, NLGN1 Synaptic function and dysfunction pTau217, AB 40, AB42, GFAP, NFL Key markers pg NPTX, SYT1, VILIP-1, SNAP25, GAP43 Synaptic and neuronal health markers IL8, FOXO3, G-CSF, FGF21, CXCLs, CCLs Cytokines and neuroinflammatory markers MOG, Parkin, BACE1 Key neuropathology markers TIMPs, MMPs, BCAN Endothelial and vascular health markers “The Target 48 Neurodegeneration is a critical tool that enables the detection and quantification of key and emerging neurodegenerative disease biomarkers from plasma and cerebrospinal fluid samples. By generating quantitative data, it ensures reproducible results across and within longitudinal studies, moving a step forward towards clinical utilization.” —Charlotte Teunissen, Professor in neurochemistry, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Amsterdam University Medical Center For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures. © 2026 Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. All rights reserved. All trademarks are the property of Thermo Fisher Scientific and its subsidiaries unless otherwise specified. Specifications, terms and pricing are subject to change. Not all products are available in all countries. Please consult your local sales representative for details.