Description
SomaLogic is a protein biomarker discovery and clinical diagnostics company 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.
History
The company 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, with Gold continuing to serve as Chairman. Gold previously founded the pharmaceutical company NeXstar Pharmaceuticals, which merged with Gilead in 1999. Hewett stepped down in 2017 and board member Alister Reynolds was appointed the new CEO, who was replaced by Roy Smythe in 2018.
Systems
The company monitors health and disease through the analysis of protein concentration changes in biological samples. 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. 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. As of 2017, the number had increased to about 4,200. 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.
