Ultima Genomics Sequencing Platform Selected for UK Biobank Study
By Bio-IT World Staff
February 14, 2025 | Last month, Ultima Genomics announced that their UG 100 sequencing platform was selected by UK Biobank to be used in their human proteomics study, which is anticipated to be the largest and most comprehensive proteomics study to date. The study is intended to quantify more than 5,400 protein markers across 600,000 samples, which will help researchers understand how protein levels fluctuate over time and how these changes correlate with disease progression and aging, according to Ultima Genomics CEO Gilad Almogy, Ph.D.
The UG 100 platform is designed to generate genomic data at an unprecedented scale and provide cost-efficiency. Traditional sequencing methods use expensive inputs, such as highly engineered flow cells and expensive chemistry, but the UG 100 utilizes a standard silicon wafer made by the semiconductor industry supply chain and uses Ultima’s fast and low-cost chemistry. This results in high-sequencing data output at low costs and creates multiple ways to scale data output higher, says Almogy.
The hope is for the database to become an “invaluable resource” for scientists studying molecular mechanisms of disease, biomarker discovery, and potential drug targets, he continues. Researchers will be able to identify key signals that might indicate the early onset of disease, disease subtypes, or treatment responses.
The study and the potential of the database are also good news for patients. With researchers gaining a better understanding of diseases and their mechanisms, patients can expect earlier and more precise disease detection, improved targeted treatments due to better understanding of protein variations in different individuals, and personalized medicine breakthroughs.
The study will also utilize Thermo Fisher’s Olink Explore HT proteomics platform. Olink provides a highly precise way of measuring protein abundance across thousands of proteins in a scalable way and generates barcodes that are used to identify the proteins. The UG 100 will be used to read these proteogenomics signatures to identify, quantify, and analyze the large number of proteins and generate proteomic data with high fidelity. The data from Ultima’s platform will then be fed back to Olink and then provided to the researcher. The combined usage of both platforms will help researchers decode protein activity at a population scale and provide insights into proteins’ influence on health and disease over time.
Once the study is complete, the team will focus on data analysis, discovery, and clinical translation, and the findings will be used to inform future research, drug development, and diagnostic advancements. “The study is expected to serve as a model for future large-scale population health studies,” states Almogy. In addition, while UK Biobank’s study is the largest proteomics study to date using the UG 100, there are other ongoing smaller-scale projects that are also using the platform. Ultima Genomics intends to share more details about their expanding role in multi-omics in the near future.