SOMAscan-enabled Dissection of Tumor Biology

Speaker:

Larry Gold, Ph.D.
Chairman and Founder of SomaLogic, Boulder, Colorado
Member of the National Academy of Sciences

Abstract:

SOMAmers can be thought of as nucleic-acid based monoclonal antibodies with wonderful biochemical qualities that are improved over antibodies. We have used these very special reagents to enhance a critical “omic” for healthcare – proteomics. Our work has led to some understanding of the role that quantitative proteomics might play in the management of patients with cancer.

After running more than 40,000 human samples on the SOMAscan platform, and quantifying with great precision, sensitivity and speed more than 1,000 human proteins for each sample, we have seen the value of global, longitudinal and unbiased proteomics for disease detection and monitoring. The platform is already robust and relatively inexpensive, and at scale promises to invigorate annual wellness decisions. Of more than 40 clinical trials done so far, one small trial has focused on tumor proteomics along with proteomics done on normal tissue adjacent to the tumor. That study included tumor pathology and genomics. A comparison of such tissue pairs has led to substantial insights into tumor biology.

Biography:

Dr. Larry Gold is the founder and chairman of the board, and past CEO of SomaLogic. Prior to SomaLogic, he also founded NeXagen, Inc., which later became NeXstar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. In 1999, NeXstar merged with Gilead Sciences, Inc. to form a global organization committed to the discovery, development and commercialization of novel products that treat infectious diseases.

During nearly 10 years at NeXstar, Dr. Gold held numerous executive positions including chairman of the board, executive vice president of R&D, and chief science officer. Before forming NeXagen, he also co-founded and served as co-director of research at Synergen, Inc., a pioneering biotechnology company later acquired by Amgen, Inc. Since 1970, Dr. Gold has been a professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder. While at the university, he served as the chairman of the Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology Department from 1988 to 1992.

Dr. Gold has received many citations including the CU Distinguished Lectureship Award, the National Institutes of Health Merit Award, the Career Development Award, and the Chiron Prize for Biotechnology. In addition, Dr. Gold has been a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences since 1993 and the National Academy of Sciences since 1995.

Dr. Gold also serves on the board of directors of CompleGen and Plato BioPharma, and is a member of the Institute for Genome Biology External Advisory Board at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.