SomaScan Bioinformatics: Normalization, Quality Control, and Assessment of Pre-Analytical Variation

Abstract

SomaScan is an aptamer-based proteomics assay designed for the simultaneous measurement of thousands of human proteins with a broad range of endogenous concentrations. In its most current version released on November 1, 2023, the 11K SomaScan assay v5.0 is capable of measuring 10,776 human proteins covering major biological processes and disease areas, including cardiology, inflammation, neurology, and oncology. Here, I review bioinformatic approaches to perform normalization, quality control, and variability assessments.