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Alamar Biosciences Announces Collaboration with The Michael J. Fox Foundation to Advance Parkinson’s Research Through Development of Next Generation Biomarker Assays

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  • November 19, 2024

Fremont, CA – Alamar Biosciences, a company powering precision proteomics to enable the earliest detection of disease, is pleased to announce a strategic collaboration with The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) to accelerate biomarker discovery and improve our understanding of Parkinson’s disease (PD).  This collaboration aims to address the critical need for robust biological classification of PD and related neurodegenerative diseases. By leveraging Alamar’s advanced proteomics platform, the team will develop novel protein assays tailored to identifying key biomarkers associated with neuronal synuclein disease. 

In addition to partnering on efforts to expand the analytes in the NULISAseq™ CNS Disease Panel 120 to include additional PD-relevant targets, MJFF will also deploy the high-sensitivity NULISAseq™ CNS Disease Panel 120 and Inflammation Panel 250 to analyze roughly 5,000 samples from MJFF’s flagship longitudinal study, the Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI). Launched in 2010, PPMI has built the most robust dataset and biosample library ever assembled in Parkinson’s research.

“We are honored to join forces with The Michael J. Fox Foundation, a true leader in driving research toward a cure for Parkinson’s disease,” said Yuling Luo, Founder, Chairman & CEO of Alamar Biosciences. “The comprehensive analysis of the PPMI cohort using our NULISAseq™ technology provides a unique opportunity to uncover new insights into disease mechanisms and accelerate the development of targeted therapies.”

The NULISASeq™ CNS Disease Panel 120 and Inflammation Panel 250 represent Alamar Bio’s innovative approach to precision proteomics, enabling highly sensitive and multiplexed protein detection. By applying these panels to PPMI samples, the collaboration seeks to identify novel biomarkers that can improve early diagnosis, track disease progression, and aid in the development of next-generation treatments.

“Core to our mission, MJFF is committed to advancing research that addresses the critical, unmet needs of patients,” said Nicole K. Polinski, PhD, Director of Research Resources at MJFF. “MJFF’s collaboration with Alamar Biosciences aims to not only deepen our understanding of Parkinson’s pathology but to support the development of urgently needed diagnostic and therapeutic tools.”

The Michael J. Fox Foundation’s landmark PPMI study, now in its second decade, has collected extensive clinical, imaging, and biosample data from PD patients, at-risk individuals, and healthy controls. These efforts have already paved the way for breakthroughs in understanding the underlying biology of PD, and the collaboration with Alamar Biosciences is expected to further accelerate progress.

By working together, Alamar Biosciences and The Michael J. Fox Foundation hope to make significant strides in addressing the unmet needs of the Parkinson’s community, particularly in advancing biological classifications for neuronal synuclein disease.

About Alamar Biosciences, Inc.

Alamar Biosciences is a privately held life sciences company with a mission to power precision proteomics to enable the earliest detection of disease. The company’s proprietary NULISA Platform along with the ARGO™ HT System work seamlessly with the latest advances in genomics to achieve single digit attomolar detection sensitivity, greatly surpassing the most sensitive protein detection technology on the market today. For more information, please visit alamarbio.com.

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Steve Williams, MD, PhD

CSO

Dr. Willams serves as the company’s Chief Scientific Officer. He was previously Chief Medical Officer at Standard Biotools and at SomaLogic where he pioneered the discipline for discovery and validation of predictive, diagnostic and prognostic models using machine-learning applied to large-plex proteomics. 20 such tests were used for drug characterization, safety and efficacy when incorporated in clinical drug trials at Pharma/Biotech and 17 different multivariate tests were validated and translated into regulated healthcare uses. Prior to SomaLogic, Dr. Williams was at Pfizer in the UK and the USA as a clinical triallist in Translational Medicine, and subsequently as VP, Global Clinical Technology. He sat on the National Advisory Council for the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, the Executive Committee for the FNIH Biomarkers Consortium, and worked with FDA and PhRMA on developing evidentiary standards for biomarker qualification. Dr. William’s medical training was in London, at Charing Cross and Westminster Medical School, followed by a PhD in medicine/physiology at the same institution and training in Radiology at the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne. Steve is co-inventor on 26 proteomics patents and author/coauthor on multiple foundational proteomics manuscripts.

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Justin McAnear

CFO

Mr. McAnear serves as the company’s Chief Financial Officer. He brings over 25 years of operational and financial leadership experience across various sectors and was instrumental in taking 10x Genomics public in 2019, serving as its CFO for over five years. Mr. McAnear served for over 3 years as Tesla’s VP of Worldwide Finance and Operations, supporting landmark initiatives such as the Model X and Model 3 launches and Solar City acquisition.  He also held various roles at Apple and J&J earlier in his career and served as a naval officer and aviator for over 9 years.