Inflammatory profile changes in response to acute endurance exercise from NULISAseq-based detection of analytes in dried blood spot specimens from half marathon participants

Product:

Inflammation Panel 250

Topic:

Inflammation

Disease Area:

Exercise

Sample Type:

Dried Blood Spot (DBS)

Topic/Product:

Inflammation Panel 250

Disease Area:

Exercise

Sample Type:

Dried Blood Spot (DBS)

Abstract

Microsampling techniques, particularly dried blood spots (DBS), offer a minimally invasive alternative to venipuncture for biomarker profiling in endurance exercise. This study leverages NULISAseq, an ultra-sensitive proteomics platform, to analyze inflammatory responses in athletes participating in a half-marathon. A cohort of six individuals—three endurance athletes and three sedentary controls—underwent longitudinal blood collection at five timepoints: pre-run (R-7, R-1), mid-run (R), and post-run (R+1, R+7). DBS samples were processed using the NULISAseq 250-plex Inflammation Panel to quantify inflammatory biomarkers.

Principal component analysis revealed a significant inflammatory shift in athletes during the run, with a 3.9-fold greater proteomic change than controls. Trend analysis identified key inflammatory markers, including IL-6, TNFRSF8, and VEGFD, with individualized response patterns suggesting distinct recovery profiles. Furthermore, Inflammation Age increased transiently in athletes post-run, indicating acute immune activation. These findings demonstrate the feasibility of field-based proteomics using DBS and highlight potential biomarkers for exercise-induced stress and recovery, which underscores the potential of high-throughput proteomics in optimizing training and recovery strategies for athletes.

Authors & Affiliations

Robert Chen1*, Karl Garcia2, Tsz H. Tam2, Joanne Beer2, Niyati Jhaveri2, Mohith Arikatla1, Brian Joseph3, Ashley Kleinman1, Erik LeRoy1, Max Mahoney2, Begum Mathyk4, Sara Omar1, Natalie Peralta1, Jacqueline Proszynski1, Anurag Sakharkar1, Annalise Schweickart1, Jordan Weiss5, Jan Krumsiek1,6, Christopher E Mason1*

Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
Alamar Biosciences, Inc, Fremont, CA, USA
Department of Pathology and Cellular Biology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine, Tampa, FL, USA
Optimal Aging Institute and Division of Precision Medicine, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA

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.

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.