Seer’s Proteograph Platform Enables Unprecedented 20,000-Sample Proteomics Study with Korea University to Develop AI-Driven Diagnostics for Cancers in Young Adults
- Revolutionary capability to process over 1,000 samples per week with single mass spectrometry injection
- Platform identifies up to 10x more proteins than conventional mass spectrometry methods
- Significant efficiency improvement with 80-sample batches completed in under 5 hours
- Large-scale study involving 20,000 samples demonstrates platform's scalability and market validation
- Strategic partnership with major Korean research institutions and government funding support
- Three-year timeline indicates long wait for potential commercial applications
- Significant investment and resources required for large-scale study implementation
- Results and effectiveness of AI-driven diagnostics yet to be proven
Insights
Seer's new Proteograph ONE technology enables unprecedented 20,000-sample study with Korea University, representing a major scientific and commercial milestone.
This collaboration marks a significant breakthrough for Seer's proteomics platform. The 20,000-sample study with Korea University represents the largest proteomics initiative of its kind, demonstrating real-world validation of Seer's technology at scale. The newly launched Proteograph ONE Assay and SP200 Automation Instrument are enabling analysis capabilities that were previously impossible – processing over 1,000 samples weekly with just a single mass spectrometry injection per sample.
What makes this particularly valuable is the commercial validation from an independent research institution. Korea University's statement that they "carefully evaluated multiple approaches" before selecting Seer's platform provides crucial third-party confirmation of Seer's technological advantages. The fact that Korea University found Seer's solution to be "the only solution capable of delivering the depth, scale, and, critically, reproducibility" validates Seer's competitive positioning.
The study's focus on early cancer detection in young adults addresses a growing clinical need. Cancer in younger populations has been rising globally, and this initiative could potentially transform diagnostic approaches through AI-powered proteomics. With 15,000 cancer patient samples and 5,000 control samples sourced from leading Korean cancer institutions, this represents an exceptionally rich dataset for biomarker discovery.
This announcement effectively demonstrates Seer's transition from a technology development company to one with real-world clinical applications. The three-year partnership, backed by the Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare, provides both revenue visibility and validation that could accelerate adoption of Seer's platform by other research institutions globally.
The introduction of Seer's Proteograph ONE workflow represents a quantum leap in proteomics technology. Traditional proteomics approaches have been bottlenecked by throughput limitations and complexity, but this system's ability to process 1,000+ samples weekly with <5 hours automated runtime per 80-sample batch fundamentally changes the economics and feasibility of large-scale studies.
The technical specifications are remarkable. By requiring only a single mass spectrometry injection per sample – versus multiple injections in conventional workflows – Seer has addressed one of the major time and cost barriers in proteomics research. When paired with Thermo Scientific's Orbitrap Astral MS, the platform can identify up to 10 times more proteins than conventional methods, significantly expanding the detectable proteome.
What's particularly innovative is Seer's nanoparticle technology that enables deep, unbiased sampling across the full dynamic range of plasma proteins. This addresses the fundamental challenge in plasma proteomics – the presence of a few highly abundant proteins that typically mask lower-abundance proteins where many valuable biomarkers reside.
The integration with AI-driven analytics represents the next frontier in diagnostic development. By generating consistent, reproducible proteomic data at this scale, Seer is creating the foundation necessary for effective machine learning approaches to biomarker discovery. This positions the company at the intersection of two rapidly advancing fields – proteomics and AI-based diagnostics.
This technology advancement could accelerate the field of population proteomics similar to how next-generation sequencing transformed genomics over the past decade, potentially unlocking a new era of protein-based precision medicine applications.
First-of-its-kind study will use Seer’s next-generation workflow to identify early-onset cancer biomarkers and power deep, unbiased mass spectrometry-based proteomics
Seer’s new Proteograph ONE Assay to accelerate analysis and reduce costs, making large-scale studies feasible
REDWOOD CITY, Calif., June 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Seer, Inc. (Nasdaq: SEER), the pioneer and trusted partner for deep, unbiased proteomic insights, and Korea University, a leading research institution committed to innovation and global impact, today announced the launch of a population-level study aimed at identifying novel blood-based biomarkers that could lead to cancer diagnostics for young adults in their 20s and 30s. Relying on Seer’s newly launched Proteograph® ONE Assay and SP200 Automation Instrument along with the Thermo Scientific™ Orbitrap™ Astral™ mass spectrometer, this is the first large-scale plasma proteomics initiative of its kind to leverage mass spectrometry and AI-driven analytics to enhance early cancer detection and improve patient outcomes.
Seer’s latest platform advances will allow deep, unbiased proteomic analysis of 20,000 plasma samples in less time and cost than has ever before been possible. These will include samples from 15,000 cancer patients and 5,000 healthy patients that will serve as controls, sourced from Korea’s leading cancer institutions: Seoul National University Hospital, the National Cancer Center, and Samsung Medical Center. The three-year study is funded by the K-Health MIRAE initiative under the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Republic of Korea, which supports ambitious, high-impact health research.
“We carefully evaluated multiple approaches to expand the dynamic range of the plasma proteome—including some attempting to replicate Seer’s Proteograph platform—and Seer’s assay stood out as the only solution capable of delivering the depth, scale, and, critically, reproducibility needed for this ambitious study,” said Professor Sang-Won Lee at the Center of Proteogenome Research (CPGR) of Korea University. “The unique combination of Seer’s latest platform and CPGR’s proprietary dual online liquid chromatography technology gives us the ability to conduct population-scale research that would otherwise be prohibitively complex and slow. This collaboration represents a major step toward developing AI-powered diagnostics that could fundamentally improve how we detect and treat cancer in younger adults.”
By leveraging the power of deep proteomic analysis, this study aims to catalyze a new wave of diagnostics that are more sensitive, scalable, and personalized—ultimately driving earlier interventions and improving survival outcomes in young adult cancer patients worldwide.
Transformational Technology for Population-Scale Proteomics
At the heart of the study is Seer’s Proteograph ONE workflow, introduced this week at the 2025 American Society for Mass Spectrometry (ASMS) Conference in Baltimore, MD. The next-generation system dramatically increases scale and efficiency in proteomic analysis by:
- Processing 1,000+ samples per week per instrument
- Requiring only a single mass spectrometry injection per sample
- Completing 80-sample batches with <5 hours automated runtime
- Identifying up to 10 times more proteins than conventional mass spectrometry methods
“Korea University selected Seer’s new Proteograph ONE workflow as the foundation for this critical and forward-looking initiative so that they can unlock the full potential of proteomics in population-scale research,” said Omid Farokhzad, Chair and CEO of Seer. “We’re excited to help define a new generation of diagnostics that can transform how diseases like cancer are detected and managed around the world.”
The study also employs Thermo Scientific’s Orbitrap Astral MS—the industry’s leading mass spectrometer for proteomic research. The Proteograph offerings combined with the Orbitrap Astral MS provide a deep, full-range plasma proteome analysis at faster speeds to enable critical breakthrough discoveries in large-population studies.
“When it comes to plasma proteomics studies such as this, the Orbitrap Astral MS and Proteograph ONE workflow provide a powerful solution to drive groundbreaking research,” said Dan Shine, senior vice president and president of analytical instruments, Thermo Fisher Scientific. “We’re proud to be a part of initiatives like this to enable earlier detection and help progress precision medicine.”
The next-generation offerings mark a significant evolution of the Proteograph Product Suite, delivering the scale, speed, and efficiency required to make population-level proteomics both practical and accessible. The collaboration with Korea University exemplifies the real-world impact of this technology—demonstrating how deep, unbiased proteomic insights powered by Seer’s platform can now inform large-scale studies, accelerate biomarker discovery, and drive the development of AI-enabled diagnostics that redefine precision medicine.
About Seer, Inc.
Seer, Inc. (Nasdaq: SEER) sets the standard in deep, unbiased proteomics—delivering insights with a scale, speed, precision, and reproducibility previously unattainable. Seer’s Proteograph Product Suite uniquely integrates proprietary engineered nanoparticles, streamlined automation instrumentation, optimized consumables, and advanced analytical software to solve challenges conventional methods have failed to overcome. Traditional proteomic technologies have struggled with inconsistent data, limited throughput, and prohibitive complexity, but Seer’s robust and scalable workflow consistently reveals biological insights that others cannot. Seer’s products are for research use only and are not intended for diagnostic procedures. For more information about Seer’s differentiated approach and ongoing leadership in proteomics, visit www.seer.bio.
Media Contact:
Consort Partners
pr@seer.bio
Investor Contact:
Carrie Mendivil
investor@seer.bio
FAQ
What is the purpose of Seer's 20,000-sample proteomics study with Korea University?
How many samples can SEER's Proteograph ONE platform process per week?
What institutions are providing samples for SEER's Korean cancer study?
How does SEER's new platform compare to conventional mass spectrometry methods?
What is the breakdown of the 20,000 samples in SEER's Korean study?
