Applied Biosystems signed an exclusive license and collaboration agreement with Olink Bioscience to commercialize Olink’s proximity ligation assay (PLA). Under the agreement, Applied Biosystems will co-develop the PLA technology for specific applications in the life science research market that include biomarker validation and characterization of complex biological processes.
PLA is a highly sensitive assay that utilizes two oligonucleotide-labeled antibodies, DNA ligation, and nucleic acid amplification to detect proteins, their modifications, and their interactions in limited samples, the firms explain. Applied Biosystems believes the PLA product will provide researchers with a new method for protein analysis that combines antibodies for protein recognition with DNA amplification for analytical quantitation. The technique is expected to be applied to areas in which the correlation of gene expression and protein data can bring better understanding of biological processes.
Applied Biosystems will develop instruments for in vitro applications. These will combine the protein detection features of the PLA method with the quantitative precision of TaqMan® reagents on Applied Biosystems’ real-time PCR systems. Compared to traditional methods such as western blot analysis, researchers are expected to be able to use significantly less biological sample and achieve reproducible results with a more streamlined workflow and higher throughput.
The PLA method can also be embodied for in situ applications for direct detection in cells or tissues. For in situ applications, the PLA technology utilizes two oligo-labeled antibodies and rolling circle amplification (RCA) with visualization by microscopy to offer a quantitative alternative to immunohistochemistry, the companies state.
Olink retains rights to certain incarnations of the PLA technology including in situ applications in the life science research market and all rights in the area of in vitro diagnostics.