Palo Alto, California – Novelna Inc., a proteomics-based liquid biopsy company, today announced the publication of a peer-reviewed study in PLOS ONE describing a broad affinity-based survey of the human urine proteome. The study, “The promise of deep urine proteomics for diagnosis of cancer, neurologic, and metabolic diseases,” examines whether a single non-invasive specimen can carry protein signals informative across multiple disease areas.

Using a high-multiplex affinity proteomics platform, the Novelna team measured approximately 2,850 proteins in 264 urine samples drawn from a biobank cohort spanning several cancer, neurologic, and metabolic conditions, alongside disease-free controls. The analysis identified disease-associated protein patterns in urine across all three categories, including proteins not previously emphasized in urine-based diagnostics.

Key Points from the Study:

1. Depth of Coverage: Approximately 2,850 proteins were measured in urine, a specimen whose low and highly variable protein concentration has historically limited the depth achievable by conventional methods.

2. Breadth Across Disease Areas: Disease-associated protein patterns were observed across cancer, neurologic, and metabolic conditions within a single assay, rather than within one disease area alone.

3. A Fully Non-Invasive Specimen: Urine requires no needles, no trained phlebotomist, and no cold-chain logistics at the point of collection, properties that matter for population screening, longitudinal monitoring, and settings where blood draws are impractical.

“Urine is one of the few clinical specimens a person can provide anywhere, at essentially no cost and without a needle,” said Dr. Ashkan Afshin, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Novelna Inc. and senior author of the study. “What this work shows is that the amount of protein-level information carried in that specimen is considerably greater than has generally been assumed. These are early findings that require replication in larger prospective cohorts, but they establish a credible starting point for non-invasive testing that can be deployed at population scale.”

The findings complement Novelna’s ongoing plasma proteomics programs and inform the company’s broader work on multi-disease, protein-based diagnostics.

Read the full study: The promise of deep urine proteomics for diagnosis of cancer, neurologic, and metabolic diseases

Budnik B, Amirkhani A, Weinberger S, Nedjat S, Forouzanfar MH, Afshin A. The promise of deep urine proteomics for diagnosis of cancer, neurologic, and metabolic diseases. PLOS ONE. 2026;21(7):e0354808. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.035480