A small proteomics lab in the East Bay.

Ascend Biosciences runs Olink, NULISA and mass spectrometry proteomics for university labs and drug developers. We're based in Hayward, California, we're an Olink Certified Service Provider, and we still collect most Bay Area samples ourselves.

Why we started the company

Olink and NULISA changed what a few microliters of plasma can tell you. A thousand proteins from a single well is now routine. What hasn't changed much is how hard it can be to get a run scheduled, especially for a study with 30 samples rather than 300.

That's the gap we set out to fill. We run the same platforms and the same chemistry as the large service labs, at a scale where a small study still gets attention: partial plates, a person who picks up the phone, and a turnaround date written into the quote.

The team's backgrounds are in molecular biology, computational biology and clinical research, so we're comfortable on both sides of a project: the bench work and the analysis that follows.

Credentials
Olink Certified Service Provider
Certified by Olink for the Olink Reveal platform in December 2025.
Alamar NULISAqPCR custom assay development
Training completed at Alamar Biosciences in September 2025.
Every run gets a QC review before it leaves
We look at the plate controls, the bridging samples and per-protein detectability before anything is sent. If something looks off, you hear about it before you see the data.
We'll talk through the design first
Panel choice, sample volume, plate layout, how many bridging samples a multi-batch study needs. That conversation is free, and it usually saves money later.
Turnaround in writing
Olink Reveal results in 3 weeks for a full plate and 4 weeks for a partial plate, counted from the day the samples arrive.
Close by
We pick up samples across the Bay Area on dry ice, and you're welcome to come and see the lab before you send anything.

From first email to data

1
You get in touch
Use the quote form, email, or call. Tell us the sample type, roughly how many samples, and what you're trying to learn.
2
We reply within a business day
Usually with a couple of questions, a panel recommendation if you want one, and a quote with the turnaround date on it.
3
Samples arrive
We collect them in person around the Bay Area, or you ship on dry ice. Receipt and condition are logged the day they come in.
4
Run and QC
Plate layout is randomized where the design allows, bridging samples are included for multi-plate studies, and every plate is QC-reviewed before release.
5
Data, and a conversation about it
You get normalized data with QC flags and a report. If it helps, we'll get on a call to walk through what we see.
A few numbers
1,034
Proteins per sample on Olink Reveal, from 4 µL
3 / 4 weeks
Guaranteed Olink Reveal turnaround for a full / partial plate
5,400+
Proteins per sample on Olink Explore HT
fg/mL
NULISA sensitivity, well below a standard ELISA
$0
Sample pickup anywhere in the Bay Area

What we're set up to do

Three measurement platforms, the analysis to go with them, and enough experience with different sample types to tell you early when something won't work.

Olink (PEA)
Explore HT, Reveal, Target 96, Target 48 and Flex. Certified service provider for Reveal. We handle plate design, bridging and NPX normalization in house.
NULISA on the ARGO HT
Alamar's NULISAseq panels for inflammation, immunology and CNS biology, plus custom NULISAqPCR assays built from your antibody pairs.
Mass spectrometry
Library-free DIA for tissue, cells and FFPE, nanoparticle-enriched plasma and serum, and site-level phosphoproteomics.
Data analysis
Normalization and batch bridging, differential abundance with covariates, pathway analysis, and classifier building when a study calls for it. Scripts are shared on request.
Sample types
Plasma, serum, CSF, tissue lysate, cell culture supernatant and aqueous humor, from human, mouse and rat. Ask about anything else; we've probably tried it.
Study design
Power and sample-number discussions, plate layout, matching cases and controls across plates, and choosing between discovery and targeted panels.

University labs, biotech and pharma

Academic groups usually come to us with a limited number of samples, a grant budget and a specific question. Industry teams come with documentation requirements and a schedule. We've organized the lab to handle both.

For academic projects that means partial plates, flexible timing and help with the analysis. For industry projects it means NDAs, chain-of-custody records, QC documentation and the same turnaround guarantee.

Partial plates
No minimum
Reveal turnaround
3 weeks full, 4 partial
Sample pickup
Bay Area, free
Design consultation
Included
Academic researchers
University labs, medical schools and research institutes, in the Bay Area and elsewhere. Pilot studies with a dozen samples through NIH-funded cohorts with several hundred.
Pharma and biotech
Biomarker discovery, target validation, PK/PD support and clinical sample analysis, with the documentation your QA group will ask for.
CROs and clinical labs
Proteomics as a subcontracted piece of a larger study, where cross-batch consistency and a predictable schedule matter more than anything else.
Where we are

Come see the lab

We're at 3583 Investment Blvd, Suite 2, in Hayward's industrial district near Highway 92 and I-880. If you'd like to see where your samples will be run, or just talk through a study plan in person, get in touch and we'll set up a time.

Free sample pickup across the Bay Area, on dry ice.
Clients at UCSF, Stanford, UC Berkeley and Lawrence Livermore, along with local biotech.
Meet in person before you commit, at your lab or ours.
Cold chain documented from pickup to receipt.
Ascend Biosciences
Hayward, California
San Francisco Bay Area
3583 Investment Blvd, Suite 2
Hayward, CA 94545

650-200-5149
info@ascendbiosci.com

Want to talk it through first?

Call 650-200-5149 or email info@ascendbiosci.com. We're happy to look at a study plan before you request anything.

Request a quote Email us