Proteomic Biomarker Discovery and Analysis in Complex Diseases

Recent advances in proteomics and multiomics are transforming how we understand and treat complex diseases like melanoma and are accelerating the discovery of new biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Illumina Connected Multiomics is an informatics platform that enables researchers to intuitively analyze and integrate large-scale proteomic and multiomic datasets, uncovering hidden molecular patterns that drive disease biology. Connected Multiomics supports research across a wide range of health and disease areas—including cancer, autoimmune, cardiovascular, and neurological conditions—empowering scientists to uncover novel biomarkers and mechanisms of therapy resistance.

In this webinar, Kasey Couts from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical School will present her team’s research using Illumina Protein Prep and Connected Multiomics to profile ~6,000 proteins across melanoma subtypes—including cutaneous, uveal, acral, and mucosal—both at baseline and during treatment. Early findings reveal distinct proteomic signatures, including differential cytokine expression and circulating PD-1 levels, that may help predict therapy response and guide care decisions.

Attendees will learn:

• Key differences in proteomic signatures between melanoma subtypes and their implications for immunotherapy
• Early findings on cytokine expression and circulating PD-1 levels as potential biomarkers of therapy benefit
• Insight into how large-scale proteomics can uncover mechanisms of resistance and identify new therapeutic targets in rare melanoma
• How Illumina Connected Multiomics enables scalable, intuitive analysis of multiomic and multimodal studies, unlocking hidden molecular patters for researchers of all skill levels

Speakers:

Kasey Couts, PhD
Assistant Professor, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
Co-Director, CU Center for Rare Melanomas

Kasey Couts is an assistant professor at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and codirector of the CU Center for Rare Melanomas. Her research focuses on understanding why rare melanoma subtypes, including acral, mucosal, and uveal, respond poorly to immunotherapy, and on developing strategies to improve treatment outcomes.

Couts has spent her career at the interface of translational oncology and molecular profiling. As assistant director of the CU Skin Cancer Biorepository, she leads efforts to integrate patient-derived specimens with cutting-edge technologies such as Illumina’s Protein Prep proteomics platform, next-generation sequencing, and multi-omics analyses. These approaches are helping her team uncover biomarkers of response, mechanisms of resistance, and new therapeutic targets in rare melanoma.

Joachim Schmid, PhD
Vice President of Data Platforms & Multiomics Data
Illumina

Joachim Schmid was appointed vice president of data platforms and multiomics data at Illumina in January 2024. In this role, he leads the development and support of Illumina’s cloud platforms and multiomics software solutions.

Prior to joining Illumina, Schmid served as vice president of spatial informatics and AI at NanoString, where he spearheaded the creation of cutting-edge software and data analysis tools for spatial biology. He also held the position of vice president of R&D in digital pathology at Roche Tissue Diagnostics, where he oversaw the launch of a comprehensive product portfolio — including scanners, cloud-based platforms, and AI-driven analytical methods.

Schmid holds a doctorate in electrical engineering from the University of Stuttgart in Germany.