A simplified perchloric acid workflow with neutralization (PCA-N) for democratizing deep plasma proteomics at population scale - Submission04

This project presents PCA-N, a novel plasma proteomics workflow that uses perchloric acid with neutralization to dramatically improve sample preparation efficiency. By eliminating solid-phase extraction and enabling 384-well plate compatibility, PCA-N reduces sample volume requirements to just 5 μL, cuts costs to under $1 per sample, and allows processing of up to 13,000 samples daily. Validated on over 34,000 samples across 311 days, this method doubles proteome depth compared to conventional approaches while maintaining robust measurement precision, making large-scale plasma proteomics studies feasible for biomarker discovery and precision medicine.