Are internal controls included in the Olink® Target 48 panels, and if so what are they?

Target 48, Olink® Flex and Olink® Focus panels, use three internal controls that are added into all wells of the sample plate. These controls are used for quality control and for data normalization. The controls monitor all the different steps of the PEA, the controls and how they are used is outlined below:

INCUBATION CONTROLS

The incubation control consist of a non-human antigen (green fluorescent protein (GFP)) with matching antibody/assay. It is used for data quality control and can be used to monitor all steps of the run.

EXTENSION CONTROL

This control is made up by IgG antibodies conjugated with a matching oligo pair, so that the DNA tags are always in proximity. The extension control is used for data normalization as well as for monitoring the extension reaction as well as the amplification and detection-steps.

DETECTION CONTROL

The Detection control is a piece of synthetic double-stranded DNA that is used in the data quality control. This control can also help evaluate potential issues in the final amplification and detection steps.