Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42436130›Full record

ArticleNature communications2026

The landscape of plasma proteomic links to human organ imaging.

Zirui Fan, Julio Chirinos, Xiaochen Yang, Juan Shu, Yujue Li, Joan M O'Brien, Walter Witschey, Daniel J Rader, Ruben Gur, Bingxin Zhao

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. A spatially resolved genomic-molecular atlas of human white-matter microstructure.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2026
    Article
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. Contextualizing molecular and structural aging across human organs.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2025
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Zirui FanDepartment of Statistics and Data Science, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3854-5412
Julio ChirinosDivision of Cardiovascular Medicine, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Xiaochen YangDepartment of Statistics, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.
Juan ShuDepartment of Statistics and Data Science, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0004-4967-8565
Yujue LiDepartment of Statistics, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.
Joan M O'BrienScheie Eye Institute, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Walter WitscheyDepartment of Radiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1669-2120
Daniel J RaderDepartment of Genetics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9245-9876
Ruben GurLifespan Brain Institute (LiBI), Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and Penn Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4082-8502
Bingxin ZhaoDepartment of Statistics and Data Science, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA. bxzhao@upenn.edu.

Funding

Mapping the Causal Genetic-Imaging-Clinical Pathway for Alzheimer's DiseaseRF1AG082938 · NIA · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · PI Bingxin Zhao, Hongtu Zhu · 2023 to 2026
$3.6M
Shared neural basis and genetic architecture of psychiatric disordersR01MH136055 · NIMH · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · PI Bingxin Zhao · 2025 to 2026
$1.3M
NIA NIH HHS RF1 AG082938NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH136055U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) R01MH136055U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute on Aging (U.S. National Institute on Aging) RF1AG082938
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Plasma protein levels provide important insights into human disease, yet a comprehensive assessment of plasma proteomics across organs is lacking. Using large-scale multimodal data from the UK Biobank, we integrate plasma proteomics with organ imaging to map their phenotypic and genetic links, analyzing 2923 proteins and 1051 imaging traits across multiple organs. We uncover 5067 phenotypic protein-imaging associations, identifying both organ-specific and organ-shared proteomic relations, along with enriched protein-protein interaction networks and biological pathways. Sensitivity analyses suggest that these associations are not substantially influenced by the median 10.18-year interval between plasma sampling and imaging visits. We also map key protein predictors of organ structures and show the stratification capability of plasma protein-based prediction models. Furthermore, we identify 8116 putative causal protein-imaging links. Imaging-associated protein components show enrichment across diverse complex diseases. Our study shows that integrating plasma proteomics with multi-organ imaging provides a comprehensive pan-organ imaging-proteomics map and reveals molecular pathways linking circulating proteins to human organ biology.

Indexed as

Blood ProteinsProteomeProteomicsFemaleHumansMaleOrgan SpecificityProtein Interaction MapsUK BiobankBlood ProteinsProteome

Identifiers

PMID42436130
PMCPMC13482625

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.