PILOT STUDIES
A low-risk path to answers about your patient population
A Magellan pilot study analyzes your banked plasma or serum samples to identify molecular patterns that distinguish patient groups. Results in 4–6 weeks.
Quick Facts
Minimum samples:
10 per group (e.g. 20 samples for a two group comparison)
Sample type:
Serum or plasma - minimum 100µL per sample
Turnaround:
4-6 weeks from sample receipt to report
Investment amount:
Around $20,000 for a meaningful 20-sample pilot study
WHAT IS A PILOT STUDY?
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A pilot study is a focused analysis of samples from your existing biobank — or collected prospectively as part of your ongoing trial. Common comparisons include pre-treatment vs. post-response, responder vs. non-responder, early-stage vs. late-stage, or any two clinically defined patient groups.
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We run your samples through full-spectrum LC-MS and analyze an average of one million molecular datapoints per sample using COMPASS — without pre-filtering or predefined targets. Our machine learning identifies which features in your patients' blood are connected to your clinical outcome of interest.
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No new sample collection required. No changes to existing protocols. Just answers from samples you already have.
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*Pilot studies are possible with patients who are distributed across a range of values or outcomes
THE PROCESS
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Step 1 — Discovery Conversation (30 minutes). We learn about your program: the indication, trial design, patient population, and the specific questions you need answered. We'll tell you directly whether we think a pilot study is likely to be informative for your situation.
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Step 2 — Sample Evaluation. You share details about your banked or prospectively collected samples — volume, collection timepoints, storage conditions. We confirm suitability and define the analysis parameters together.
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Step 3 — COMPASS Analysis. Samples aliquots (minimum 100µL) are processed to enrich for low-abundance blood peptides and analyzed by LC-MS. COMPASS processes the complete mass spectrometry output — an average of one million molecular datapoints per sample — and applies machine learning to identify features whose expression correlates with your clinical outcome.
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Step 4 — Results. We deliver a detailed report identifying the molecular features that separate your patient groups, ranked by machine learning confidence. All raw and processed data is transferred to you. All discovered markers are your intellectual property.
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Step 5 — Optional Next Steps. Pilot study results are meaningful and reliable as a standalone finding. However, sponsors may choose to:
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Pursue molecular identification of the top-ranked markers through targeted MS/MS fragmentation analysis (identification is attempted but not guaranteed on all markers).
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Conduct additional pilot studies to answer further clinical questions
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Proceed to a larger study
WHAT YOU RECEIVE
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A molecular feature map distinguishing your patient groups, ranked by decision value
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Machine learning confidence assessment — clearly distinguishing signal from random noise
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Full data transfer — all raw and processed mass spectrometry data belongs to you
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IP ownership — any molecular features identified as clinically relevant are your intellectual property
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A written recommendation on logical next steps, whether further molecular characterization, additional study, or neither
INVESTMENT
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A Magellan pilot study is designed to answer your most pressing question about your patient population for around $20,000 — a fraction of the cost of a clinical trial designed around assumptions that could have been tested first.
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IS A PILOT STUDY RIGHT FOR YOUR PROGRAM?
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A Magellan pilot tends to be most valuable when:
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A past or current trial showed a signal in a subgroup, but the patients driving that signal could not be identified prospectively — and the molecular basis of that response remains unexplained
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The program is approaching a transition between phases and the molecular basis for patient selection and stratification has not yet been established
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You have banked samples from a program that didn't advance and want to understand how to reposition the program
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Prior targeted biomarker panels returned limited or no meaningful signal — and the question of whether a deeper biological signal exists remains open​
WHAT MAKES THIS DIFFERENT FROM A PROTEOMICS CRO?
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Most proteomics services run panels — predefined sets of known protein targets analyzed against your samples. That approach can only find what you already know to look for. If the biology driving your patients' response isn't already characterized, a panel won't reveal it.
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Magellan starts from the complete mass spectrometry output — an average of one million molecular features per sample — and asks the data what is different between your patient groups. No predefined targets. No pre-filtering. If a signal exists in blood, we're analyzing data at the depth and scale where it will show up.
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Even if you've run mass spectrometry studies before, this is different. The scale of data retained, the absence of pre-selection bias, and the machine learning approach to identifying signal within that scale are what change the outcome.