SomaLogic is not the only company exploring proteomics to fix our broken healthcare system. There are a dozen firms whose endeavors I wasn’t able to include in my feature for The New York Times Sunday magazine. It seems biotech has turned its focus on proteomics—and not a moment too soon. We all know that person who was diagnosed unexpectedly with a serious, even terminal illness, despite appearing perfectly healthy. The tragic stories are commonplace and largely unpreventable when doctors rely on symptoms to diagnose disease. Our approach to health is inherently passive—we wait around to get sick before going to the doctor. I’ve always found this baffling, akin to driving my SUV until its tires are bald, and then continuing onward until the rubber tread disintegrates entirely. Evolution honed our bodies to endure despite impairment—we might feel terrific even when we’re gravely ill. Proteomics aims to make medicine proactive versus reactive, a smarter strategy since many diseases are curable if caught soon enough.