New progress from Finland has made the application prospects of NMR metabolomics more concrete: Nightingale Health's disease risk test is becoming a routine part of statutory health checks in the North Karelia wellbeing services county (Siun sote). For ProteinT, which has long cultivated NMR testing and health management, this case sends a clear signal: the technology direction we have been advancing now has a practical path to adoption by public healthcare services.
This step taken by Finnish public healthcare
On October 5, 2026, Nightingale Health announced that Siun sote, the public service authority of the North Karelia wellbeing services county in Finland, had incorporated its blood-based disease risk test into health checks, with the pilot launching early that month. The report assesses the risk of five conditions: myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, type 2 diabetes, chronic kidney disease and fatty liver disease.[1]
Health checks are a free service that Finnish wellbeing services counties (Siun sote) provide in accordance with the law. Once the test is embedded in this service, participants can have blood drawn before their visit, review the results together with professionals during the consultation, arrange follow-up actions, and observe changes through retesting.[2]
According to Nightingale's announcement, North Karelia became the first wellbeing services county in Finland to make this type of blood-based disease risk test a routine part of statutory health checks. This is a pilot application within local public healthcare and does not yet mean nationwide adoption in Finland. Previously, the company's test had been used in Finland's occupational healthcare sector, with more than 250,000 people having received results.[1]
Illustration of the pilot workflow, compiled from official announcements. Specific services are arranged by local professionals.[1][2]
The value of commercialization lies in integrating into service workflows
In our view, this development is a commercialization milestone. When a test begins to be actually used by public healthcare services, it means the technology must connect with sampling, result interpretation, follow-up management and service organization. Test results thereby enter day-to-day workflows and have the opportunity to undergo continuous validation in real service scenarios.
Public services need to answer very specific questions: how to ensure that those in need can access the test, who interprets the results, how to follow up when elevated risk is found, and whether follow-up can be tracked. These questions determine whether a technology can evolve from a laboratory achievement into a stably operating service. The pilot will accumulate evidence for further evaluation of its value; its actual impact on medical costs and disease incidence still requires subsequent data.
NMR makes metabolic information in blood readable
Here NMR refers to nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. It analyzes molecular signals in samples such as blood, and has different uses from the MRI used in hospitals to image the human body. Through detection and data analysis, information on lipoproteins and various metabolites can be obtained; combined with validated models, this information can be further used for corresponding risk or health status assessments.[3]
Nightingale's technical approach combines NMR measurement, algorithmic analysis and health outcome data to form disease risk models.[3] This process also shows that application value depends on both testing quality and on model evidence, applicable populations and professional interpretation. Every product still needs to establish its own validation basis.
Illustration of the principles of NMR blood testing; it does not represent individual test results.
ProteinT's practice along the same technology direction
In China, ProteinT likewise carries out product translation around NMR metabolomics. Our focus is how to translate metabolic information in blood and urine into health management references that individuals can understand, professionals can use, and that can be tracked over time. Around different needs, ProteinT has formed product directions including disease risk assessment, precision blood lipid management, biological age assessment and daily metabolic status management.
These products share the same NMR technical foundation, while their sample types, models and uses differ. What they have in common with the Nightingale case is the attempt to connect molecular testing to prevention and management; the specific scope and performance of each assessment should be based on each product's own evidence and reports.
ELIXIR™ turns risk assessment into follow-up action
ELIXIR™ is based on blood NMR and conducts disease risk assessment within the scope of the product's coverage, including directions such as lung cancer and gastric cancer risk. Through risk stratification, we hope to help examinees understand which issues deserve priority attention, after which professionals can determine, in light of medical history, routine examinations and actual circumstances, whether further assessment is needed.
In service design, a report should help people identify the next step. Where medical review is needed, it connects to the corresponding medical services; where health management is appropriate, it translates recommendations into concrete actions and follow-up arrangements. When results are explained by someone and actions are taken up by someone, testing is more likely to produce real value.
Zhihang™ looks at blood lipid information in finer detail
Zhihang™ focuses on precision blood lipid health management. ProteinT's NMR blood testing platform can obtain 114 lipid-related indicators such as lipoprotein particles and subfractions, as well as 39 blood metabolite measurements, providing finer dimensions for observing blood lipid composition and metabolic characteristics. These are the platform's testing capabilities; the items presented in a specific product report are subject to the service selected.
For people who need to monitor blood lipids continuously, more detailed information can supplement professional assessment. During management, viewing results before and after together helps discuss which changes deserve attention and whether subsequent arrangements need adjustment. Testing conclusions still need to be understood together with routine blood lipids, other risk factors and the physician's judgment.
Ruler™ gives health status a trackable reference
Ruler™ combines standardized blood NMR testing with model analysis to provide an overall biological age, age difference, position among peers, as well as assessments of eight major medical systems, and presents 91 molecular results. It allows discussion of health status to extend further to the system and molecular levels, helping to sort out the order of priorities.
Ruler™ focuses on health assessment and continuous management. After establishing an initial reference, retesting under relatively consistent conditions can show how results change and help adjust management priorities in light of actual status. Biological age is used to provide a status reference; it is not equivalent to disease diagnosis, nor can a single change be used to judge the efficacy of an intervention.
MiMi™ connects daily management to metabolic information
MiMi™ is based on urine NMR metabolic information and is oriented toward daily health management and observation of nutrition and status trends. It forms a complement to blood testing in different scenarios, allowing health management to extend to daily arrangements such as diet, rest and exercise, and to continue communication through periodic retesting.
We hope to turn a vague "pay more attention to your health" into arrangements that are easier to carry out: first clarify the most noteworthy matters at present, then determine actions in light of personal circumstances, record implementation, and retest as needed. When issues requiring medical assessment arise, promptly refer to the corresponding diagnostic and treatment process.
Illustration of ProteinT's NMR health management product directions; the uses and applicable scope of each product differ.
Turning testing into a service that can operate continuously
For ProteinT, the most valuable inspiration from this news is a clearer understanding of what work product implementation requires. For scenarios such as health checkups, health management and institutional collaboration, the projects we are advancing need to do well on testing quality, report interpretation and follow-up services together.
On the testing side, we emphasize sample requirements, standardized operations and quality control; on the interpretation side, we explain the results that deserve attention clearly; on the management side, we clarify actions, retesting and, when necessary, medical referral. For partner institutions, whether these steps can be carried out stably affects whether a service can operate over the long term.
Applications oriented toward the Chinese population also require the continuous accumulation of local data and follow-up evidence, to test how models perform across different populations and scenarios. We will refine our products and services along this path, so that each test better serves subsequent management.
An international case makes what we are doing more concrete
The practice in North Karelia (Siun sote) provides an observable case for NMR metabolomics entering public healthcare. It shows us that technological exploration around early risk identification and continuous health management now has practical uptake at the level of local public services.
What ProteinT is advancing is the application of the same technology direction among the Chinese population and in local service scenarios. Measuring metabolic information accurately, explaining results clearly and connecting follow-up actions are the work we hope to keep doing well. We also welcome health checkup institutions, health management institutions and research partners to exchange with ProteinT on the application and service development of NMR testing.
This article is intended for industry exchange and health science popularization. Risk and health status assessment should take into account the applicable population, clinical information and professional opinions, and does not replace disease diagnosis and treatment. The illustrations are conceptual renderings created with AI assistance and are not photographs of the actual event.
References
[1] Nightingale Health, announcement on the North Karelia health check program, October 5, 2026.
[2] Siun sote, announcement on the preventive health check service model, December 18, 2025. The workflow and nature of the service follow this document; the launch date is subject to the October 2026 announcement.
[3] Nightingale Health, Technology introduction.
ProteinT is a national high-tech enterprise focused on the field of precision medicine multi-omics. As the leading unit of the Tianjin Key Laboratory of Clinical Multi-Omics, it pioneered "gene + protein + metabolism" multi-omics research, and its independently developed proteomics liquid biopsy technology is at the international leading level. The core team members come from Yale University, the National Institutes of Health, the National Center for Protein Sciences, and other well-known research institutions at home and abroad.
The company's R&D pipeline covers common single cancers such as liver cancer, lung cancer, gastric cancer, esophageal cancer, colorectal cancer, and pancreatic cancer, as well as pan-cancer, and extends to major chronic diseases such as cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, focusing on key research directions such as early screening and early diagnosis, recurrence monitoring, and medication guidance. The Umbrella™ clinical molecular database with core intellectual property contains 100,000+ clinical sample data.
ProteinT is committed to continuous technological innovation and clinical translation of cutting-edge achievements, promoting the development of precision medicine and exploring the infinite possibilities of human health.
