How to Find and Use the Official Olink Explore HT Protein List (HT protein list) with Excel/CSV, Pathway Tags, and Versioning

Explore HT biomarker list and turning it into a working dataset shouldn't feel like a scavenger hunt. This step-by-step guide shows you exactly how to obtain the official list, decode OlinkID/UniProt/gene symbol columns in Excel or CSV, map your proteins to pathways (with cytokine and neurology as examples) using Olink Insight, and track changes across releases—plus what to do if a key target isn't covered.

Key takeaways

• The official, versioned source for Explore HT content is Olink's Panel Data Archive with accompanying release notes; interactive exploration and pathway tags are available in Olink Insight. See the Olink Software Solutions download page for the archive and notes (account may be required) and the Insight overview for features.
• Treat UniProt accession as your canonical key; use gene symbols for readability. If an "OlinkID" field appears, confirm its schema in the Panel Data Archive documentation or via Olink Support.
• To map to cytokine and neurology pathways, upload your list (genes or UniProt) to Olink Insight, then use the Pathway Browser to review coverage. If exporting pathway-tagged tables to CSV/Excel isn't obvious, document coverage and request exports from Olink.
• Maintain version control: save each list with its release note/date, and compare versions in Excel (e.g., with XLOOKUP and UNIQUE) to detect additions/removals.
• Missing target? Start a Focus/Flex request with UniProt IDs and project context via Olink's official channels.

Step 1 — Get the official Explore HT protein list

1. Download the current Panel Data Archive (with release notes)

• Go to the Olink Software Solutions download page and obtain the latest Panel Data Archive and release notes. The page explains how to upload panel data within NPX Signature and references release notes alongside the archive. Access may require an Olink account. Reference: Olink Software Solutions download page.
• When you cite versions in reports, reference the specific release identifier and month/year—for example, Olink Panel Data Archive NPX Map v1.5.0 release notes (2025‑11).

2. Explore biomarkers and pathway context in Olink Insight

• Sign in to Olink Insight to search and organize biomarkers, annotate lists, and explore biological context, including the Pathway Browser. See the overview at Olink Insight overview.

3. Understand the ecosystem and file types

• NPX Software and the broader Explore ecosystem standardize processed results and interoperability with Insight. This is useful context when you're aligning the panel list with downstream analyses: see Olink NPX Software. While some Olink pages (e.g., the Olink Reveal product page) show that Olink publishes tabular lists containing UniProt IDs and gene names, direct public Explore HT CSV/Excel download links may not always be visible. If you can't find a straightforward CSV/XLSX, rely on the Panel Data Archive and Insight, and export or convert to CSV/Excel once you have a table-form list.

Practical tip: Keep the release notes with your downloaded files—this will be invaluable for version tracking in Step 4.

Step 2 — Open in Excel/CSV and decode identifiers (OlinkID, UniProt, gene symbol)

Once you have a table-form list for Explore HT (via the Panel Data Archive or Insight), open it in Excel and normalize the identifier columns so they behave predictably during lookups and joins. Trim whitespace, set UniProt accessions to uppercase, standardize gene symbols according to HGNC capitalization, and deduplicate on UniProt accession. If multiple rows share a UniProt due to isoforms or aliases, keep an "as-shipped" copy of the list in a raw tab and create a clean analysis tab.

Mini worked example (Excel)

Before (Raw)

After (Clean + check)

Use UniProt accession as your canonical cross-database key. Olink itself asks requesters to supply UniProt accessions to avoid name ambiguity, as noted on the official "Suggest a protein" request page: Olink Suggest a protein (form guidance). Gene symbols are useful for readability and quick filters—just watch for synonyms and legacy names. If an "OlinkID" field appears, treat it as an internal assay/target identifier and confirm definitions in the Panel Data Archive release notes or via Olink Support.

A few Excel moves go a long way: FILTER or AutoFilter helps subset by pathway tags once you have them; XLOOKUP (or VLOOKUP) on UniProt is the safest way to join annotations; UNIQUE plus COUNTIF finds duplicates; and XLOOKUP across two versioned lists flags added or removed proteins. Want a quick sanity check? Spot-test a dozen proteins by confirming their UniProt ↔ gene symbol pairing inside Insight's search.

For context on NPX data conventions and downstream analysis considerations, see our overview of the Olink data analysis process.

Step 3 — Map to cytokine and neurology pathways using Olink Insight

Goal: confirm biological coverage and quickly answer "Which cytokine and neurology-related proteins in my list are measured by Explore HT?"

Build or upload your list in Insight by pasting gene symbols or uploading UniProt accessions—Insight converts symbols to UniProt and annotates coverage. Open the Pathway Browser to visualize coverage, then use search or category filters to locate cytokine-related pathways (such as interleukin and chemokine signaling) and neurology-related pathways (for example, synaptic function or neuroinflammation). You'll see which of your proteins are covered and where gaps exist. If exporting pathway-tagged tables to CSV isn't obvious in your app version, record coverage by saving your Insight list, capturing notes or screenshots, and exporting the underlying list where possible. Then, add a "Pathway" column in Excel and tag proteins based on your Insight views.

Two practical notes:

• Cytokines: include classic interleukins, CCL/CXCL chemokines, and growth factors. Cross-check with your study's inflammation endpoints; Insight's annotations help surface related disease/process tags. For a broader assay context, see our comparison of Olink vs Luminex for cytokines.
• Neurology: focus on neuroinflammatory markers, synaptic proteins, and neurodegeneration-associated factors. Validate gene-symbol ambiguity (e.g., SNCA vs SNCB) with UniProt accessions before tagging. What gaps matter for your study question, and which ones can you reasonably fill with a custom panel?

Step 4 — Track version updates and compare list changes

There isn't a public Explore HT change log page we could locate. Instead, set up a lightweight local versioning workflow. Save every "as-shipped" list with its release note/date (for example, ExploreHT_protein-list_v[release-ID]_YYYY-MM-DD.xlsx) and store the associated release notes in the same folder. The Olink Software Solutions download page packages release notes with the Panel Data Archive: Olink Software Solutions download page.

To compare versions, use XLOOKUP on UniProt to align the new list with the previous one and create "present_in_old" and "present_in_new" flags that highlight differences; UNIQUE helps isolate new entries. When reporting study results, cite the specific HT list version and release date alongside your NPX pipeline details to keep methods reproducible.

Step 5 — If a target is missing: Focus/Flex request tips

Start with Olink's "Suggest a protein" channel and provide UniProt accession(s) to avoid ambiguity: Olink Suggest a protein. For a Focus/Flex scoping conversation, prepare a concise dossier: the list of targets with UniProt IDs, intended sample matrix and volumes (e.g., plasma/serum, CSF), the use case and timelines (discovery vs validation), and any supporting Olink data (e.g., NPX from Explore HT/3072). Initiate contact via the product page for Focus: Olink Focus. Expect feasibility and QC discussions with Olink specialists; for general support, the Olink FAQ is the right entry point.

Troubleshooting

• No obvious CSV/XLSX for Explore HT: Use the Panel Data Archive via the software download portal or build your list in Insight and export/convert from there. The Olink Reveal page demonstrates that Olink publishes tabular lists with UniProt and gene names for some products, even if HT links aren't public.
• "OlinkID" is unclear: Treat UniProt as the master key and confirm OlinkID mapping using release notes or support via the Olink FAQ.
• Pathway export isn't visible: Document coverage inside Insight and request an export/report from Olink; alternatively, maintain manual tags in Excel derived from your Insight views.

FAQs

Does the Explore HT list include sample matrices and per-protein detectability?

Public Explore-series content emphasizes small-volume plasma/serum usage but does not provide per-protein LOD/LOQ tables for HT on public pages. For matrix-specific questions, start with Insight and official product documentation.

How often is the Explore HT list updated? Is there a public change log?

Update cadence and detailed change logs aren't publicly posted for Explore HT. Use the Panel Data Archive's release notes, keep local versioned copies, and contact support for historical versions. Reference: Olink Software Solutions download page and Olink FAQ.

Can NPX results interoperate with Insight for pathway analysis?

Yes. NPX Software outputs are designed to interoperate with Insight's analytics. See Olink NPX Software and Olink Insight overview.

Next steps

• Put the steps above into a living SOP: store your current HT list, annotate with pathway tags from Insight, and log version changes with each release note. If you need a consolidated, pathway-tagged list tailored to your disease area, you can request a current HT list snapshot and pathway coverage summary from our team.