PALO ALTO, Calif., Nov. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Frost & Sullivan’s recent research service, Pharmaceuticals & Life Sciences, selected Luminex Corporation as the recipient of the 2005 Technology of the Year Award in clinical diagnostics for its advanced xMAP(R) technology instruments. The versatile xMAP technology can analyze proteins, enzymes, oligonucleotides, receptors/ligands, and antibody/antigen interactions.
Each year this Award is bestowed upon the company that has introduced a technology into the market place with innovative capabilities, influence, and impact (business strategy and technology influence) over several market segments. This Award recognizes the company’s successful technology development and introduction that is expected to significantly contribute to the industry in terms of adoption, change, and competitive posture.
xMAP technology enables multiplexing, a powerful concept in biological testing that involves the simultaneous analysis of multiple assays. Multiplexing helps clinicians and researchers detect up to 100 single markers from a single sample in a single reaction.
“Luminex xMAP technology offers a very efficient method of performing multiplexing. It is also high throughput, or has the ability to analyze many samples in a short time, with up to 1000 samples a day,” says Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Martin Nejat. “xMAP’s innovative detection system also allows for high sensitivity and specificity, and the fluidic nature of the xMAP technology reaction allows any sample hybridization to be completed in a fraction of the time it takes for other multiplexing methods.”
The xMAP technology is based on multicolored microspheres, or beads, suspended in a liquid sample. Each unique color-coded microsphere can be coated with various reagents that enable simultaneous detection and quantitation of a multitude of analytes from a single sample. Unlike planar arrays, having the beads suspended in the sample allows the technology to leverage the benefits of liquid kinetics, which improves both the uniformity and speed of the analysis.
The beads are photoelectrically detected using complementary laser beams. Since each microsphere is individually identified and counted, the process provides high accuracy, sensitivity, and reproducibility. The medium multiplexing range of xMAP technology is ideal for labs interested in taking advantage of the data flowing out of projects like the Human Genome and HapMap projects. As sets of markets associated with different diseases are identified, the xMAP technology’s broad menu of applications and flexibility to custom build assays have made it attractive to labs looking for clinical, genetic, and proteomic applications.
Laboratory administrators seek multi-purpose test platforms. Many research labs have adopted the xMAP technology for various protein and nucleic acid purposes. A recent example of this is a landmark article in Nature describing use of xMAP technology for analyzing microRNA. As the technology moves into diagnostics, most U.S. reference labs are expected to adopt Luminex instruments for their versatility, speed, clinical throughput and ability to multiplex both protein and nucleic acid tests. xMAP technology is currently used for various clinical tests including cystic fibrosis, infectious disease, and HLA analysis with coming applications in important disease areas like HPV and pharmacogenetics testing.
“xMAP technology has applications across the basic research, drug discovery, and clinical diagnostics markets,” notes the analyst. “The need for multiplexing is growing as the focus in genetic research and development and the clinical diagnostics market shifts toward multifactorial diseases.”
Acknowledging xMAP’s clinical applicability and market impact, Frost & Sullivan presents Luminex Corporation with the 2005 Clinical Diagnostics Technology of the Year Award.
About Luminex Corporation
Luminex Corporation develops, manufactures and markets proprietary biological testing technologies with applications throughout the life sciences industry. The Company’s xMAP(R) system is an open-architecture, multi-analyte technology platform that delivers fast, accurate and cost-effective bioassay results to markets as diverse as pharmaceutical drug discovery, clinical diagnostics and biomedical research, including the genomics and proteomics research markets. The Company’s xMAP technology is sold worldwide and is already in use in leading research laboratories as well as major pharmaceutical, diagnostic and biotechnology companies. Further information on Luminex Corporation or xMAP technology can be obtained on the Internet at http://www.luminexcorp.com .
About Frost & Sullivan
Frost & Sullivan, a global growth consulting company, has been partnering with clients to support the development of innovative strategies for more than 40 years. The company’s industry expertise integrates growth consulting, growth partnership services, and corporate management training to identify and develop opportunities. Frost & Sullivan serves an extensive clientele that includes Global 1000 companies, emerging companies, and the investment community by providing comprehensive industry coverage that reflects a unique global perspective and combines ongoing analysis of markets, technologies, econometrics, and demographics. For more information, visit http://www.frost.com .
Contact: Stacie Jones 210.247.2450 Stacie.jones@frost.com
Frost & Sullivan
CONTACT: Stacie Jones of Frost & Sullivan, +1-210-247-2450, orStacie.jones@frost.com
