AUSTIN, Texas, Jan. 21, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Quickly detecting and identifying dangerous biotoxins is now a reality, thanks to the xMAP® Biothreat Toxin Panel (BTP) by Luminex. The xMAP Biothreat Toxin Panel is the first multiplex assay to rapidly detect and identify the six most easily acquired and most dangerous biotoxins. All six of these biotoxins are on the US government’s list of most dangerous substances.1
The ability to simultaneously test for a panel of markers increases efficiency and enables government and public health laboratories to rapidly respond to events that may threaten the nation’s food supply. Currently, there are some very good, high performance, single-plex assays as well as lower performance, simple-to-use, lateral flow assays available. However, there has been a general lack of commercially available, high performance, multiplex assays for protein-based and small molecule toxins. The xMAP Biothreat Toxin Panel was designed to fill the need for a high-performance multiplex screening assay.
Individually, Botulinum toxin isoforms A, B, E, F, Ricin, and Staphylococcal Enterotoxin B have the potential to pose a severe threat to human health if accidentally or intentionally introduced to our nation’s food supply. To combat this threat, US and foreign governments have created biosurveillance and emergency response networks such as FERN (US Food Emergency Response Network) to monitor the safety of their food supplies. This test can be used by domestic and foreign agencies to ensure the safety of various food products on the market.
The xMAP Biothreat Toxin Panel is a multiplexed immunoassay intended for the simultaneous qualitative detection and identification of multiple biological toxins in a variety of sample matrices, including Botulinum toxins, Ricin, and Staphylococcal Enterotoxin B. xMAP Biothreat Toxin Panel is for Research Use Only, and not for use in Diagnostic procedures.
More information on Luminex’s biosurveillance products can be found at www.luminexcorp.com/BTP.
About Luminex Corporation
Luminex is committed to applying its passion for innovation toward creating breakthrough solutions to improve health and advance science. The company is transforming global healthcare and life-science research through the development, manufacturing and marketing of proprietary instruments and assays utilizing xMAP® open-architecture multi-analyte platform, MultiCode® real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and multiplex PCR-based technologies, that deliver cost-effective rapid results to clinicians and researchers. Luminex’s technology is commercially available worldwide and in use in leading clinical laboratories, as well as major pharmaceutical, diagnostic, biotechnology and life-science companies. Luminex is meeting the needs of customers in markets as diverse as clinical diagnostics, pharmaceutical drug discovery, biomedical research including genomic and proteomic research, personalized medicine, biodefense research and food safety. For further information on Luminex Corporation and the latest advances in multiplexing using award winning technology, please visit http://www.luminexcorp.com/.
Sources:
1. Select agents and toxins list. Federal Select Agent Program (Internet). Cited 2014 December. Available from: http://www.selectagents.gov/SelectAgentsandToxinsList.html.
Contacts
Luminex Corporate Contact:
Harriss Currie
Sr. Vice President, Finance and CFO
hcurrie@luminexcorp.com
512.219.8020
Luminex Media Contact:
Christine Valle
Senior Manager, Global Marketing
cvalle@luminexcorp.com
512.219.8020
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SOURCE Luminex Corporation
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