Luminex Corporation and High Throughput Genomics Launch the qBead Assay

AUSTIN, Texas, and TUCSON, Arizona, May 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Luminex Corporation (Nasdaq: LMNX), the worldwide leader in multiplexed solutions, and High Throughput Genomics, Inc. (HTG), provider of the quantitative Nuclease Protection Assay (qNPA™), today launched a new custom gene expression product, the qBead Gene Expression Assay (qBead Assay). The companies co-developed the product and have signed an exclusive distribution agreement in which Luminex will begin offering it to the research community.

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"Advances in discovery through sequencing and high-density arrays have driven significant growth in the mid-plex custom gene expression research market," said TJ Johnson, CEO of HTG. "Scientists in this area validate gene expression signatures and screen established panels.  They often need custom assays that allow them to quickly and accurately measure a select set of genes in many samples. With the qBead Assay, HTG and Luminex have joined forces to meet this need."

The new qBead Assay places HTG's proven qNPA™ chemistry on the Luminex xMAP® Technology multiplexing platform.  The result is a high-throughput assay with a simplified workflow that requires no extractions, cDNA synthesis or amplifications.  The qBead assay is uniquely suited for scientists who need to get high quality gene expression data from degraded samples or difficult samples such as Formalin-Fixed Paraffin-Embedded (FFPE) and other fixed tissues where RNA quality is an issue.

Researchers can order a qBead Assay that is custom-tailored to their genes of interest and optimized for their sample type.

"The combination of xMAP Technology from Luminex and the qBead Assay represents an advance for many scientists, including cancer researchers who perform retrospective studies on large numbers of archived samples," said Patrick J. Balthrop, president and CEO of Luminex.  "Luminex is excited to partner with HTG to leverage our scientific and technical expertise and respective technologies to create high-throughput, custom assays that will advance the work of researchers in the critical, growing mid-plex custom gene expression research arena."

Custom qBead Assays employ Luminex's MagPlex® magnetic beads.  They allow multiplexed measurement of multiple gene expression signatures per sample that have the opportunity to run on the thousands of Luminex 100/200™ instruments installed, and can utilize the high-throughput, 500-gene multiplexing capability of the new Luminex FLEXMAP 3D® instrument.

About HTG

Privately-held HTG is based in Tucson, Arizona. Investors in the company include Solstice Capital, Valley Ventures, Merck Capital Ventures, Village Ventures and Arcturus Capital. Additional information is available at www.htgenomics.com.

About Luminex Corporation

Luminex Corporation develops, manufactures and markets proprietary biological testing technologies with applications throughout the diagnostic and life sciences industries. The Company's xMAP(R) multiplex solutions include 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 markets. The Company's xMAP technology is sold worldwide and is already in use in leading clinical laboratories as well as major pharmaceutical, diagnostic and biotechnology companies. Further information on Luminex Corporation or xMAP can be obtained at www.luminexcorp.com.

SOURCE Luminex Corporation

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