xMAP
Introducing xMAP Technology
The genomics revolution has enhanced the need to detect gene sequences,
protein interactions and other biological reactions in drug discovery, biomedical
research and clinical diagnostics. As a result, technologies have emerged
allowing the simultaneous analysis of bioassays, which increases throughput
and deliver results faster.
Multiplex technology allows the simultaneous qualitative or quantitative analysis
of analytes using colour-coded microspheres in a single tube or well.
Precise concentrations of two fluorescent dyes have been used to internally
dye 100 distinctly coloured bead sets to create a 100 bead array (map). Each
bead can be coated with reagents specific for the bioassay, including antigens,
antibodies, oligo-nucleotides, or enzyme substrates.
A reporter molecule is
labelled with a fluorescent dye for qualitative or quantitative analysis of
the bioassay Luminex™
With
the use of Luminex 200™ hardware microspheres pass through a classification
laser that excites the internal dyes to identify the bead set. A second reporter
laser excites the reporter fluorochrome to detect the presence and/or quantitate
the concentration/result of the bioassay on the surface of each bead.
Demo
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Advantages
The advantages of multiplex technology over other bioassays are numerous:
- High throughput means 20,000 microspheres per second can be analyzed, and a large number of different bioassays can be performed and detected at the same time, while each bioassay is assigned to a uniquely coloured bead set. Smaller sample sizes allow researchers to conserve rare samples.
- Versatility increases dramatically, as bioassays (including, nucleic acids, antigen-antibody binding, enzymes, and receptor-ligand) can be assayed simultaneously on one instrument.
- Real time analysis allows researchers to profile different analytes (biological reactions) in same patient sample simultaneously.
Flexibility increases because the technology can be customized to the users specific bioassay needs by developing further multiplex assays on uniquely coloured beads.
