By Lauren Whitman

We launched the LuminexPLORE Lab to help scientists around the world get answers faster. The LuminexPLORE Lab team handles custom assay development and a host of other custom projects based on our xMAP^® Technology. For this kind of work, we rely on people like Sloane Peck, Associate Scientist II, to make sure we deliver the best outcomes to our clients. She joined Luminex in 2021 and has both a bachelor’s degree from Stephen F. Austin State University and a master’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin in cellular and molecular biology.

Q: What are your responsibilities at Luminex?

A: Most of my work is in custom assay development, and I also spearhead most of the sample testing that comes through. I work with other scientists in the LuminexPLORE Lab and with our clients. If I develop an assay or am responsible for a step in the protocol, I’ll present that to the client myself.

Q: How did you get started on this career path?

A: I started noticing I was very interested in science in high school. I had this teacher for AP biology — she was the hardest teacher at the school, but I adored her. She made the class so interactive. She had been a researcher before teaching, so she gave me my first glimpse of what it’s like to be a scientist. I went into college with biology in mind, and it was microbiology that really captured my interest.

Q: What drew you to the company?

A: Luminex’s multiplexing technology, and the assays we create for customers, can seem like a minor part of bigger projects, but it makes such a difference for people. Being part of this company gives me a way to help, and I feel fulfilled doing it. Building these assays is helping people get tested for diseases, or it’s furthering research, or it has some other benefit. I also really like working with this team. We have a great vision. To elaborate, one of my favorite things about this team is that we really want to further research and help solve problems where we can, which aligns closely with my beliefs. While we are not directly helping patients by being medical doctors or nurses, we help them by building the bridge between gaps in knowledge so they can get more answers & live longer, healthier lives. And I see this throughout the team. Even when a project is very difficult, we use everything at our disposal to try to solve the problem at hand so the research on these projects can continue. The whole team doesn’t back away from a challenge and we all use their strengths to help make a difference where we can.

Q: What is something you wish more people knew about the LuminexPLORE Lab?

A: That we can do what you want if you just ask. Whenever there’s a new type of project, we will take a deep dive to see if it’s feasible first, and we won’t charge you for that. So, there’s no downside to asking.

Q: If you could solve any clinical or genetic challenge, what would it be?

A: I would say fungal infections such as Coccidioides, Cryptococcus, and Candida auris. The amount of funding that goes to these pathogens just isn’t enough, and the infections can be so severe. It’s something that we very much need to think about but it hasn’t gotten enough attention. I was thrilled when the HBO show “The Last of Us” came out because it got so many people to think about fungal infections for the first time. It’s important to pay attention because these pathogens are spreading rapidly and doctors need to be trained on them. Fungal infections are often misdiagnosed until it’s too late.

Q: If you weren’t at Luminex, where would you be?

A: Probably teaching. Something my master’s program taught me was how much I love teaching and helping people find that spark. You can see it in their eyes when they have that lightbulb moment of understanding something new. Teachers have such a broad scope to help students and they have to be really multifaceted.

Q: What is something about you that no one at Luminex knows?

A: I can’t wink. I try, but instead of a friendly wink I make the most awkward-looking face you can imagine. I can close one eye and hold it closed but it just never looks right. It’s such a silly thing!

Q: What’s your favorite thing to do in Austin on the weekend?

A: Go down to South Austin to soak up all the live music. You can do that almost any day in Austin — have good food with live music with all your friends. Something about being in a crowd listening to music is so comforting to me. I love that aspect of Austin.

 

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By Lauren Whitman

We opened our LuminexPLORE Lab several years ago for one reason: to help customers make the most of their xMAP^® Technology platforms. Our scientists have the expertise to build custom assays, perform bead coupling, and test a variety of samples to find the optimal solution. Team member Joanna Dragich, PhD, Scientist III, works closely with customers to get them exactly what they need. She joined Luminex in 2020 and holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Carnegie Mellon University and a PhD in neuroscience from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Q: What are your responsibilities at Luminex?

A: I am a Scientist III, and I work in the LuminexPLORE Lab doing xMAP^® assay design and development. Customers come to us to save time, save money, and use our expertise to build assays. Often, we can build a new assay faster than a customer could if they were starting from scratch. I also guide customers through projects they want to do themselves. Whatever the need, our goal is to make it simpler for them.

Q: How did you get started on this career path?

A: I’ve always been attracted to biology. I started working in a research lab when I was about 19 and I haven’t left since! My background is in molecular and cellular neuroscience. In academia, I focused on how genetics can provide clues into what’s going wrong in neurological disorders.

Q: What drew you to Luminex?

A: I like the translational aspect of the company. The culture is all about being innovative to address clinical needs, and the technology itself is fantastic. Since xMAP is an open platform, people can be creative about how they apply it. I definitely could’ve used this as a graduate student and postdoc!

Q: What is something you wish more people knew about the LuminexPLORE Lab?

A: We’re here to aid customers in their success, and we’re willing to work within their budgets to make their ideas a reality. If xMAP Technology is right for them, we can help them find a way to use it. We’re always happy to jump on a call and point them in the right direction.

Q: If you could solve any clinical or genetic challenge, what would it be?

A: ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. There’s a big unmet need to find biomarkers for ALS and therapeutics to help treat and cure the disease. Tackling this would be a game-changer.

Q: If you weren’t at Luminex, where would you be?

A: I love animals and nature, and sometimes I dream about being a farmer or gardener. But I think I was meant to be a scientist.

Q: What is something about you that no one at Luminex knows?

A: I’m a scuba diver, and scuba diving is something that is challenging and amazing. It allows me to be in nature and see what the ocean is like underneath the water. I’ve even done it right here in Austin, at Lake Travis. It’s pretty neat, with lots of underwater structures.

Q: What’s your favorite thing to do in Austin on the weekend?

A: I’m an outdoorsy person. I love going for a run around Lady Bird Lake — that’s something I try to do every weekend.

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By Caitlin Butterworth

Luminex’s Manufacturing and Engineering teams accomplish extraordinary feats, testing and tweaking workflow processes to ensure that every product we ship to customers reflects our standards for impeccable quality. For such invaluable work, we trust the consistent ability of team members like Bruno De Oliveira, Process Engineer I. Bruno joined Luminex in 2020 and has a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from Fluminense Federal University.

We sat down with Bruno to learn more about his goals, interests, and inspirations—both on and off the manufacturing floor.

Q: What are your responsibilities at Luminex?

A: I’m currently responsible for redesigning the instrument manufacturing floor and evaluating and implementing new processes to make the product line more efficient. I also perform equipment validations and troubleshooting.

Q: How did you get started on this career path?

A: I chose to become an industrial engineer and that’s given me a vast knowledge of techniques to improve processes in any industry segment. I worked in oil and gas for a few years, but when I moved to the U.S., my wife and brother-in-law got me interested in the biotech field. My wife is also in the medical field and we both feel that it gives us a sense of having an impact on people’s lives. It’s been an amazing experience.

Q: What drew you to Luminex?

A: Luminex was really interesting to me because it has so many different instruments based on several technologies. It’s a good opportunity for process engineering and also gives me the chance to better understand the biotech field.

Q: If you could solve any clinical or genetic challenge, what would it be?

A: I would want to develop treatments for neurodegenerative diseases. My father-in-law has been battling MSA, or multiple system atrophy, for a few years. I see how it’s taken a toll on his life and my wife’s as well.

Q: If you weren’t at Luminex, where would you be?

A: I would like to work more as a volunteer at my church.

Q: What is something about you that no one at Luminex knows?

A: My wife and I donate money to help missionaries around the world with humanitarian programs.

Q: What’s your favorite thing to do in Austin on the weekend?

A: It’s a nice city to be outdoors. When I’m not riding bikes with my wife at Lady Bird Lake, I like to play soccer with friends and coworkers.

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At Luminex, we know that designing and delivering great products is only half the battle; the support of well-written instruction and documentation, including user manuals, is imperative to both product and customer success. For this vital role, we rely on people like Melanie Van Winkle, Technical Writer I, to provide excellent written communication to our customers. Melanie joined Luminex in 2022 and earned her bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Texas, as well as a certificate in medical device regulatory affairs from the University of California, Irvine.

 

Q: What are your responsibilities at Luminex?

A: I write and maintain all the user-facing hardware and software documents for our instruments. I work in the Systems Development and Integration Department — SD&I, that’s what we call our instrument R&D group — so I also sometimes provide the perspective of a non-engineer. I take complicated engineering terminology and help articulate it into something that makes sense for a layperson.

Q: How did you get started on this career path?

A: I was always a really good writer. But then, I got a degree in biology and started working for an antimicrobial testing lab where we tested drugs, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics. I realized I didn’t enjoy the hands-on part of biology as much; I wanted to stay within the scientific and technical realm, but get back to writing, so I became a technical writer.

Q: What drew you Luminex?

A: I liked that Luminex produces in-vitro diagnostic devices that help people, and I also liked the culture here. A couple of my former coworkers had come to Luminex before I did and seemed to enjoy the environment, so I had a feeling it would be a good fit for me, too.

Q: If you could solve any clinical or genetic challenge, what would it be?

A: My dad died three years ago from cancer. There have been a lot of really cool developments in immunotherapy lately, so if I had a magic wand, I would try to find some cures for cancer.

Q: If you weren’t at Luminex, where would you be?

A: I would probably write fantasy novels.

Q: What is something about you that no one at Luminex knows?

A: I play the piano. I took lessons for 12 years while I was growing up, and now I play more modern songs. Hearing AC/DC music on a piano is really cool.

Q: What’s your favorite thing to do in Austin on the weekend?

A: I like all the restaurant and bar and entertainment options. We have a chain of arcades around here called Pinballz, and it’s a fun place to go on the weekends.

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Here at Luminex, our Legal Affairs department’s two highest priorities are the relationships we foster with corporate partners and the security we maintain over our intellectual property. To best sustain our partnerships and intellectual material, we rely upon the expertise of a robust, highly specialized legal department. One such expert is Jessica Bernethy, Corporate Paralegal, whose role includes crafting new agreements and answering the many legal questions of her colleagues. She joined Luminex in 2016 and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration with a minor in management from the University of New Orleans, as well as an advanced technical certificate for paralegal studies from Austin Community College.

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Q: What are your responsibilities at Luminex?

A: If employees have questions about anything related to legal matters, they can loop me in first — I may not know the answer, but I will do my best to assist in obtaining what they need, whether that’s an answer from an attorney, a drafted document, or to be pointed to a different direction all together. Each inquiry from an employee helps me to learn something new, so I love what I do. We handle new agreements, renewal of contracts, legal review of all materials, and more. My job is to support our attorneys in their role, as well as the employees at Luminex, as the employees and the company as a whole are our clients.

Q: How did you get started on this career path?

A: I always knew I wanted to be within the legal field, but the field is so diverse that I didn’t really know a specific end point of that career. Post undergraduate, I debated going to law school, but to ensure I would truly enjoy it prior to more schooling and potentially a lot of debt, I decided to take some paralegal classes first. I loved it! Being a paralegal lets me find the answer to the puzzle that nobody else can find without having to work the hours or having the liability of an attorney.

Q: What did you do before joining Luminex?

A: When I moved to Texas, my first job in this career path was as a disciplinary clerk at the women’s death row prison in Gatesville. After several additional moves throughout Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) to include the Parole Division and Probation Department, I ended up in TDCJ’s Office of the General Counsel here in Austin. After a few more years, I transferred to the District Attorney’s Office in Travis County, and worked in several of their internal departments as well, including the court system, general state, environmental quality, and workman’s compensation departments. Overall, I spent about 12 years working within criminal law.

Q: What drew you to the company?

A: After spending all that time in criminal law, the idea of being in a different field of law really appealed to me. It gets overwhelming to see the worst: either the worst day in someone’s life or the worst in people, especially because you don’t really have any “wins” in criminal law. I had a friend who worked here at Luminex who told me that the paralegal position was open. When I started learning about what Luminex did, it was really intriguing to me. I’m not a scientific-minded person, but the possibility of being able to help Luminex, in my own way, work to improve people’s health and lives, it felt like a really interesting opportunity. It has been a huge learning experience but I love working here and I’m always learning something new.

Q: If you could solve any clinical or genetic challenge, what would it be?

A: I would have a hard time picking just one. My family has been seriously affected by cancer (colon, breast, and lung), Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS), and thyroid problems such as Graves’ disease and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. Eradicating any of those would be wonderful, as they all affect not only the people going through the ailment, but their family and friends as well.

Q: If you weren’t at Luminex, where would you be?

A: I would love to have been a fighter pilot in the US Air Force like my dad was for 30 years. That being said, I get road rage even in the grocery store, so perhaps giving me control of a multimillion-dollar piece of equipment that can fly at almost 1,500 mph might not be such a good idea.

Q: What is something about you that no one at Luminex knows?

A: Most people probably don’t know I’m pretty good at billiards (or at least I used to be). If they ever decide to put in some sort of employee relaxation area in our local office, I would love it if a pool table was included.

Q: What’s your favorite thing to do in Austin on the weekend?

A: My parents have a ranch north of Fort Cavazos (aka Ft. Hood), and we love going up there and spending time with the family. But in the summer, it is imperative for most Texans to go “tubing” to cool off in the Texas heat. It’s so popular that there are whole businesses that will rent you tubes, drop you off at the beginning of the run, and pick you up after you’ve floated down the river for a couple of hours.

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