Catch-up On xMAP® Connect 2025: Eight Virtual Presentations to Share Insights

By Marcha van der Steen

Sherry Dunbar kicked off the series with a talk about the history of xMAP® Technology and some of the latest published studies that cite the technology

The community of researchers using xMAP® Technology to advance their work is truly impressive and productive! Since the technology was first invented in the 1990s, it has been cited in more than 105,000 peer-reviewed studies, with a worldwide installed base of more than 20,000 instruments. It comes as no surprise that great things happen when the xMAP community gets together to share expertise and exchange ideas.

xMAP®  Connect Virtual 2025

For 2025 xMAP Connect, we took a new approach. We replaced our traditional regionalized in-person events with an 8-week virtual series, releasing a new presentation online each Wednesday throughout October and November. All sessions are now available on-demand. We hope this new format serves our community well and provide valuable insights for potential new users.

A deep dive into xMAP Technology with Sherry Dunbar

The first presentation came from xMAP aficionado Sherry Dunbar, Senior Director for Luminex’s scientific affairs programs. She has been with the company since 1999, when the very first xMAP reader was launched. In her talk, she walks quickly through the history of xMAP instrumentation — from that first Luminex 100 platform to the latest generation, the xMAP INTELLIFLEX® System — and consumables. If you’ve ever wondered exactly how this technology works, this is the presentation for you! From the liquid suspension format to laser analysis to dual reporter channels, Dunbar’s talk has you covered.

The presentation also compares xMAP Technology to other approaches. Compared to single-plex tests, xMAP assays use less sample input, require less time and labor, and reduce cost, all while producing more data with greater flexibility and improved reproducibility. When compared to planar arrays, xMAP offers a liquid-phase suspension that delivers faster kinetics and higher surface-to-volume ratio.

One of the reasons that xMAP has been so widely adopted is its remarkable versatility. It can interrogate proteins or nucleic acids, making it a great fit for proteomic applications, such as studies of cytokines or immunoglobulins, as well as genomic applications, including gene expression and SNP genotyping, among others.

Data is in the details

Dunbar’s presentations often kick off our xMAP Connect events, and her journal club roundup of some recently published studies is always a crowd favorite. This year, she focused on three areas where use of xMAP Technology is growing rapidly: biopharma, vaccine research and development, and diagnostic laboratories. Here are some of the highlights.

 

Scientists from Arbutus Biopharma offer preclinical characterization of an siRNA therapeutic candidate that has been developed to address chronic cases of hepatitis B. An analysis of cytokines demonstrated a lack of off-target effects, indicating that the siRNA therapy does not trigger an unwanted immune reaction.

 

At Moderna, researchers developed an mRNA vaccine against RSV, which is especially dangerous for children and the elderly. The paper reports robust data from rodent models, which led to clinical evaluation of the RSV vaccine candidate in adults and children. In a phase 2/3 trial, the vaccine proved effective in protecting against RSV in people aged 60 or older.

 

Researchers at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine designed a study to assess the societal impact of grants funded through the Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) program, using a local laboratory as a microcosm. They determined that the program led to better public health and local economic benefits.

 

This year’s virtual xMAP Connect presentations may be over however, they are now available on-demand. Watch now!

Can’t get enough of xMAP Connect? Recordings of xMAP Connect presentations from 2024 and previous years are also available for on-demand viewing.


* For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.
† Luminex does not endorse any specific LDT. Performance characteristics of Laboratory Developed Tests are determined by the laboratory.

New Tests Enable Better Detection and Management of Bladder Cancer

By Marcha van der Steen

Multiplex tests allow for detection of bladder cancer and prediction of treatment response

What is hematuria and why it matters in bladder cancer detection

While hematuria, or blood in the urine, is one of the early indicators of bladder cancer, it’s also present in many patients who do not have cancer. Unfortunately, the standard-of-care test used to confirm the presence of bladder cancer is cystoscopy: a highly invasive procedure that many patients avoid, even when it’s recommended.

For those who are diagnosed with bladder cancer, there’s another hurdle: the immunotherapy often used in treatment, Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), doesn’t work at all in about half of patients. With frequent shortages of BCG, doctors need a better way to allocate limited doses.

Introducing Oncuria®: a non-invasive bladder cancer test

1 Nonagen Bioscience is currently seeking FDA approval for Oncuria as an in vitro diagnostic test.

To improve detection of bladder cancer and predict which patients will benefit from BCG treatment, scientists at Nonagen Bioscience developed the Oncuria® suite of tests. At our recent xMAP® Connect Virtual Event, Nonagen CEO Charles Rosser offered attendees an update on the development and validation of these clinical diagnostic tests.

Rosser began with a look at the landscape of testing options for suspected bladder cancer, citing at least 10 assays. “We have a lot out there,” he said, “but they’re not very good.” The widely used urinary cytology tests, about 1.5 million of which are run in CLIA labs every year, have a sensitivity of about 35%, he added. Many tests are based on a single biomarker, limiting their utility and predictive value.

How Nonagen developed a multiplex urine test for bladder cancer

At Nonagen, scientists developed a multiplex urine test focused on 10 proteins. These were originally run on 10 separate ELISAs; however, that cumbersome approach was difficult to translate to clinical use. At one point, the team had explored an immunoassay multiplexing technology but eventually abandoned it when years of development still hadn’t led to a clinical assay.

Why xMAP® Technology improves bladder cancer test accuracy

With the help of scientists at Bio-Techne, Nonagen ported the test to xMAP® Technology. The xMAP-based test yielded better results, with sensitivity of 93% and specificity of 95%, compared to 85% and 80%, respectively, with the previous platform. Rosser said it proved to be a significant advantage because xMAP Technology instruments are so widely used in clinical laboratories, making it easier for prospective customers to implement the Nonagen test. To ensure broad use, scientists compared results across various xMAP platforms and found excellent concordance.

Clinical validation of Oncuria® for bladder cancer diagnosis

Rosser’s presentation also walked through the studies Nonagen has performed over the years to reach the point of having a clinical diagnostic test. Collectively, there are now more than 30 peer-reviewed publications analyzing results from at least 5,000 patients. The newest study, which has not yet been published, demonstrates that the Oncuria® test can predict which patients will respond to BCG treatment, a feat that could make it possible to “bring this [therapy] into the era of precision medicine,” Rosser said.

Medicare-covered Oncuria® tests for bladder cancer management

Nonagen announced in January of 2024  that Medicare payment rates were determined for all three of their laboratory-developed Oncuria® tests designed to detect bladder cancer, monitor disease recurrence, and predict response to BCG treatment. “Oncuria® has the potential to cause a major shift in how bladder cancer is managed,” Rosser said.

 

Curious to learn how multiplex technology helps labs optimize and streamline diagnostic testing? Read more from our website:

  • xMAP® Education Hub: This page serves as a central resource for learning about xMAP Technology, including blogs, webinars, and white papers. It’s ideal for readers interested in the science behind multiplexing and how it supports clinical diagnostics like Oncuria®’s assay.
  • Technology Overview: xMAP® Multiplexing Platform: This article explains how xMAP Technology enables high-throughput testing of up to 500 analytes, with applications in immunoassays and nucleic acid-based diagnostics. It’s a great link for readers wanting to understand the platform used in Nonagen’s Oncuria®.
  • Automation of xMAP® Technology-Based Multiplex Assays (White Paper): This whitepaper explores how automation enhances the efficiency and scalability of xMAP Technology-based multiplex assays. It highlights benefits such as reduced sample consumption, faster reaction times, and improved throughput, all critical for clinical labs working with bladder cancer diagnostics.
  • Expanded Performance Comparison of the Oncuria 10-Plex Bladder Cancer Urine Assay Using Three Different Luminex xMAP Instruments: This paper presents a study evaluating the clinical performance of the Oncuria® 10-Plex bladder cancer urine assay across three Luminex xMAP platforms: FLEXMAP 3D®, Luminex® 200™, and MAGPIX® System in an expanded cohort of 181 subjects, including 54 with confirmed bladder cancer.

More Targets, Less Sample: Discover What’s New in the Latest Edition of the xMAP® Cookbook

By Sherry Dunbar

The 6th edition of the xMAP® Cookbook offers updated protocols and application examples with additional tips, tricks, and insights from our experts 

We’re delighted to announce that the latest edition of our xMAP Cookbook is available for download! As a vetted collection of methods and protocols for developing multiplex assays on the xMAP® platform of your choice, the xMAP Cookbook is a valuable resource for xMAP veterans and new users alike.

xMAP® Technology has been a game-changer for scientists worldwide, but for those unfamiliar with it, we aim to provide a primer on multiplexing and its benefits to scientists across various research fields. As a bead-based multiplexing tool, xMAP multiplex assays can be utilized for both proteomic and genomic applications, helping to reduce required sample and reagent volumes while generating more information.

With xMAP, you can analyze up to 500 targets in a single run

For technology that’s so different from standard, single-analyte assays, we’ve found that our customers like having a guide to show them the many ways it can be applied. That’s why we created the original xMAP Cookbook back in 2013 and have regularly updated this handy collection of protocols to include updated tips and tricks based on what we see in our labs, and also what our customers are doing in their labs.

Our xMAP Cookbook includes detailed instructions for designing, creating, optimizing, and validating your xMAP assays, plus assay development guides for various applications, a detailed list of common xMAP buffers, and a comprehensive list of equipment needed to run xMAP assays.

Here’s a quick look at some of the updates in our just-released 6th edition:

  • Refreshed protocols for emerging research needs
  • Enhanced troubleshooting tips for faster problem-solving
  • Guidance on assay optimization for higher performance
  • Updated recommendations for instrument setup and maintenance

Download the 6th edition of the xMAP Cookbook today.

Luminex Partner Profile: New Day Diagnostics Tackles Colorectal Cancer Detection

Multiplexing technology allows New Day scientists to develop clinical assays for cancer, autoimmune disease, and more

Between a rising incidence of colorectal cancer and low compliance with fecal testing and colonoscopies recommended for early detection, there is a major need for better detection of colorectal cancer in its earliest stages.

Blood-Based Tests: A Simpler Path to Colorectal Cancer Detection

Blood-based tests could be significantly easier for patients and healthcare providers. That’s where New Day Diagnostics comes in. The company was formed through the merger of two other companies — EDP Biotech, which performed colorectal cancer biomarker discovery and contract research, and New Day Diagnostics, which was developing clinical assays for lab use, point-of-care, and developing clinical assays suitable for use in lab, point-of-care, and over-the-counter settings. Both companies had products aimed at colorectal and digestive health, among other indications.

The resulting company offers several diagnostic tests, including clinical assays for the autoimmune disease axial spondyloarthritis and for colorectal cancer. While the current cancer test focuses on methylation of a key gene detectable in blood, the New Day team is actively developing a more advanced assay designed to measure 16 biomarkers associated with early-stage colorectal cancer. This assay is based on the multiplexing capabilities of xMAP® Technology from Luminex.

Leveraging Luminex xMAP® Technology for Early Detection

New Day Diagnostics is a Luminex Licensed Technologies Partner, which gives its team special access to support and other resources from our in-house xMAP experts. They are using xMAP Technology to support New Day’s ColoPlex® assay, which is designed to identify patients who are most likely to benefit from a colonoscopy. The 16-plex test is intended for use as an early detection tool, helping patients and physicians make more informed decisions about next steps in their healthcare journey.

We caught up with Jason Liggett (JL), Chief Scientific Officer at New Day Diagnostics, to learn more.

How did the company start?

JL: We’re both new and old. I’ve been with EDP Biotech since 2014. During the pandemic, we were performing contract research work for companies moving through the FDA’s emergency use authorization process. One of the companies we worked with was the original New Day Diagnostics, which had a multianalyte respiratory test. We worked so well together that we decided to join forces and merge in 2023.

What’s your core focus?

JL: Making health information accessible to all by developing cutting-edge diagnostics and research services that enable detection and let people take healthcare into their own hands. We still do a lot of contract research, but we’re specifically focused on in vitro diagnostics. Internally, we’re developing our ColoPlex assay for colorectal cancer. That’s a protein-based biomarker panel that we developed on the Luminex xMAP platform.

How did you decide to work with Luminex technology?

JL: Back in 2016 or so, we had a single-biomarker colorectal cancer assay and we were looking for a way to boost performance. We had picked out around 40 biomarkers we were interested in interrogating to add to the test, and we needed a multiplex platform for analysis. We had several platforms in mind, but when we had the opportunity to demo a MAGPIX® System, we were impressed with how easy it was to quickly mix up custom targets. There were ready-to-use beads in off-the-shelf kits for most of the targets we were looking at. It became a no-brainer to move forward with xMAP Technology.

How are you working with xMAP® Technology today?

JL: We use it for our commercially available axial spondyloarthritis test, and we are continuing development of our ColoPlex assay with it too. We’re in the process of design lock for our final biomarker combination. We’re doing a retrospective study and there’s an ongoing clinical trial for it as well to support our future FDA submission.

What advice do you have for other companies interested in xMAP Technology?

JL: The early development process is where xMAP really shines. The ability to quickly mix and match targets was crucial to us in the early period. We ended up screening 38 different biomarkers across seven different kits. If we had been doing that with traditional means, we would have had to use an absurd number of ELISA kits or produce several custom kits on another multiplexing platform. The other factors are placement and recognition. There are quite a few xMAP instruments out there, and we’ve had clients ask for them by name.

What else should readers know about New Day?

JL: As a boutique lab, we are very customer-centric. We have a lot of experience developing processes and studies specifically for customer needs, and we routinely on-board new technologies. We’re really excited to tackle anything, especially in the in vitro diagnostics space.

 

Learn more about Luminex xMAP multiplexing technology

Discover New Day Diagnostics

Scientists Use Scalable Multiplexing Technology to Study Clinically Relevant GPCR Interactions

By Chris Haake

In a conference presentation, proteomics expert Jochen Schwenk describes his team’s use of xMAP® Technology for studying GPCR-RAMP interactions and expression levels

At this past year’s Drug Discovery & Development virtual event, hosted by Labroots, attendees were treated to a fascinating talk about analyzing G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) by Jochen Schwenk, a professor of translational proteomics at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden and a leader with the Human Protein Atlas.

As Schwenk noted, GPCRs are both extremely important for human health and exceedingly difficult to study. With more than 800 related receptors, GPCRs represent a very large family of membrane proteins that are targeted by many existing therapies. These proteins have been linked to roles in immune response, signaling, sensory perception, neurotransmission, and more. There seems to be quite a bit of remaining potential in this family, Schwenk noted, as more than half of these proteins have never been explored as drug targets.

However, all that promise means little if scientists cannot characterize the proteins accurately.

Among the many challenges Schwenk noted:

  • GPCRs are challenging to research because they are embedded in a lipid membrane, where many tools cannot reliably access them
  • GPCRs are highly sensitive to environmental changes; once removed from the membrane, they can unfold and make it impossible to study their natural binding patterns
  • GPCRs are quite homologous, so any technology to interrogate them must be specific enough to differentiate an individual GPCR from all the others
  • Because there are so many GPCRs, scientists need a scalable approach to study them, but traditional cell-based assays typically cannot query the hundreds or even thousands of interactions relevant to these proteins

What’s needed, Schwenk proposed, is a versatile and flexible testing system. Fortunately, his extensive proteomics expertise includes more than two decades of work with Luminex’s xMAP® Technology, a bead-based multiplexing system with strong sensitivity and specificity. Because all reactions occur in solution, rather than on a plate or other fixed substrate, GPCRs can maintain their natural shape for more reliable downstream results.

Schwenk described projects for which he and his team deployed xMAP Technology to learn more about how GPCRs interact with another group of proteins (receptor-activity modifying proteins, or RAMPs) that can be influential in altering GPCR function. Using epitope tags with libraries of GPCRs and RAMPs, they were able to measure receptor expression, identify the presentation of epitopes, and spot interactions with RAMPs — all from the same workflow.

Their work was initially published as a pilot project analyzing 25 secretine-like GPCRs using dual-epitope-tagged constructs, and was more recently expanded to cover more than 200 GPCRs in efforts that also confirmed the specificity of more than 400 antibodies. Interestingly, they found that about 60% of antibodies tested showed only on-target binding, a higher percentage than expected based on past analyses. Schwenk posited that the difference stems from how well GPCRs behave in solution compared to traditional physical substrates. More than a quarter of antibodies showed no target activity at all.

In one illustration of how these results matter for specific clinical indications, Schwenk and his team studied the knock-on effects of GPCR-RAMP binding for a receptor associated with cholestatic itch in liver disease. They demonstrate how xMAP Technology allowed them to identify the specific RAMP interacting with the receptor to change expression levels. In addition, they turned to the deep learning AlphaFold tool to predict the structure of the receptor-RAMP complex.

A positive outcome of all this work, Schwenk noted, is that Luminex’s multiplexing technology has made it possible for his team to study a very challenging and clinically relevant class of membrane receptors and to reveal key interactions that play an important role in downstream biology. The scalability of the platform lends itself well to a family as large as GPCRs and supports the interrogation of many different characteristics, such as expression levels and antibody binding.

 

For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.

To learn more, watch Schwenk’s presentation.

Learn More >>

Multiplex Immunoassays Enable Evaluation of GPCR-Antibody Binding

By Chris Haake

With information from a recent scientific study, this new resource can help researchers perform better analyses of their own GPCR targets

If your work involves G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), this new white paper from Luminex could show you how to generate more useful results in your experimental workflows. Need something quicker? We’ve got you covered with some key highlights.

GPCR Basics

GPCRs are the largest family of membrane proteins that bind to extracellular molecules, making them an attractive target for drug development. Antibodies are generally considered the most viable therapeutic type because of their binding specificity for GPCRs. However, despite this potential, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has only approved two antibodies that bind to GPCRs.

Antibody Binding

One of the challenges in developing GPCR-binding antibodies as therapeutic candidates is making sure those binding mechanisms are reliable and reproducible. This requires extensive testing to understand how antibodies interact with GPCRs to minimize cross-reactivity and maximize target binding. For the best results, scientists need a technology that provides highly multiplexed results, allowing for the query of dozens or even hundreds of analytes at a time.

xMAP® Technology

Luminex’s xMAP Technology enables users to perform multiplex bead-based immunoassays. In GPCR studies, multiplexing enables scientists to investigate numerous characteristics of antibody binding for target molecules. Because reactions occur in suspension rather than on a plate, protein conformation tends to be more representative of native biology. This is particularly important for GPCRs, which tend to lose their natural shape during sample purification.

The Suspension Bead Assay

Scientists at the School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry at KTH Royal Institute of Technology recently developed the suspension bead assay: a tool for quantifying antibody binding to GPCRs. The assay, which incorporates xMAP Technology, was designed to monitor interactions between receptor activity-modifying proteins and GPCRs. It can also measure GPCR expression in the same workflow. Researchers tested the assay on 407 polyclonal antibodies against 215 dual epitope-tagged GPCR constructs from a human embryonic kidney cell line. Their analysis found that 248 antibodies recognized only their intended GPCR target while many GPCRs bound to at least two antibodies. The team also developed an online interface for easy access to the data, allowing others to examine antibody-GPCR interactions. The resource contains information about GPCR expression, antibody binding dynamics to GPCRs, and antibody selectivity to specific GPCR subfamilies.

To learn more, check out the full white paper: “Using Luminex’s xMAP® Technology to Develop a Multiplexed Immunoassay that Quantifies Antibody Binding with G Protein-Coupled Receptors.”

Learn More >>

Inside xMAP INTELLIFLEX®: Representing the Customer Voice

By Gabby Mora

xMAP® Technology was designed to transform scientists’ ability to multiplex assays through the use of beads, and it has been more successful than our founders could ever have imagined, with >20,000 installations of xMAP platforms around the world. While that statistic gives us tremendous pride in our technology and the novel science it enables, the widespread use of xMAP Technology is also a responsibility we take very seriously. We know that researchers around the world count on us to deliver reliable tools and trustworthy results.

That sense of responsibility was top of mind as we developed our latest xMAP platform, the xMAP INTELLIFLEX® System. Enhancements in this new tool include a dual reporter feature to double the data that can be generated from each experiment, plus powerful, user-friendly software. Along with the updated tech, we also created a dedicated team to support the xMAP INTELLIFLEX instrument and our customers. It includes representatives from a number of specialties within Luminex to ensure that we’re able to respond quickly to questions and requests while also rolling out new functionality to our users.

In this blog series, we’re introducing readers to members of that special xMAP INTELLIFLEX team. Today, we’ll meet Marianne Vruwink, Field Applications Specialist for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, as well as Bobby Bhatia, Regional Business Manager for the central region in North America.

Q: What do you do to support the xMAP INTELLIFLEX System?

Marianne: I primarily test new software and other changes to the xMAP INTELLIFLEX System. Here in the Netherlands, we have a demonstration lab where we test everything from a customer’s perspective. My job is to be the eyes and ears of the customers, providing feedback to the xMAP INTELLIFLEX team. I work very closely with them, visiting customer sites and seeing how the system is behaving in their hands. If there’s a problem, I try to help find a solution.

Bobby: My job is to bridge the gap between the internal Luminex team and our xMAP end users. With over 14 years of Luminex instrument and assay experience, I spend a solid amount of time in the field visiting scientists and seeing how they invest in our technology, from academic/hospitals to CROs to biopharma companies. I appreciate the opportunity to hear from key scientists who are using our xMAP INTELLIFLEX System to solve their research problems, along with any feedback. I then communicate those key needs with our product management to gradually improve the system with new software enhancements.

Q: How does your team help drive improvements for the xMAP INTELLIFLEX System?

Marianne: We do that by striving for excellent customer support. One example is the major updates that have been made to the xMAP INTELLIFLEX Software to make it more customer-friendly. All the early feedback we received from the first software version has already been integrated into the latest update. Now, the feedback is that customers are happy with the software and its ease of use.

Bobby: I’m very excited about the long-term future of the xMAP INTELLIFLEX System, along with its growing strength. For example, I’m focused on how its current software compares to our own legacy xMAP systems as well as to competitive technologies. Since we know this is our future and we see the excitement from end users, we have to continue to make our software smoother than what our customers expect or are used to, and ensure that it makes their workflow successful. Our communication with end users to learn how xMAP is utilized in their projects leads to feedback that is vital for the xMAP INTELLIFLEX hardware/software development as well as durability. Our users are seeing benefits such as software ease-of-use and plate acquisition speed.

Q: What’s your favorite thing about the xMAP INTELLIFLEX System?

Marianne: I’m very happy with the edit parameters function. If you make a mistake, you can reacquire the data under modified parameters without running the plate again. That’s my favorite new feature because it has made it easier and quicker for customers to use the system.

Bobby: My favorite feature is the ease of use of the software, which is ideal for new xMAP end users. It’s very intuitive and easy to set up the assay plate and kit protocol. I also appreciate the system’s broad dynamic range, which can be very important for the high detection of certain biomarkers.

 

Check out this flyer to learn more about the differences between xMAP INTELLIFLEX software and legacy xPONENT® Software.

Get your copy >>

Get the inside scoop on xMAP INTELLIFLEX

Explore how xMAP empowers researchers with the support of multiplexing experts like Marianne and Bobby, and read more Inside xMAP INTELLIFLEX blogs below:

  • Blog: Inside xMAP INTELLIFLEX: Supporting You in the Field
    Read now >>
  • Blog: Inside xMAP INTELLIFLEX: SD&I
    Read now >>
  • Blog: Inside xMAP INTELLIFLEX: Design & Engineering Team
    Read now >>

Inside xMAP INTELLIFLEX®: Supporting You in the Field

By Gabby Mora

In this ongoing blog series, we’ve been profiling the Luminex team members who support customers of our newest xMAP® Technology platform, the xMAP INTELLIFLEX® System. The latest generation includes new features such as a dual reporter functionality to increase the data-generating potential for our users.

Meet Ronald Backer, senior field applications scientist, and Tomasz Zborowski, sales and application specialist for Nordic and Eastern Europe. Lending field support and training scientists to become xMAP super users is what they do best.

Q: What do you do to support the xMAP INTELLIFLEX System?

Ronald: One of my roles is helping customers set up their assays. If they have the xMAP INTELLIFLEX System, we can take their existing assays from previous instruments and transfer them to the xMAP INTELLIFLEX. I also provide instrument training, either in our demonstration lab or in the customer’s lab. I show people how to build an experiment, operate the instrument, and troubleshoot any issues that might come up. I joined Luminex at the same time the xMAP INTELLIFLEX System was launched, and it’s been great to see how happy people are with it. As soon as they see the box and use the software, they really love it.

Tomasz: In the past, I worked as a senior applications scientist, so I made sure that people understood what the xMAP INTELLIFLEX platform is about, what the features are, and how it’s different from our other platforms. I also ran basic training sessions and helped end users set up their assays. Now, I manage accounts in a territory, but I still do some applications work. I often visit new users and collect their feedback about the system.

Q: How does your team help drive improvements for the xMAP INTELLIFLEX System?

Tomasz: Most changes in the system will be in the software rather than the hardware. We test new versions of the software, and we also see how our customers use it and get their feedback. We’ve seen improvements in the software since the launch — that’s the nature of software, it gets better and better over time.

Ronald: I talk to the people who use the instrument to collect their feedback. Some people are used to software from our legacy instruments, and they see that things are working differently with the xMAP INTELLIFLEX System. I send the feedback to the development team, and when there’s a software update, I check to make sure any issues have been resolved.

Q: What’s your favorite thing about the xMAP INTELLIFLEX System?

Ronald: My favorite feature is how the software makes it so easy to set up experiments and navigate through the system. My best tip for customers is to make sure you go through all the maintenance routines. They really make a difference in preventing issues.

Tomasz: One of my favorite features is the software module that allows users to run assays they have been running on our previous xMAP platforms without changing them. There is backwards compatibility between the xMAP INTELLIFLEX and previous systems so legacy instrument users can run their old assays and not experience any difference when they run them on this new platform. They’ll receive the same data output that they would have obtained with the older instrument. From the customer perspective, what I hear about most is the dual reporter feature. It’s giving people the ability to detect more features per analyte on a single microsphere. This is extremely powerful technology.

Check out this white paper to learn more about the xMAP INTELLIFLEX Reporter Signal Compatibility Study

Explore xMAP INTELLIFLEX >>

Become an xMAP INTELLIFLEX Insider

Find more details on future-forward system features such as the dual reporter, and discover how Luminex empowers researchers with the support of xMAP experts like Ronald and Tomasz:

  • White Paper: Dual Reporter Functionality of the xMAP INTELLIFLEX® DR-SE System
    Read now >>
  • JoVE Open Access Publication & Video: NMI Researchers Choose xMAP® Technology to Identify Exposure to Lyme Disease Causing Pathogens
    Get open access >>
  • Luminex Learning Sessions*: Take advantage of a comprehensive instrument, software, and assay development educational program, that is highly focused on ensuring you have the knowledge, skills, and resources needed to successfully use Luminex products in your lab
    Learn with Luminex >>
    *Currently offered only in our Luminex office in the Netherlands.
  • Blog: Inside INTELLIFLEX: SD&I
    Read now >>
  • Blog: Inside INTELLIFLEX: Design & Engineering Team
    Read now >>

Inside xMAP INTELLIFLEX®: R&D

By Gabby Mora

With the long and successful history of xMAP® Technology, cited in tens of thousands of peer-reviewed publications, the Luminex team puts a lot of thought and care into the instruments we design to support xMAP®-based investigations and ensure our solutions focus on your research needs.

The newest edition to our lineup, the xMAP INTELLIFLEX® System, not only offers the latest innovations — from a simple touchscreen interface to streamlined software — but it also doubles the amount of information users can generate with its unique dual-reporter feature. That’s a lot of multiplexing power!

To ensure that xMAP customers have the best possible experience with this system, we built a dedicated xMAP INTELLIFLEX team to support the instrument. From creating software to responding to technical support queries, our team includes Luminex staffers with a broad range of expertise.

To share how we support our customers, we’re introducing some team members in a short series of blog posts. Let’s get to know Tammy Hunter, senior project manager, and Nikki Torres-Avila, a senior software engineer in our Research & Development (R&D) group.

Q: What do you do to support the xMAP INTELLIFLEX System?

Tammy: Most of what I have been doing is related to supporting the new software version 2.1 that includes new features for automation and compliance. I also dig into any pain points for customers and figure out how we can improve their experience.

Nikki: I’m a software developer and have worked with the xMAP INTELLIFLEX System since the product’s early stages. My main responsibility is to write code to enable the desired functionality. I also investigate any bugs and find the root cause before the software is released.

Q: How does your team help drive improvements for the xMAP INTELLIFLEX System?

Nikki: We are working toward a common goal, but we all have different perspectives. For example, team members who focus on user experience examine the workflow and create scenarios involving a workflow that might not be ideal for a certain need, and we work to make it more robust. Ultimately, we want to create something that will benefit the user, and this highlights the importance of having a good team—one that is technically capable but also good people. If there’s a problem, everybody leaves their egos aside. We just look at the problem and devise a way to make it better.

Tammy: I support a cross-functional initiative to help ensure the best possible experience for xMAP INTELLIFLEX customers. When our entire team meets, anyone can mention an issue. This discussion keeps us informed on what’s occurring, and we make decisions and get to solutions right then and there. We also review metrics to see how what we’re doing is benefiting the long-term health of the system.

Q: What’s your favorite thing about the xMAP INTELLIFLEX System?

Tammy: The replay feature is really cool. It allows customers to take data from previously acquired plates, apply new parameters on them, and just hit go without having to redo an entire run. This prevents the waste of materials and allows work to be done much faster and more easily. I think it’s one of our most interesting features. Also, I love seeing how excited people are to work on this system and develop new assays on it.

Nikki: It’s a tool that you can see having an immediate benefit to society. Our customers can use it to develop new vaccines or to test for disease. It’s a cool technology that can help improve our health and lives.

Check out all the latest xMAP INTELLIFLEX features and capabilities brought to life by the R&D team

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Hear about recent innovations using the dual reporter feature:

  • On-Demand Presentation: Totus Medicines Develops a Pharmacodynamics Assay for TOS-358 with LuminexPLORE Lab and xMAP INTELLIFLEX® DR-SE
    Read now >>
  • On-Demand Webinar: Simultaneous detection of several phosphorylated and total proteins on the same bead in a single well (Thermo Fisher Scientific)
    Get open access >>
  • JoVE Open Access Publication & Video: Beyond Checkpoint Inhibitors: New Cancer Vaccine Candidate Shows Promising Preclinical Results (The Ohio State University)
    Get open access >>
  • JoVE Open Access Publication & Video: NMI Researchers Choose xMAP® Technology to Identify Exposure to Lyme Disease Causing Pathogens
    Get open access >>
  • Blog: Inside xMAP INTELLIFLEX®: Design & Engineering Team
    Get open access >>

Inside xMAP INTELLIFLEX®: Design & Engineering Team

By Gabby Mora

The xMAP INTELLIFLEX® is our newest xMAP® Technology platform, and it enables scientists to generate even more data from each reaction. We have created a dedicated team to support customers using this system, and in this blog series, we’re getting to know some of those team members for a closer look “Inside xMAP INTELLIFLEX®.”

First, we’ll introduce you to a few people on the design, transfer, and process engineering (DTPE) team, which includes manufacturing engineer and scientist Andrew Jameson and senior manufacturing engineer Safaa Rubeaay.

Q: What are your responsibilities at Luminex?

Andrew: We’re a bridge between R&D and manufacturing. R&D creates the instrument designs, and we ensure we can bring them into manufacturing in a way that can be successfully executed. We also incorporate process engineering if a problem arises and if we need to identify and address the root cause.

Q: How does DTPE contribute to the xMAP INTELLIFLEX team?

Andrew: The xMAP INTELLIFLEX System is a combination of machine plus xMAP® Technology, and my work involves the reagent side. Our users should have confidence that their results are reliable and actionable, and we work to ensure that happens.

Safaa: I’m the manufacturing engineer for the whole line, so my responsibilities include monitoring the process of the build and debugging any issue within the xMAP INTELLIFLEX System, from beginning to end. I’m also the point of contact for any issues that might arise in the field, and I help troubleshoot whether we need to change a part, change the design, add a new kit, or something else.

Q: How does DTPE drive improvements for the xMAP INTELLIFLEX System?

Andrew: We are essentially the very first customers of the xMAP INTELLIFLEX System, as we run it daily and perform checks in the software, user interface, or any other element involving the system on a day-to-day basis. If we find something that doesn’t work as well as we’d like, we direct that back to our development group to see how it can be addressed.

Safaa: I work with our suppliers to control the elements and components within the device when we acquire new software, which sometimes requires changing parts or implementing the new software within a component. Our team also tests and implements any changes and follows up to see how everything functions in the field.

Q: What’s your favorite thing about the xMAP INTELLIFLEX System?

Andrew: I like the UI (user interface) design and the general design philosophy that’s gone into it which makes it more internationally usable. This system is less reliant on text and has easy-to-read button functionality and menu setup.

Safaa: This is a great device that will save users lots of time. You can run tests for so many different things with one click and get so much information to analyze from each sample.

 

Learn how xMAP INTELLIFLEX can help streamline your workflow and optimize your data analysis

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For a deeper dive into unique system features and how other researchers are tapping into the technology, check out these resources:

  • White Paper: Dual Reporter Functionality of the xMAP INTELLIFLEX® DR-SE System
    Read now >>
  • JoVE Open Access Publication & Video: Beyond Checkpoint Inhibitors: New Cancer Vaccine Candidate Shows Promising Preclinical Results (The Ohio State University)
    Get open access >>
  • JoVE Open Access Publication & Video: NMI Researchers Choose xMAP® Technology to Identify Exposure to Lyme Disease Causing Pathogens
    Get open access >>