From cancer and infectious diseases to drug discovery and obesity, research projects get a boost from xMAP^® Technology

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Celebrating Scientists and Their Impact

In the halls of Luminex, we speak about how innovative our customers are. They start with our xMAP^® multiplexing technology, but we know that the technology requires the dedication of scientists to power groundbreaking new vaccines, therapies, and diagnostic tests.

To celebrate those scientists, we’re launching the xMAP Journal Club blog series wherein each quarter, we’ll feature recent scientific publications that highlight the inspiring range of projects and applications where xMAP-based assays are making a difference. We hope you’ll find them as impressive as we do.

CANCER

Development of a duplex serological multiplex assay for the simultaneous detection of Epstein-Barr virus IgA and IgG antibodies in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients

Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center and other institutions used the new dual-reporter feature on the xMAP INTELLIFLEX^® System to develop a multiplex assay to simultaneously detect IgA and IgG antibodies against the Epstein‐Barr virus in cancer patients. This approach enables more cost-effective serology studies and demonstrates the value of the dual-reporter capability for a range of antibody studies.

Development of a novel circulating autoantibody biomarker panel for the identification of patients with ‘actionable’ pulmonary nodules

In this study, researchers developed assays to measure novel autoantibody biomarkers in three cohorts, ultimately developing a risk stratification technique for lung nodules as a companion diagnostic for lung cancer screening. The project also made use of machine learning and protein microarrays.

INFECTIOUS DISEASES

Predicting Vibrio cholerae infection and symptomatic disease: a systems serology study

Reported in Lancet Microbe, scientists measured vibriocidal antibodies as a proxy for protection against cholera based on vaccination or prior infection. The team used a custom xMAP assay for antigen-specific IgG subtyping and Ig isotyping and designed an algorithm to identify biomarkers associated with patients at high risk or low risk of infection.

DRUG DISCOVERY

Multiplexed selectivity screening of anti-GPCR antibodies

Researchers from the Science for Life Laboratory and other labs aimed to address the challenge of distinguishing anti-GPCR antibodies by creating a multiplex assay capable of testing more than 400 antibodies targeting a custom library of GPCRs. Their findings shed light on the immunogenicity of GPCR epitopes and could help other scientists more accurately detect relevant autoantibodies or design new therapeutics.

Small-molecule-mediated OGG1 inhibition attenuates pulmonary inflammation and lung fibrosis in a murine lung fibrosis model

In this Nature Communications paper, scientists used mice to model interstitial lung diseases associated with dysfunctional repair processes and demonstrated that OGG1, a DNA repair protein, could be a good therapeutic target for lung fibrosis. They used an xMAP-powered assay to measure cytokine responses in mice.

OBESITY

Maternal obesity blunts antimicrobial responses in fetal monocytes

A team from the University of California, Irvine, and collaborating institutions found that obesity prior to pregnancy depresses the response to infectious pathogens in umbilical cord blood monocytes. They used xMAP assays to measure chemokines and cytokines in monocyte samples.

Obesity-defined molecular endotypes in the synovium of patients with osteoarthritis provides a rationale for therapeutic targeting of fibroblast subsets

In this project, researchers in the UK were able to identify four molecular subgroups of patients with osteoarthritis, finding that obesity noticeably alters the inflammatory landscape in affected joints. The team used xMAP assays among many tests performed to measure genes, proteins, and metabolites from fibroblasts in synovial tissue.

Looking for even more? Don’t miss our publication tracker, now loaded with more than 70,000 papers citing xMAP Technology.

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

Dominic Andrada, M.S.
Sr. Manager, Scientific Applications

Dominic Andrada is a Senior Manager for Scientific Applications in the Licensed Technologies marketing team at Luminex Corporation. His professional career spans over 20 years intersecting product development, marketing, business development, and biopharma research. His focus is developing collaborations to utilize xMAP Technology for biomarker discovery and finding innovative immune profiling strategies. Dominic is an alumnus of UC San Diego and has a Master of Science degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Washington.