Better test accuracy reduces the need for invasive biopsy procedures
For a startup company striving to deliver diagnostics that improve health care for patients who may have prostate cancer, Luminex’s xMAP® Technology is a critical tool in the assay development process. According to a webinar presentation from Ramy Huber, a research associate at ProteoMediX, the assay multiplexing technology allowed his team to develop an assay that has reduced unnecessary biopsies by more than 50% in clinical studies.
Targeting Prostate Cancer
ProteoMediX is in the process of developing several assays to address multiple unmet needs in prostate cancer with the goal to improve the accuracy of diagnosing cancer by delivering more reliable prognosis for patients with low-grade cancer and selecting targeted treatments based on key markers. Last year, Huber reported, more than 161,000 new cases of prostate cancer were diagnosed in the United States, making it the most frequent type of cancer among men. Overdiagnosis and overtreatment are common problems for these patients, Huber said.
The ProteoMediX team is developing biomarker panels that could help on all of these fronts. Their lead product in development is a more accurate, immunoassay-based blood test that can be used before resorting to an invasive biopsy. For this and the other assays, the scientists have turned to xMAP Technology and the MAGPIX® instrument to move from functional prototype to advanced prototype and further clinical studies.
The Ideal Platform
According to Huber, xMAP Technology offers several significant benefits, including fast development time, small volumes of sample and reagents, strong signal range, and robustness with little signal variation between assays. These make it an “ideal” platform for assay development work, he added.
Huber’s presentation also included results from clinical and validation studies involving hundreds of patients. Evaluations showed that the ProteoMediX prostate cancer detection assay improved accuracy and reduced unnecessary biopsies by more than half. Assays to improve prognosis and to guide treatment selection are currently in development.
The presentation lasts just 20 minutes and includes many helpful tips for other teams interested in finding out whether multiplexing technology would make a difference for them.
The presentation is supplied by the presenter listed and is not endorsed by Luminex Corporation.
Resources
- Getting Started with xMAP® Technology [VIDEO]
- Browse 1,200+ Partner Kits with xMAP® Kit Finder [ONLINE TOOL]
- xMAP® Cookbook to Design Your Own Assays [DOWNLOAD]
- View the xMAP Webinar Blog Series [VIDEO]
