Five-Minute Master Class: Design Practices for xMAP® Assays

Posted on by mdaduvai

Bio-Rad expert shares SMARTS design principles for optimizing multiplex immunoassays

Ever wondered how the pros handle design for xMAP® Technology assays? This five-minute video presentation from Bio-Rad’s Amy Hendricksen offers a fast, fun look at the core design principles that are important to any multiplex immunoassay. Bio-Rad was the first Luminex partner and has been developing new xMAP assays for more than 17 years.

Here’s what that expertise looks like when it comes to design criteria — or what Hendricksen refers to as the “SMARTS” philosophy:

Sensitivity: Assays should be optimized for sensitivity, particularly for challenging analytes

Multiplexability: Antibodies have to be carefully chosen to work well in combination

Actionable results: A broad dynamic range is essential to make sure all results are in range

Reproducible: Consistent performance with minimal variability is key

Time to results: Streamlining the protocol allows for generating results in less than four hours

Specificity: Ensuring the quality of antibody design

Also in this presentation, Hendricksen announced the launch of Bio-Rad’s new Bio-Plex Pro Human Cytokine Screening Panel, which spans 48 cytokine and chemokine cell signaling molecules in a single reaction. It’s particularly useful for characterizing adaptive immunity cytokines, pro-inflammatory cytokines, and anti-inflammatory cytokines associated with a broad range of complex diseases.

Resources

Five-Minute Master Class: Design Practices for xMAP Assays