Luminex is under new leadership! We’re delighted to introduce readers to Angelo Rago, President, who joined the company in April 2022. A veteran of the medical device industry, he earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Bradley University and also completed management programs at Duke University and MIT, where he earned a certificate in business management.
Q: What are your responsibilities at Luminex?
A: With DiaSorin’s acquisition we’ve created what we’re calling a new Luminex, which integrates the Luminex business and DiaSorin’s molecular business. The new Luminex has three pillars: molecular assays, either singleplex or multiplex; our Licensed Technologies Group, where partner companies use our technology in their products; and flow cytometry. I’m accountable for all of those groups on a global basis.
Typically I love learning an organization from the outside in—starting with the customer and working my way in—but because we’re in the midst of this integration, I’m spending more time on the inside part right now. As we bring these companies together, there’s a little bit of an adjustment for all of us. The most important asset of a company is its people: the right people create great processes that make great products. That’s why my 90-day plan focuses on understanding the people and processes in the two companies, and determining how we’re going to bring them together to make the new Luminex better than either of these great companies could have been on their own.
Q: Where were you before?
A: I was president of Carl Zeiss Meditec Inc., based out of the East Bay near San Francisco. I ran the global ophthalmic diagnostic business there.
Q: What drew you to Luminex?
A: The integration opportunity of bringing these two companies together and delivering greater value for patients. The breadth of disease states that we support is amazing. For example, through our One Lambda partnership, our technology supports the most commonly used test in the world for evaluating patients for transplants. These patients and their families are under incredible stress to get a new heart or liver or other organ, and our technology is at the forefront of ensuring that those transplants are successful. That’s just the tip of the iceberg of what we do. What better way to get up every day and know that your work will impact patients’ lives?
Q: If you could solve any clinical or genetic challenge, what would it be?
A: There’s lots of wonderful work happening in oncology around understanding the genetic makeup of cancer and using AI to help target treatments for patients. I find that very intriguing. If I could wave my magic wand, I would accelerate the process of giving clinicians the tools they need to make more targeted decisions for their patients. Data is being utilized to help make better clinical decisions, and some of that data is coming from the devices that DiaSorin and Luminex make. I’m very interested in digital health and hope to do more of that here.
Q: Where do you see opportunities for the new Luminex to contribute to digital health?
A: Currently we contribute a certain amount of data about a patient in a very narrow way. Where I see potential is in looking one level above that. What’s the question that’s really needed to be answered, and is there more that we can provide to make that workflow more efficient for healthcare teams? To answer that I will need to walk in the shoes of my customers and understand what their challenges are.
Q: If you weren’t at Luminex, where would you be?
A: For 34 years now, my entire career has been in medical devices. I really can’t imagine doing anything else. I made a decision early in my career to focus on medical devices, allowing me to help millions of patients around the world. My personal mission to provide patients a safer, better medical experience.
Q: What is something about you that no one at Luminex knows?
A: I started working when I was 10 years old. My father was an electrician, and one Saturday morning he woke me up and said, ‘You’re going to work.’ He dragged me along to factories where he was wiring up machinery and I was his assistant. That led to my interest in engineering, which is ultimately what got me into the medical device field with an entry-level engineering job at Siemens. If I hadn’t had that experience with my father, it would never have set me on this journey.
Q: What’s your favorite thing to do on the weekend?
A: Spending time with my wife. Now that we’re empty nesters, it’s our time. We enjoy cycling and trying new restaurants. We just moved to Austin, so we’re living in a chaotic world of boxes but really looking forward to trying out the restaurants and the music scene here.
At Luminex, we’re a team of talented individuals helping change the world by improving healthcare and quality of life for all. We work tirelessly to empower our team to collaborate, connect, and solve problems in new and innovative ways. If you’re interested in joining us, check out our latest job postings at: https://lmnxja.acscreativedev.com/open-positions/.
