Helping users make the switch from single-analyte ELISAs to multiplexing
For scientists who are new to multiplexing, Bio-Techne is a great place to start. This well-known ELISA kit manufacturer makes it easy for users to make the transition from manual, single-analyte ELISAs to robust multiplex testing with xMAP® Technology. In this partner spotlight, we spoke with Liz Cremer, immunoassay instrument specialist at
Bio-Techne, to learn more about how Bio-Techne uses xMAP to solve customer challenges.
What do you do at Bio-Techne?
My responsibility is selling Luminex equipment, including all the different xMAP platforms. When I joined the company, they didn’t have anyone focused on this, and they really wanted to expand their presence in the field. We make a lot of the content so it was an exciting opportunity to grow the business.
Why would Bio-Techne sell Luminex equipment?
We are assay manufacturers, and we partnered with Luminex to offer a one-stop shop to our customers. They can get the instrument as well as assays and technical support from one point of contact.
What kinds of tests do you develop?
We have your typical protein assays with all different immunology markers. We offer standard Luminex assays, as well as high-performance assays. Our high-performance kits go another step for users, actually correlating multiplex results back to our Quantikine ELISA kits. That’s a big advantage for a lot of our customers, many of whom come to us as ELISA users. Anytime you switch platforms, that’s going to be one of the things you’re going to be concerned about: does this correlate back with all the years of work I’ve already done?
Why did Bio-Techne choose to develop assays on xMAP Technology?
We always had a great relationship with Luminex and have had Luminex assays going back many, many years. It wasn’t initially a large focus because ELISAs were our focus. But as Bio-Techne has evolved, we learned that this was an important platform to our customers. We had customers coming to us and saying, ‘Can you make this on xMAP Technology for us?’ You get enough requests and realize that there’s a real need here. It was a natural evolution to go from the single-analyte expertise we had, into the multi-analyte realm.
What drives your customers toward multiplexing?
A lot of customers come to us for a very simple reason: they need a lot of answers out of a very small amount of sample. It’s one of the biggest problems we hear about. How do I get more answers out of a little material without spending a small fortune?
How has xMAP assay development changed at Bio-Techne over the years?
The platform has expanded far outside of just immunology, which I think is pretty exciting. We talk to a lot of people who never considered doing immunoassays before because that just wasn’t a technique employed by their discipline. But now, there are lots more markers and many different sample types. Immunology is undergoing a renaissance and people are realizing that the immune system really matters for every disease state and every discipline.
Are you interested in developing, manufacturing, and commercializing a multiplexed assay on a platform that is efficient, flexible, and widely-adopted? Contact Luminex Business Development at http://info.luminexcorp.com/en-us/become-a-partner.
Resources
- An Expert’s Guide to Multiplexing Immunoassays [Blog]
- Read Other Blogs from Our Partners [Blog]
- 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 latest xMAP® Insights Newsletter [Online & Download]
