Improving biomarker testing services
Improving biomarker testing servicesLuminex Licensed Technologies Partners represent a diverse set of market segments, company sizes, and geographies. The versatility of xMAP® Technology has supported the launch of thousands of multiplexed immunoassays formatted into commercially available kits and testing services.
Sam LaBrie, Senior Vice President of Corporate Development at Myriad RBM, Inc., speaks about how they use xMAP Technology at Myriad RBM.
Sam, can you tell us about Myriad RBM and your role?
Founded in 2002, Myriad RBM, Inc. is the world’s leading multiplexed immunoassay testing laboratory, providing comprehensive protein biomarker services based on its Multi-Analyte Profiling (MAP) technology platform. This platform provides pre-clinical and clinical researchers with reproducible and quantitative data for a few or hundreds of proteins in a cost-effective manner. All services are performed in our CLIA certified biomarker testing laboratory, located in Austin, Texas.
Myriad RBM is a wholly owned subsidiary of Myriad Genetics, Inc. (MYGN), a leading molecular diagnostic company based in Salt Lake City, Utah which develops and markets novel predictive medicine, personalized medicine, and prognostic medicine tests. Myriad Genetics was founded in 1991, has approximately 2,600 employees and had 2016 revenue of $754M.
I have been with the company for nearly a decade and manage the development of new products through collaborations and strategic partnerships.
Who are your customers and what products and/or services does Myriad RBM offer?
Myriad RBM offers biomarker testing services that support diagnostic science and clinical trials. Its customers include pharmaceutical companies and researchers in academic and discovery laboratories.
Identification of biomarker patterns in a biological sample, such as serum or plasma, can dramatically increase the success of almost any drug development program. Our MAP approach provides investigators with a reliable platform that allows discovery, validation and clinical use of these patterns in a cost-effective and efficient manner.
Myriad RBM has earned CLIA licensure of accreditation from COLA, participates in external proficiency testing programs from the College of American Pathologists (CAP), and is capable of supporting Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) studies. Standardized procedures, instrumentation, and quality controls are used to ensure quality throughout all aspects of the laboratory from sample receipt to results reporting. By continuous quality improvement, Myriad RBM ensures that customers are satisfied with the products and service they receive.
Human MAPs represent the most comprehensive menu of quantitative, multiplexed immunoassays commercially available. The Human MAPs provide insight into multiple pathways to help better understand the underlying biology. I’ll briefly describe DiscoveryMAP and CustomMAP, although numerous other Human MAPs are available.
DiscoveryMAP® v. 3.3 is a comprehensive, quantitative, immunoassay service product, measuring our complete menu of more than 300 human assays. It is the culmination of 15 years of assay development for cytokines, chemokines, metabolic markers, hormones, growth factors, tissue remodeling proteins, angiogenesis markers, acute phase reactants, cancer markers, kidney damage markers, CNS biomarkers, and other important circulating proteins. DiscoveryMAP v. 3.3 is for those who seek a thorough understanding of a compound’s biological activity, efficacy, and safety profile as well as the disease or condition being addressed.
CustomMAP is the most popular service as more of Myriad RBM’s business is coming from the processing of samples from early to late-stage clinical trials. Customers have the ability to select any assays from the DiscoveryMAP menu and receive those biomarker results along with results from other assays that are in the same set of multiplexes. Customers benefit from the efficient use of precious clinical trial samples and the additional biomarker data.
Why the Luminex xMAP Technology?
Myriad RBM has been a Luminex partner since 2002 and has over 60 xMAP instruments. A reduced sample volume requirement and lower cost to generate more data are key benefits that attracted Myriad RBM to the Luminex platform. We appreciate the consistent quality of consumables and the high level of instrument service. As a service laboratory, our instruments must constantly be up and running.
Can you share with us any other benefits of becoming a Luminex partner that might not be readily apparent?
Continuity and consistency of supply from Luminex is excellent. Also, the longevity of the xMAP platform is rather unusual, but is understandable given that the technology works well, is priced right, and has consistent quality.
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.