Orchid Wins First Certification for HLA Testing

PRINCETON, N.J., Sept. 20 -- Orchid BioSciences Inc. said that its GeneScreen business unit has received certification by the American Society of Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics (ASHI) to conduct commercial human leukocyte antigen (HLA) testing on the LabMap platform of Luminex Corp. Orchid is the first CLIA-approved laboratory to be awarded this accreditation, which it expects will allow it to significantly reduce turn-around time for its HLA-DR tissue typing services both for single-sample testing and for donor recruitment drives. HLA typing is the first step for patients and potential donors in the matching process for stem cell transplantation.

Luminex's open platform LabMap technology can perform up to 100 assays simultaneously on a small quantity of DNA with the capability for both medium and high throughput assay applications. This system combines the use of cost effective microsphere-based assays with small lasers, advanced digital signal processors and proprietary software to offer greater speed, precision and flexibility over other bioassay technologies.