Luminex and Life Technologies Combine Forces on NIST DNA Project

AUSTIN, Texas, Sept. 15 -- The National Institute of Standards and Technology has reinstated Luminex Corp.'s Advanced Technology Program grant. The grant will fund 49 percent of Luminex's total costs, estimated at $6.3 million, over a three-year period. Luminex also announced that Life Technologies Inc. would act as its partner on the project, providing Luminex with data management software and expertise on DNA synthesis and biochemistry optimization.
The Advanced Technology Program grant will allow Luminex to expand the DNA analysis capabilities of LabMAP technology -- Luminex's proprietary biological testing platform. LabMAP can currently perform up to 100 assays simultaneously on a single drop of fluid with the capability for medium to high throughput assay applications. With the grant, Luminex will develop processes that will allow up to one million different DNA assays to be performed in a single tube on the surface of fluorescently encoded microscopic beads (microspheres).