Wageningen, The Netherlands
April 21, 2008
Plant Research International B.V,
a division of
Wageningen UR, and
Luminex Corporation
(NASDAQ: LMNX), the global leader in multiplex solutions in
diagnostics, have signed a licensing agreement for the use of
xMAP(r)
technology. This will allow Plant Research International to
further extend its research and product portfolio. The institute
expects xMAP to result in new technological breakthroughs in
several fields, such as the multiplex detection of plant and
animal toxins and pathogenic micro-organisms, and marker
assisted plant breeding.
Luminex develops technologies and methods widely applied in
diagnostics. The company's xMAP technology uses fluorescent,
microscopic beads, which can be detected individually by means
of laser beams.
This technology allows samples of products and raw materials to
be simultaneously examined for a large number of pathogens,
proteins or DNA structures. The xMAP technology has already been
successfully applied at
authoritative clinical laboratories and in the development of
new medicines by the pharmaceutical industry.
The xMAP technology is a major improvement on the well-known
ELISA method, which detects only one micro-organism, protein or
DNA structure at a time. Using xMAP simplifies the preparation
of samples, allows for
more sensitive readings and considerably reduces labour costs.
Plant Research International expects the use of xMAP technology
to lead to a breakthrough in multiplex detection of pathogens,
DNA markers and more. Together with interested parties, the
institute will be developing
various new applications as well as diagnostic kits for the
agricultural and food industries.
The first diagnostic kit for plant pathogenic micro-organisms
based on the Luminex xMAP technology will be available soon from
Prime Diagnostics(r), producer of plant diagnostic materials and
a part of PRI.
Publications:
Bergervoet, J.H.W., Peters,
J., van Beckhoven, J.R.C.M., van den Bovenkamp, G.W.,
Jacobson, J.W. and van der Wolf, J.M., 2008.
Multiplex microsphere immuno-detection of potato virus Y, X
and PLRV.
Journal of Virological Methods 149, 63-68.
Peters, J., Sledz, W., Bergervoet, J.H.W. and van der Wolf,
J.M., 2007.
An enrichment microsphere immunoassay for the detection of
Pectobacterium atrosepticum and Dickeya dianthicola in
potato tuber extracts.
European Journal of Plant Pathology 117, 97-107.
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