NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – Luminex announced today that it has agreed to collaborate with the Laboratory of Molecular Evolution and Bioinformatics at the Biomedical Sciences Institute of the University of São Paulo, Brazil, to validate a multi-analyte Zika virus assay developed by Luminex partner, molecular assays developer GenArraytion.
The assay, MultiFlex Mosquito-borne Panel, is designed to detect multiple mosquito-borne disease agents, including the Zika virus, Chikungunya virus, and Dengue virus, among others. It's a qualitative nucleic acid assay that uses the Luminex 100/200 or MagPix instrument to simultaneously test for these agents, and it specifically tests for four genetic targets for Zika. It's now available for research use only, Luminex said.
The company is providing the University of São Paulo with a MagPix fluorescent detection system, while GenArraytion will provide test kits. The university researchers will validate the assay using clinical samples from Zika patients.
Luminex is an exclusive distributor of GenArraytion's MultiFlex Bioassays.
Financial terms of the collaboration were not disclosed.
"We believe this collaboration will help ensure our innovative multi-target mosquito-borne panel is ready to aid researchers in rapidly identifying clinical samples from people who may be infected with the Zika virus, or other mosquito-borne diseases," said Luminex CEO Nachum Shamir in a statement. "In addition, we will begin shipping … [the] MultiFlex Mosquito-borne Panel to healthcare researchers in areas of greatest immediate need in South America, Central America, and the Caribbean."