The advent of high-throughput systems and reliable, customizable assays has been a boon for laboratories, but the data deluge has shifted workflow bottlenecks from assays to analysis. A new software tool from Bio-Techne Corporation—Quantist Luminex® Data Analysis Software—is helping labs fully harness the efficiency of their Luminex systems and accelerate extraction of actionable biomarker insights from the large and complex sets of data the powerful platform provides.
Luminex instruments and assays have become mainstays of clinical research and early-stage discovery. Saving time, money, and sample, the system allows scientists to test for 100 proteins in a single sample, on a plate that can contain up to 384 samples—meaning a single assay can generate up to 38,400 data points. The data is robust, reliable, and reproducible, but at the highest throughput can create a challenge—how does a lab analyze so much data and evaluate results for consistency and inter-assay comparisons?
Quantist Luminex Data Analysis Software is designed to address this challenge. Part of the company’s highly regarded R&D Systems® brand, Quantist Luminex software is an easy-to-use and intuitive package that helps investigators evaluate the quality of their standards, controls, and unknowns and maximize the value of the workhorse Luminex assays.
Compatible with all available Luminex xMAP® instruments, Quantist Luminex® Data Analysis Software allows researchers to quickly exclude outliers and low bead counts. The package can rapidly analyze dozens of analytes with higher accuracy and efficiency than previous methods and allows users to evaluate the long-term consistency of their Luminex assay data. Features include the ability to adjust standard curve parameters and export optimized data for creating ready-to-graph Excel files.
Luminex assays measure proteins in a wide range of biological samples, including serum, plasma, cerebrospinal fluid, urine, saliva, cell culture media, conditioned cell culture media, supernates, and in some cases, lysed cell supernates. The quantification of biomarkers in such samples provides critical information about biological processes and diseases. The assays can be used for clinical research or early-stage discovery science, allowing researchers to narrow down potential targets and form hypotheses.
Taken together, Luminex R&D Systems Discovery and High Performance assays comprise one of the largest, most flexible analyte menus available. The addition of Quantist Luminex® Data Analysis Software provides Luminex users with a comprehensive, end-to-end workflow solution for high-performance multiplexing that yields fast, reliable results.
"The ability to accurately analyze complex scientific data and turn it into actionable insights is critical across all areas of research," according to Will Geist, Protein Sciences Segment President at Bio-Techne. "Quantist helps meet this fundamental need, allowing researchers to uncover valuable insights that can accelerate discovery. It also provides an important component in our ongoing strategy of supporting customers with end-to-end solutions across their multiplex assay workflow."
The software is available for a free 30-day trial.