Luminex® xMAP® Multiplexing Technology

Luminex® xMAP® multiplexing technology, the basis for our MILLIPLEX® MAP system, is a particularly powerful platform for simultaneous, multiplex detection of proteins in a single biological sample. Luminex® xMAP® technology is one of the fastest growing and most respected multiplex technologies and is applied throughout the life sciences, including clinical diagnostics.

How does the Luminex xMAP® multiplexing technology work?

Step one in the xMAP® multiplexing technology workflow.
1. Microspheres are dyed to create 100 distinct colors.
Step two in the xMAP® multiplexing technology workflow.
2. Step two in the xMAP® multiplexing technology workflow.
Step three in the xMAP® multiplexing technology workflow.
3. Sample is added to microspheres and analyte is captured.
Step four in the xMAP® multiplexing technology workflow.
4. Fluorescent tagged detection antibody is added.
Step five in the xMAP® multiplexing technology workflow.
5. Lasers detect both bead dyes and tagged detection antibody.
Process of multiplexed immunodetection using Luminex xMAP fluorescent-coded beads
Systems using xMAP® technology perform a variety of bioassays including immunoassays on the surface of fluorescent-coded beads known as microspheres, which are then read in a compact analyzer. Using flow cytometry-based bead isolation, two lasers and high-speed digital-signal processors, the analyzer reads signals on each individual microsphere particle. The capability of adding multiple conjugated beads to each sample results in the ability to obtain multiple results from each sample. Open-architecture xMAP® technology enables multiplexing of many types of bioassays reducing time, labor and costs over traditional methods.

Traditional Luminex® instrumentation quantifies fluorescent signals from each bead using flow cytometry, the new MAGPIX® instrument takes advantage of a new lighting and detection mechanism to reduce costs and improve reliability. Unlike flow cytometry which leverages the physics of fluid flow to align beads single file through a cuvette, where they can be illuminated with higher cost lasers, MAGPIX® flows beads with considerably less fluid volume into a chamber. There they are held in a monolayer with a magnet. Lower-cost LEDs are focused on the chamber to illuminate the beads, which are imaged using a CCD camera. Image processing algorithms are run to deliver the assay results.
xMAP® multiplexing technology using flow cytometry-based principles and using LED and image-based principles. Comparing the principles underlying flow cytometry-based (top) and LED/image-based instruments (bottom) for Luminex xMAP technology.

How does Luminex® xMAP® multiplexing technology compare with other assay platforms?

Due to robust multiplexing capabilities, Luminex® xMAP® technology has the potential to deliver more data in less time than other assay platforms, with comparable results to ELISA and microarrays. Luminex xMAP technology offers several other distinct advantages over traditional methods: