Life Technologies joins effort to develop virtual array technology

<%=company1%> Inc. (Rockville, MD) has agreed to participate in a National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST; Gaithersburg, MD) Advanced Technology Program (ATP) to support research of virtual array technology. Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed.

The goal of the three-year, multi-million dollar program is to enable 10,000 to 100,000 or more assays to be performed simultaneously in a single tube and analyzed en masse, expanding upon the capabilities of Luminex Corp.'s (Austin, TX) LabMAP technology for DNA analysis. LabMAP is a bead-based virtual array technology that could provide a significant improvement in throughput for drug discovery, plant and animal breeding, and human identity testing applications.

Life Technologies' contributions will involve developing reagents, assays, and software to be used in genotyping, immunoassays, and gene expression studies. Luminex plans to develop processes to manufacture hundreds of thousands of fluorescently tagged beads, as well as instrumentation and software necessary to exploit the potential of their virtual array methodology.

Under a separate agreement between the two companies, Life Technologies has gained the worldwide rights to develop and distribute reagents, kits, and instruments necessary to perform virtual array assays. Luminex will manufacture fluorescently labeled microspheres and the instrumentation required to perform virtual array assays.

Started in 1990, the NIST's Advanced Technology Program is a competitive cost-sharing program designed for the federal government to work in partnership with industry to foster development and broad dissemination of challenging, high-risk technologies that offer the potential for significant, broad-based economic benefits for the nation.

Life Technologies Inc. manufactures and markets products used in life sciences discovery, development, and production, ranging from catalog and custom products to technology licensing, research services, large-scale production, and life science technical expertise and support. In July, the company entered into an agreement to merge with Invitrogen Corp. (click here for background). Shareholders are scheduled to vote on the merger on September 14.

For more information: Sherry Challberg, Director, Molecular and Cell Biology R&D, Life Technologies Inc., 9800 Medical Center Dr., Rockville, MD 20850. Tel: 301-610-8000. Fax: 301-610-8020.

Edited by Jim Pomager
Assistant Editor, Bioresearch Online

Source: Life Technologies Inc.