Cancer research diagnostic services in pathology laboratories worldwide have been negatively impacted by a lack of fresh-frozen tissue samples, the degradation of DNA and RNA in archival tissue, and tumor heterogeneity. To get accurate and reproducible gene expression and amplification results using archival material, a more robust and accurate test adapted to current clinical research workflows is needed.

Thermo Fisher Scientific, the world leader in serving science, has developed a comprehensive portfolio of Invitrogen™ immunoassays based on Luminex® xMAP® (multianalyte profiling) technology, a high-throughput solution enabling simultaneous detection and quantitation of multiple proteins. This efficient technology has proven to be invaluable for the comprehensive study of biological systems.

For the quantification of RNA in archival material, the Invitrogen™ QuantiGene™ Plex Assay is a fast and efficient multiplex solution using branched DNA (bDNA) technology on Luminex technology–based magnetic beads. Institutions, as well as professors like Godfrey Grech, have partnered with Thermo Fisher Scientific to apply this method, and have determined that it has a wide range of potential applications in the diagnosis of tumors and is adaptable to the current diagnostic research workflow.

Professor Grech will explain the main advantages of this method, including: (1) accurate, simultaneous detection of multiple targets simultaneously, enhancing accuracy and sensitivity while minimizing use of precious patient samples, (2) exclusion of subjectivity and ambiguous results originating from image-based measurements, and (3) elimination of requirements for highly specialized facilities and human resources.

This method has a wide range of possible applications, including tumor classification with diagnostic potential and measurement of biomarkers in liquid biopsies, enabling better patient management and disease monitoring. Quantitative measurement of biomarkers in archival material is also useful in oncology research with access to libraries of clinically annotated material—allowing for the validation of potential biomarkers and their correlation with clinical research outcomes using retrospective studies.  

In this webinar, we will cover the following topics:

• The benefits of multiplexing and Luminex technologies
• The use of QuantiGene Plex Assays to accurately measure RNA from archival tumor sections
• How to achieve quantitative measurement of biomarkers and correlation with clinical outcomes in retrospective studies 
• Q&A opportunities with the experts

Join us for this scientist-to-scientist presentation to share and discuss how this powerful immunoassay platform can help you meet your research goals faster.