AUSTIN, Texas, Feb. 19,
2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Luminex Corporation (NASDAQ: LMNX) today
announced that it has received $11.3
million in funding from the Biomedical Advanced Research and
Development Authority (BARDA), part of the Office of the Assistant
Secretary for Preparedness and Response at the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services. These funds will support the rapid
development and validation of a respiratory panel combining Flu A/B
& respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) targets with the SARS-CoV-2
target that can be run on all ARIES® Systems. These 6-
and 12-cassette systems are automated molecular diagnostic
platforms used in moderate- and high-complexity labs with a number
of FDA cleared tests already available for use on them. The systems
produce results in less than two hours with minimal hands-on time
required.
Clinical labs already challenged by continued COVID-19 testing
are now under additional pressure to simultaneously meet the
testing demand associated with seasonal flu and RSV, whenever these
pathogens are in circulation at the same time. These respiratory
illnesses can cause symptoms similar to COVID-19, making it
difficult for physicians to distinguish between them. A single test
that can simultaneously detect these pathogens would allow clinical
labs to get more complete answers quickly, while using fewer
reagents and other consumables, easing pressure on an already
stressed supply chain.
"We believe that this targeted multiplex assay will play a
pivotal role in helping healthcare professionals efficiently and
effectively manage individuals with respiratory illness symptoms
for years to come," said Nachum "Homi" Shamir, Chairman, President
and CEO of Luminex. "We are grateful to BARDA for its continued
support as we seek to streamline respiratory testing with a single
assay for the most common pathogens. This will allow laboratories,
most of which are already operating in resource-constrained
environments, to run one test instead of two or more without
sacrificing clinical results."
Luminex developed the original ARIES® SARS-CoV-2
(EUA) Assay with financial support from BARDA in 2020.
Luminex will submit the targeted multiplex respiratory panel,
the ARIES® Flu A/B & RSV+SARS-CoV-2 Assay, to the
FDA for Emergency Use Authorization as soon as possible, and
eventually plans to submit the panel for 510(k) clearance as
well.
This project has been funded in whole or in part with Federal
funds from the Department of Health and Human Services; Office of
the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response; Biomedical
Advanced Research and Development Authority under Contract No.
75A50121P00025.
About Luminex Corporation
At Luminex, our mission is
to empower labs to obtain reliable, timely, and actionable answers,
ultimately advancing health. We offer a wide range of solutions
applicable in diverse markets including clinical diagnostics,
pharmaceutical drug discovery, biomedical research, genomic and
proteomic research, biodefense research, and food safety. We
accelerate reliable answers while simplifying complexity and
deliver certainty with a seamless experience. To learn more about
Luminex, please visit us at luminexcorp.com. To learn more
about Luminex's COVID-19 Testing and Research Solutions, please
visit: https://www.luminexcorp.com/solutions/.
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking
Statements
This press release contains forward-looking
statements relating to Luminex's business outlook for the first
quarter, as well as other statements that refer to future plans and
expectations, particularly around the development of products to
address COVID-19. Such statements involve a number of risks and
uncertainties. Words such as "expect," "believe," "confident,"
"unable," "seem," "would," "should," "could," "can" and variations
of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify
forward-looking statements. Statements that refer to or are based
on estimates, forecasts, projections, uncertain events or
assumptions, and anticipated trends in our businesses or the
markets relevant to them, also identify forward-looking statements.
Such statements are based on management's expectations as of the
date they were first made and, except as required by law, Luminex
disclaims any obligation to update these statements to reflect
future events or circumstances. Forward-looking statements involve
many risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to
differ materially from those expressed or implied in such
statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to
differ materially from the company's expectations include changes
in market conditions, supply constraints and other disruptions,
changes in capital requirements, and other factors set forth in
Luminex's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC
and available at Luminex's website at www.luminexcorp.com and the
SEC's website at sec.gov.
Investor Relations Contact:
Harriss Currie
Sr. Vice President of Finance and CFO
hcurrie@luminexcorp.com
512-219-8020
Media Contact:
Michele
Parisi
Bioscribe
mparisi@bioscribe.com
925-864-5028
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SOURCE Luminex Corporation