Luminex Corporation to Host the Planet xMAP USA 2008 Multiplexing Symposium in Boston

Business Wire, Feb 8, 2008

Dr. Kathi Kellar from the CDC and microRNA Pioneer Dr. Carlo Croce from the Ohio State University will be the Keynote Speakers at the Three-Day Annual Multiplexing Technology Symposium

AUSTIN, Texas -- Luminex Corporation (NASDAQ: LMNX), the worldwide leader in multiplexed solutions, today announced that it will host Planet xMAP USA 2008, the annual North American multiplexing technology symposium, March 3-5, at the Park Plaza Hotel in Boston, Massachusetts. This fifth annual symposium will bring together leading scientists performing groundbreaking work on the Luminex xMAP[R] multiplexing technology platform in clinical diagnostics and life science research applications. The symposium will consist of three days of dynamic workshops, presentations, discussion groups, scientific posters and networking events. The symposium will feature keynote presentations from epidemiologist Dr. Kathi Kellar of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and microRNA pioneer Dr. Carlo Croce from The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center.

"Planet xMAP USA 2008 will provide a forum for a diverse group of scientists, researchers and clinicians to share ideas on how multiplexing technology can enhance research, drug discovery and diagnostics," said Patrick J. Balthrop, president and chief executive officer of Luminex Corporation. "We are thrilled to celebrate the fifth anniversary of this multiplexing symposium with such a distinguished lineup of life science and diagnostic experts from around the world. We are honored to have Dr. Kellar and Dr. Croce joining us as keynote speakers to discuss their applications utilizing xMAP technology."

Dr. Kathi Kellar specializes in the monitoring and control of infectious diseases. She currently serves as the Director of the Suspension Array Laboratory in the Division of Scientific Resources at the CDC's National Center for Preparedness, Detection, and Control of Infectious Diseases. Her keynote address will review current applications and how xMAP technology has impacted the breadth of biomedical research, clinical diagnostics, genomics, proteomics, public health, pharmaceutical testing, as well as bioterrorism surveillance.

Dr. Carlo Croce is the John W. Wolfe Chair in Human Cancer Genetics, Professor and Chair of Molecular Virology, Immunology and Medical Genetics, and Director of the Human Cancer Genetics Program at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center. He is known for his work in cancer genetics, and Dr. Croce's keynote address will explore new trends in microRNA research.

In addition to these keynote addresses, Planet xMAP USA 2008 will feature presentations and workshops on a variety of xMAP-based applications. Planet xMAP USA 2008 will begin on Monday, March 3, with a day of workshops led by scientists from Luminex and experts from Luminex's partner companies.

Day Two, Tuesday, March 4, will focus on xMAP-based life science research applications and feature the following presentations:

- Keynote Address - Kathi Kellar, Ph.D., National Center for Preparedness, Detection and Control of Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control - "Mindful of the Past with an Eye to the Future"

* Christine Falk, Ph.D., National Center for Tumor Diseases at the German Research Center, DKFZ and the Institute for Immunology - "The Multiplex Technology in Immunology: Cytokines, Phosphokinases and HLA/KIR Typing"

* Hai Tran, PharmD, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Comprehensive Cancer Center - "Application of Multiplex Bead-Based Assays in Preclinical and Clinical Cancer Research"

* Luis Giavedoni, Ph.D., Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research - "Use of the Luminex xMAP Technology for Validation of Nonhuman Primates as Best Animal Models for Human Diseases"

* Kimberly Stegmaier, M.D., Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Children's Hospital Boston - "Signature-Based Approaches to Small Molecule Library Screening"

* Eric Miska, Ph.D., University of Cambridge - "MicroRNA Expression Profiling of Human Breast Cancer Identifies New Markers of Tumor Subtype"

* Troy E. Fuller, Ph.D., Pfizer Animal Health - "Application of Multiplex Technology to Signature-Tagged Mutagenesis of Streptococcus suis"

Day Three, Wednesday, March 5, will focus on xMAP-based diagnostics applications and feature the following presentations:

* Keynote Address - Carlo Croce, M.D., The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - "MicroRNA-29 Family Reverts Aberrant Methylation in Lung Cancer by Targeting DNA Methyltransferases 3A and 3B"

* Christine Robinson, Ph.D., Denver Children's Hospital - "The xTAG Respiratory Viral Panel"

* Kristen Keeling Reynolds, Ph.D., PGxL Laboratories - "New Paradigms in Personalized Medicine: Predictive Models in Warfarin Pharmacogenetics"

* Gary Procop, M.D., Cleveland Clinic Foundation - "The Detection and Differentiation of the Causes of Fungemia Using Broad-Range PCR and Luminex xMAP Technology"

* Kamaljit Singh, M.D., Rush University Medical Center - "A University Hospital Experience with RVP"