Aushon has announced the launch of Cira, a new multiplex immunoassay platform that achieves the sensitivity and reproducibility of singleplex ELISA, while substantially improving ease of use and leveraging the benefits of parallel analysis.

The design produces faster results at a lower cost per sample and higher throughput without compromising the quality or consistency scientists need for their clinical studies. Aushon achieved these results from four synergistic, proprietary inventions: better microarray printing, a new circular assay design, a new high-resolution imager with built-in acquisition algorithms and a bioinformatics engine to generate user data faster. Aushon's proprietary printing technology improves performance by placing analytes precisely in a unique, circular pattern that optimizes the fluidic properties for each Ciraplex™ assay. The Cirascan™ astronomy-grade imaging system captures multiple, high-resolution images for each chemiluminescent array plate in order to maximize sensitivity and dynamic range. Finally, the sophisticated, built-in Cirasoft™ software analyzes only the precise coordinates of the spotted features, thereby reducing "noise" and leading to improved performance.

Personalized medicine, expected to reach $20 billion by 2014, is driving the growth in the biomarker market. In 2010 MarketsandMarkets, of Dallas Texas, estimated worldwide spending on protein biomarker research for oncology alone was $650 million.

Several leading pharmaceutical companies and academic institutions, including Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Duke University Medical Center, have already adopted Aushon's new platform. These customers served as beta sites over the past several months. "In addition to these early access customers, we are engaged with several CROs who plan to adopt our new platform," said Joe Blanchard, Chief Business Officer. "We're also thrilled to have both diagnostic companies and clinical labs evaluating the platform as alternatives to their current singleplex ELISA-based methods."