International Symposium on LifeChips 2006

Array technologies for genomic, proteomic, cellular screening and diagnostic testing applications
Multiplexed bead-based assays, sometimes called “solution arrays”, are finding increasing commercial use in genomic, proteomic, cellular screening and diagnostic testing applications. The need to measure multiple quantitative responses simultaneously, the amenability of bead assays to automation, the development of less expensive commercial flow systems, and the ease and cost effectiveness of manufacturing high quality bead profiling kits of varied composition have all contributed to the rising popularity of this new assay format. The basic multiplexed bead assay involves using fluorescent dye-encoded microspheres upon which to build a variety of selective assay chemistries. The encoded beads serve as tiny, identifiable, reaction vessels on which target analytes are selectively captured from sample solution. The analytes are then labeled and the microspheres are washed and presented to a compact flow cytometer where analytes are rapidly identified and quantified. In this presentation we will describe the development of a compact, yet function-packed, prototype multiplex bead assay system. The basic bead assay format is applicable to a very wide range of applications and multiplexing levels. We will describe the application of our system to several assays of biomedical testing significance.

Biography
James C. Osborne, Ph.D., is Corporate Vice President of the Advanced Technology Center of Beckman Coulter, Inc. From 1996 to 1998 he was Vice President-Director, Biotechnology Chemistry Development. From 1992 to 1996 he was Vice President-Director, Advanced Chemistry and DNA Analysis and had responsibility for the Beckman Center of Advanced Capillary Electrophoresis, in addition to various analytical and specific chemistries. He was Director of the Advanced Development Unit from 1990 to 1992. Osborne joined Beckman in 1985 as Manager of Applications and Centrifuge Research in Palo Alto, Calif. In 1987, he was named Director of Research and Applications and appointed Vice President in 1992. Osborne earned his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Science degrees in Chemistry from the University of Maryland in Baltimore County, and his doctorate in Biochemistry from the University of Maryland Medical School in Baltimore. Osborne is an author of numerous articles and book chapters on protein biophysical chemistry and enzymology. He is a member of The Protein Society, American Chemical Society, American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, American Association for the Advancement of Science, and American Association of Clinical Chemists. He serves on the Board of Agencourt Personal Genomics, Array Automation, and the Discovery Science Center, and is a member of the UCI Stem Cell Advisory Committee and the Beckman Grants Advisory Council. Dr. Osborne resides in Orange, California.