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Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., a global leader of life science research and clinical diagnostic products, announce the launch of the Bio-Plex™ Pro Human SARS-CoV-2 Variant Neutralization Antibody Assays, for research use only (RUO).

The assays allow scientists to measure neutralizing antibodies quickly and efficiently against wild-type and significant variants of SARS-CoV-2 virus. Scientists developing vaccines and therapeutics can determine the efficacy of their product from development through all the clinical phases. Epidemiologists can perform seroprevalence studies to better understand the longevity of the neutralizing antibody response from infection or vaccination. Compared to using traditional cell-based assays and ELISA tests, researchers can increase their throughput when using the multiplex Bio-Plex Pro Assays.

The assays are offered in an 11-plex complete all-in-one kit format that consists of the wild-type RBD and S1 and 9 variant antigens, as well as customizable singleplex assays, 2-plex Delta variant coupled beads, and a custom Assay Developer Kit to create assays to any new SARS-CoV-2 variant - such as Omicron - for maximum flexibility.

“As variants of interest and concern become the predominant forms of SARS-CoV-2 infecting populations, it’s critical to understand whether the antibodies, elicited by a prior COVID-19 infection or vaccination, are still able to neutralize the circulating virus variants,” said Candice Cox, Bio-Rad Immunoassays Marketing Manager, Life Science Group. “We are pleased to be able to add these neutralizing antibody assays to our offering of existing Bio-Plex Pro IgA, IgG, and IgM 4-plex serology kits for COVID-19 related research in vaccine development and post-market surveillance studies.”

About the Bio-Plex Pro Human SARS-CoV-2 Variant Neutralization Antibody Assays and Kits

The Bio-Plex Pro Human SARS-CoV-2 Variant Neutralization Antibody 11-Plex Panel is a ready-to-use 96-well kit containing premixed magnetic capture beads, a detection ACE2 receptor, a standard and positive control, and buffers that measure levels of neutralizing antibodies and percentage inhibition of the ACE2 receptor binding the viral antigens coupled on the beads. The assay requires only 15 microliters of sample when running duplicates.

The singleplex variant coupled beads and 2-Plex Delta RBD and Spike Trimer coupled beads with its own positive control enable measurement of neutralizing antibodies specific to viral variants of interest and improve laboratory efficiency by generating key actionable data in a single experiment.   

The assays are compatible with RUO Bio-Rad platforms, including the Bio-Plex 200 and Bio-Plex 3D Multiplex Immunoassay Systems, as well as all other RUO xMAP platforms.

Key Benefits

• Researchers can simultaneously measure concentration and percentage inhibition of neutralizing antibodies in competition with the ACE2 receptor against 13 SARS-CoV-2 viral proteins (wild-type RBD and spike 1 (S1) along with variants: Alpha S1, Beta S1, Delta RBD, Delta spike trimer, Gamma RBD, Epsilon RBD, Kappa RBD, D614G S1, E484K RBD, K417N RBD, and N501Y RBD) in under 3 hours
• Researchers and COVID-19 vaccine or therapeutic developers can compare concentration values and percentage inhibition values of samples to understand the effectiveness of neutralization antibodies, elicited either from natural infection or vaccination to different SARS-CoV-2 variants
• A Bio-Plex Pro Human SARS-CoV-2 Neutralization Antibody Custom Assay Developer Kit enables researchers to create assays to any new SARS-CoV-2 variant like the Omicron variant of concern
• The variant antigen coupled beads can be used to measure neutralizing antibodies in any species, making the assay useful for both preclinical and clinical trials.

BIO-RAD and BIO-PLEX are trademarks of Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. in certain jurisdictions. The Bio-Plex Suspension Array System includes fluorescently labeled microspheres and instrumentation licensed to Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. by the Luminex Corporation. LUMINEX and XMAP are trademarks of the Luminex Corporation. All trademarks used herein are the property of their respective owner. 

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About Bio-Rad

Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE: BIO and BIOb) is a global leader in developing, manufacturing, and marketing a broad range of innovative products forthe life science research and clinical diagnostic markets. With a focus on quality and customer service for over 65 years, our products advance the discovery process and improve healthcare. Our customers are university and research institutions, hospitals, public health and commercial laboratories, and biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, as well as applied laboratories that include food safety and environmental quality. Founded in 1952, Bio-Rad is based in Hercules, California, and has a global network of operations with more than 7,800 employees worldwide. Bio-Rad had revenues exceeding $2.5 billion in 2020.