xTAG Technology

xTAG® Technology

About xTAG Technology

Nucleic acid tests from Luminex are based on xTAG Technology, which uses a proprietary, universal tag system that allows easy optimization, development and expansion of molecular diagnostic assays. xTAG Technology combined with the Luminex instrument are a best-in-class solution for performing clinical, multiplexed nucleic acid tests.

Chemistry Used in xTAG Technology

xTAG Technology Step1

I. Multiplex PCR
A multiplexed PCR reaction is performed to amplify the regions of interest in the target human or infectious agent genes.
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II. Exo/SAP treatment of PCR Product
The PCR reaction is treated to remove excess nucleotides and primers.
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xTAG Technology Step2

III. Multiplex ASPE/TSPE
The PCR reaction is then subjected to a primer extension step that is specific for the allele or the infectious agent that is being analyzed: Allele Specific Primer Extension (ASPE) or Target Specific Primer Extension (TSPE). The 5’ end of the ASPE or TSPE primers is attached to an xTAG universal tag sequence.
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xTAG Technology Step3

IV. Universal Array Sorting
The 5’ universal tag sequence is hybridized to the complementary anti-tag sequence coupled to a particular xMAP bead set.
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xTAG Technology Step3

Wash (Remove in Streamlined)

V. Detection
The hybridized beads are read by the Luminex xMAP system and results are analyzed by the data analysis software.
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Luminex System Detection
xTAG Technology Step5

 

About xTAG Technology Products

Luminex xTAG Technology products provide accurate, flexible, low cost microarrays. They combine any set of 100 single DNA tests and multiplex them simultaneously in a single reaction. xTAG products are conducted on the Luminex xMAP system, which uses lasers to read color-coded microspheres that attach to specific nucleic acid sequences. xTAG was formerly known as TAG-IT from Tm Bioscience.


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