Firefly BioWorks Launch Expanded Multiplexed microRNA Assay

Firefly BioWorks have announced the expansion of FirePlex® miRSelect to enable multiplexed detection of up to 68 user-selected microRNA species in a single well of a 96 well plate. This new release of the company’s flagship product enables validation of larger microRNA signatures rapidly and inexpensively.

“The expanded capability of miRSelect will resonate with researchers looking to validate early discovery studies on statistically significant numbers of samples. This latest version of miRSelect is an important step toward our mission of enabling all scientists to engage those ambitious explorations that are considered too expensive, labor intensive or time consuming with existing technology,” says Dr. Davide Marini, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Firefly BioWorks. The expanded Firefly platform allows for rapid and cost-effective testing of large numbers of samples across more microRNA targets than ever before. In addition to validation studies, miRSelect is applicable to a broad array of research areas, including biomarker discovery, translational research, developmental biology and model organism research.

FirePlex® miRSelect is a rapid, robust, and sensitive method for multiplexed detection of microRNAs across a wide range of sample types. The product does not require purchase of dedicated equipment or lengthy sample preparation protocols. Instead of using predefined microRNA panels, researchers can build a panel customized to their needs, by choosing 10 to 68 targets from miRBase or by specifying novel sequences. For scientists approaching the field of microRNA for the first time, Firefly BioWorks offers a special-purpose search engine (PubmiR) to provide objective ranking of the most important microRNAs associated with specific diseases or biological pathways, according to published literature.

“The goal of this release is to provide researchers with the maximum flexibility, both in terms of number and nature of microRNA targets to be profiled in each sample,” says Dr. Daniel Pregibon, co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Firefly BioWorks.

Firefly BioWorks was founded to commercialize an innovative, open approach to multiplexed detection of biomolecules. The company’s flagship product, FirePlex® miRSelect, enables high-throughput and targeted microRNA profiling by flow cytometry. The product is also available as a service.