IN THE PRESS
Press Release
ANN ARBOR, Mich. --(BUSINESS WIRE)February 11, 2008
Luminos, LLC Announces Worldwide Exclusive License Agreement with University of Pittsburgh on Patented Palladium/Platinum Detection System
Luminos, LLC announces the signing of an exclusive license agreement with the University of Pittsburgh to use their patented technology to develop and sell detection kits which contain a new fluorescent sensor to detect the rare metals palladium and platinum. The fluorescent molecule was developed in Professor Kazunori Koide’s lab at the University’s Department of Chemistry. The technology allows the end user to quantitatively detect palladium or platinum in samples simply and rapidly using the fluorescent signal generated.
Dr. Russell Hart, General Partner of Luminos, said of the license, “This technology has major applications in multiple product areas allowing for the detection of these rare metals. One major application is the quantitative detection of palladium contamination in pharmaceutical products and API’s. We will develop a kit to measure the metal at the lab bench during the chemical synthetic process. In an in vitro diagnostic application, the fluorescent sensor can detect platinum containing chemotherapeutic agents, such as cisplatin, in patient serum allowing for correct therapeutic dosing. We will be evaluating a POC test for this application in the coming months. We also see applications at companies that use these 2 metals for industrial and commercial goods such as in the manufacturing of catalytic converters, jewelry and dental products.”
Dr Hart also said: “We expect to have the first product using this technology on the market by late summer of 2008. We expect significant worldwide sales of these kits in multiple industrial areas, including the pharmaceutical, chemical, manufacturing, and diagnostic arenas.”
About Luminos, LLC
Luminos LLC was founded in 2007 by three of the senior scientists from Assay Designs, Inc., two of whom were the founders of that company. Luminos is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan and develops novel assay kit products for the detection of important biological molecules.
Press Release
Dexter, MI and Ann Arbor, MI, January 8, 2008
Berry & Associates, Inc. and Luminos, LLC announce Research, Supply and Marketing Agreement
Berry & Associates, Inc. and Luminos, LLC announce the signing of a three-year Research, Supply and Marketing Agreement. The synthetic chemistry expertise of Berry & Associates will be partnered with the biochemical assay expertise of Luminos to develop designer reagents that enable the use of luminescent detection methodologies in novel in vitro assays of biological and medical interest. Upon successful completion of R&D activities, both the designer reagents and assay kits that utilize the reagents will be produced and marketed to academic and industrial research scientists.
Dr. Russell Hart, General Partner of Luminos, said of the agreement, “This is an important alliance for Michigan-based biosciences companies. It will allow the combined skills of Berry and Luminos to develop, manufacture, market and sell worldwide the next generation of detection methods for biomolecules.”
Dr. William Pearson, Vice President for Research and Development at Berry, noted that, "For nearly twenty years, we have designed and manufactured specialty chemicals at our Dexter site for use in the life sciences area, forging collaborations worldwide. It is exciting to partner with another Michigan life sciences company, especially one that is focused on molecular detection technology. As an outgrowth of our work in the nucleic acids area, we have considerable experience in the design and synthesis of optical tags for biomedical assays, the perfect backdrop for a collaboration with Luminos."
About Berry & Associates, Inc.
Berry & Associates, Inc., founded in 1989 and located just outside of Ann Arbor in Dexter, Michigan, is a privately held chemistry company that provides biomedical researchers with specialty nucleosides, nucleotides, and DNA/RNA synthesis monomers (phosphoramidites and solid-phase-linked reagents) as well as fluorescent markers, biotins, carbohydrates, and heterocycles. Recent innovative products include fluorous affinity products for oligonucleotide purification and BlackBerry™ Quenchers for use in fluorogenic oligonucleotide probes.
About Luminos, LLC
Luminos LLC was founded in 2007 by three of the senior scientists from Assay Designs, Inc, two of whom were the founders of that rapidly growing company. Luminos is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan and develops novel assay kit products for the detection of important biological molecules.
Ann Arbor Business News
July 26, 2007
Assay Designs founders create new company in Ann Arbor
The scientists who started one of Ann Arbor's most successful life sciences companies are starting another firm.
Assay Designs founders Russell Hart and Barbara Scheuer have joined with another scientist from the company to form Luminos LLC.
“We would like to focus back on the pharmaceutical, clinical trial scientists. The move means getting closer to the clinical side rather than focusing on the new, exciting things that come out of universities.”
The new business will develop clinical biomarkers to help researchers measure the success of new pharmaceuticals. It will also provide custom development of products for other life sciences companies.
Hart and Scheuer will remain as majority common shareholders of Assay Designs and members of the company's Board of Directors.
Assay incorporated in 1992 and gradually grew from two part-timers to about 85 employees today. The company moved into a new, $18 million, 27,000-square-foot facility in Pittsfield Township in 2006.
But Hart said Assay's natural growth and expansion led to a focus that was somewhat different than what they preferred to do on a daily basis.
"Always with growth comes a certain focus that is away from what the two of us like to do," Hart said. "We have been talking with the board of directors about doing this for about nine months now."
The acquisitions of Advanced Magnetics TiterZymeTM in 1999 and Stressgen Bioreagents in 2005 expanded the company's product portfolio but shifted its product line focus toward academic researchers.
"We would like to focus back on the pharmaceutical, clinical trial scientists," Hart said. The move means "getting closer to the clinical side rather than focusing on the new, exciting things that come out of universities."
Nonetheless, Hart said the academic sector would still be represented in the Luminos client base.
“ The new business will develop clinical biomarkers to help researchers measure the success of new pharmaceuticals. It will also provide custom development of products for other life sciences companies.”
"We'll sell to a whole bunch of different segments, not just pharmaceutical companies, otherwise we'd be hurting seriously right now," he said.
Luminos has signed a five-year lease for space at 1514 Eisenhower Place in the Eisenhower Commerce Center in Ann Arbor. The McMullen Co. brokered the lease. Luminos has an option to move to other McMullen-owned space if needed before the expiration of the agreement.
The company expects to be setting up labs by mid-August.
Wright Griffin Davis and Co. is handling accounting work for the new company, and Conlin, McKenney & Philbrick, P.C. is handling its legal work.
Hart, Scheuer and Assay Designs scientist Nancy Schmidt will jointly own the new company, although exact terms of the agreement were not available.
The company has negotiated contracts with two companies in the Ann Arbor area in addition to a pharmaceutical company in the Boston area and an academic institution. Hart said the agreements are confidential for now.
Luminos expects to hire more scientists as the business expands.
But "we have an agreement with Assay Designs not to poach too many people so there is a limit to how many people we can take," Hart said.
What's New at Luminos
The big news is that we are up and running a full functioning lab in record time. We took possession of the space at 1514 Eisenhower Place on Friday August 3rd, 2007. We spent the next couple of weeks adapting and adding to our makeshift lab ‘benches” and offices. Our first chairs were portable camping chairs but a quick trip to IKEA got us office desks, a conference room table, and miscellaneous other items. We employed 2 skilled carpenters to assemble our permanent benches and we had electricity installed shortly after. A sink along with a DI water set up followed rapidly (replacing the bottled DI water we had been using). Fridges and freezers were purchased to add to our line up of excess equipment we obtained from Assay Designs.
Lab work started immediately and our first product was shipped within 6 weeks of moving into the space! That must be a record.
By the end of August we had hired our first non-founder scientist, Bobbi, a fellow colleague from Assay Designs. With Bobbi’s addition we had a cumulative total of about 50 years worth of experience at Assay Designs alone!
The day after Bobbi’s start we had a party at Luminos. We party well, long, and hard! Lots of food, drink and great company completed the evening.
On September 23rd we took a beautiful Sunday walk to raise over $650 for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation charity event in Ann Arbor. Thanks to all our donors who we harassed constantly to donate – no, really they gave willingly and without fuss – THANKS!
Our web site is up and running. Thanks to everyone who helped, especially the people at Tadpole, who created the site. Look for more improvements over the coming weeks and months. We hope everyone likes the photos – we have the privilege of working with the Bioartography Group at the University of Michigan who gave us the right to use these wonderful microscope photos. If you visit our offices you will see framed prints of these photos on the walls of our conference room.
