Product News: Merck Launches First Commercially Available Equine-Specific Multiplex Assay for Protein Biomarkers

Merck has announced the launch of the first commercially available equine-specific multiplex assay for protein biomarkers. The assay is intended for research use only, not for use in diagnostic procedures.

The MILLIPLEX^® MAP Equine Cytokine/Chemokine Panel enables researchers to simultaneously measure up to 27 cytokines in equine serum, plasma and tissue/cell culture supernatants. The panel delivers important information intended for research on biomarkers of horse infection, inflammation, immune response and general health. 

"Multiplex cytokine assays allow us to ask and answer more complex questions more efficiently and help predict responses to treatment in horses," said Brian Gilger, principal investigator, Laboratory of Ocular Immunology, Toxicology and Drug Delivery, North Carolina State University. "With this panel, we can better understand how the inflammation in the equine eye differs between infectious and immune-mediated uveitis."

Merck's new equine-specific cytokine panel also addresses the unmet needs of equine research centers, veterinary medicine and animal nutrition companies. 

Like all MILLIPLEX^® MAP panels, Merck's new assay kit provides complete flexibility, meaning that researchers can choose analytes from a panel and get the same performance as they would for the whole panel. The kit includes a standardized serum matrix, enabling more accurate quantitation of cytokines in biological samples.