Beckman Coulter launches integrated cytometry solution
(ICS), which simplifies and automates customer processes to improve
productivity. The solution. becomes the first integrated system to
offer laboratory information system (LIS) connectivity.
The ICS combines Beckman Coulter's FC 500 flow cytometer with the new FP 1000 sample processing system to provide high-volume clinical reference for research laboratories.
ICS is designed to streamline workflow, tracking samples throughout the testing process - from receipt and preparation, to acquisition and analysis of data, to reporting results.
This approach helps laboratories standardise their flow cytometry testing processes, resulting in an increase in accuracy as well as operator safety.
"The automation and integration advancements of our new Integrated Cytometry Solution will help reduce the cost of results reporting and speed critical information to caregivers," said Bonnie Anderson, vice president of Beckman Coulter's Translational Solutions Business Centre.
Flow cytometry is a laser-based technique for counting, examining, and sorting microscopic particles suspended in a stream of fluid, properties which make it a powerful tool for cell analysis.
In drug discovery, it is used for precise distribution and analysis of intact cells and quantitative measurement of intracellular components (such as genes and proteins) and secreted proteins.
Flow cytometry can also be used to provide automated analysis of various blood cell populations. It is commonly used in in vitro diagnostics to identify and enumerate certain cell populations that are key indicators of diseases including HIV, leukemia and lymphoma.
These indicators are instrumental in monitoring disease progression and effectiveness of therapy.
According to biochemistry company Dakocytomation, the current global value of the flow cytometry market is much larger than that of the immunohistochemistry (IHC) market, at approximately $600 million (€464 million).
