Instrumentation Development
Consolidation & connectivity in instrument development
Workstation consolidation and integrated platform technologies are the driving forces behind current instrumentation development in IVD. The goal is to improve workflow and reduce the number of manual steps required by the user. To learn more about how manufacturers are addressing ever more sophisticated instruments and embracing customer-centric development of those instruments, IVD Technology editor Richard Park spoke with William Koppes, MS, vice president, Global Research &...
Introduction to electronic and mechanical components and software
      An automated microplate well coating system by Oyster Bay Pump Works (Hicksville, NY). Automated systems for the manufacture and quality control of IVDs consist of a combination of mechanical, electrical, and software components whose nature and mode of integration into a system must be specified in light of what the system will be expected to do. The manufacturer needs to thoroughly evaluate and define the tasks to be performed by the system and related...
Doing More With Less
    INSTRUMENTATION DEVELOPMENT   Closed-tube sampling: Safety benefits and beyond By automating manual tasks, closed-tube sampling (CTS) helps laboratories bridge the gap between a high volume of work and a shortage of qualified workers. As with other automation, CTS allows laboratories to do more with less, a challenge that nearly every lab faces. The shortage of qualified workers has a ripple effect outside of the laboratory as well, since it can affect...
Developing instruments that laboratories want
    IN PERSON: EXPANDED ONLINE VERSION       Helmut Koehler, PhD, is executive managing director at Olympus Life Science Europa GmbH (Hamburg, Germany) and Olympus Life Science Research Europa GmbH (Munich, Germany). Since joining Olympus in 2002, he is responsible for the European life science business at Olympus, which includes diagnostics and microscopy, and all Europe-based global R&D and manufacturing activities in diagnostics, including lab...
What labs are saying
          A number of trends in laboratory medicine directly affect the evolution of the clinical chemistry lab. All of these trends are connected to reducing costs and trying to get work done with fewer lab personnel, since lab technologists are becoming a rare resource and there is pressure to maintain quick results turnaround. The first effect of these trends is automating the preanalytical sample-preparation steps of registering the sample in the...
Closed-tube sampling: Safety benefits and beyond
    INSTRUMENTATION DEVELOPMENT       (click to enlarge) Due to safety concerns, closed-tube sampling (CTS), also known as cap piercing, has been a standard feature on hematology analyzers for a long time. But in recent years, CTS has been adapted for chemistry analyzers and is available on integrated workstations, such as the UniCel DxC 880i by Beckman Coulter Inc. (Fullerton, CA). The benefits of CTS are arguably more profound in chemistry testing than...
Electronic and mechanical components and software: In this section
      1. Cables, connectors, and shielding suppliers offer components that are ap­proved under various U.S. and international standards. 2. Fluid-handling components suppliers specialize in fluidic systems, including low-level pumps to fill pipettors, and the integration of these components. 3. Input devices include the components with which the user interacts, including touch screens, keyboards, and bar code wands and scanners. 4. Motors and motion controls include...
Introduction to electronic and mechanical components and software
      The Star automated workstation by Hamilton Co. (Reno, NV). (Photo courtesy Hamilton Co.) The selection of electronic and mechanical components and software for an automated IVD system is a complex undertaking with major technical, regulatory, and financial implications for the IVD instrument manufacturer. Careful study of critical assemblies and modules and how they would work in concert enables the manufacturer's designers and engineers, or the contract...
An automated multiplexing platform for genomic and proteomic analyses
            The discovery of specific genes and their link to various disease states is facilitating early diagnosis and timely therapy, and paving the way toward personalized medicine. Traditionally, diseases have been classified based on physiological symptoms or phenotypes. Now with a better understanding of the molecular basis of diseases and the individual inherent differences in disease susceptibility and drug responses, molecular diagnostic tests are...
Building core technology for multiple markets
            Steve Bailey is director of new product development in worldwide R&D at Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics (Rochester, NY). Since joining in 2002, he has led the development and delivery of new platforms for clinical chemistry and immunodiagnostics markets. He has over 25 years of experience in on-time systems delivery in defense, medical imaging, telecommunications, and medical diagnostic industries. He can be reached at sbailey@ocdus.jnj.com...