HORIBA Medical and CellaVision collaborate on new automated Digital Cell Morphology solution to enhance lab workflows

HORIBA UK Ltd, Medical has introduced a new automated digital cell morphology solution in collaboration with CellaVision to help hematology laboratories simplify and expedite the performance of blood and body fluid differentials. CellaVision’s digital cell morphology systems can now be integrated with HORIBA’s HELO automated hematology platform, enabling unique two-way data flow and rapid validation of cell morphology results. These combined systems automate a number of steps that would otherwise be undertaken manually, thus significantly enhancing laboratory workflows and increasing productivity.

The connectivity and bi-directional information sharing between CellaVision and HORIBA’s hematology systems uniquely support numerous aspects of digital blood cell morphology workflow. These save technician and cytologist time, support ease-of-use, improve flexibility and deliver more accurate results.

CellaVision systems leverage high-speed robotics and digital imaging to automatically locate and capture high-quality images of cells from slides produced by HORIBA’s Yumizen SPS slide maker following automatic slide reflex rules. By automating pre-classification and pre-characterization of blood cell morphology, this slide digitalization solution saves time and supports standardization of slide reading when compared to the use of a traditional microscope for validation of blood smears. In turn, all results and alarms from HORIBA’s hematology analyzers can be directly sent to CellaVision.

Data received from HORIBA hematology analyzers are used by CellaVision systems in a number of ways to enhance workflows. As all slides are printed with 1D or 2D barcodes by the SPS, automatic distinction of whole blood and body fluids slides are possible without need for specific color-coded racks when loading. Furthermore, based on the HORIBA analyzer’s WBC value, the CellaVision system will automatically adjust the quantity of pictures it captures to ensure sufficient and representative cell counting. This offers convenience in cases of leucopoenia or aplasia.

Further supporting ease-of-use and saving personnel time, automatic access to the HORIBA analyzer’s values, alarms and comments on the CellaVision interface facilitates slide review on a single interface during validation. Also offering convenience in the decision-making process, all comments made on CellaVision are automatically integrated into HORIBA’s Yumizen P8000 middleware and expert validation station. Furthermore, the analyzer result can be confirmed on the CellaVision which the P800 will then automatically validate and send to the LIS, so improving turnaround time.

Mandy Campbell, Sales and Marketing Manager - Medical, HORIBA UK Ltd, commented, “Slide reading is a mandatory step in laboratories to confirm severe pathology diagnosis. By automating and digitizing cell morphology workflow our new joint solution with CellaVision offers significant time saving and results standardization to enable laboratories to work smarter and perform better.”

A range of CellaVision systems is available to integrate with HORIBA’s HELO hematology platform which can be selected based on a laboratory’s size and throughput. The CellaVision^® DM9600 meets the needs of large laboratories with high-volume testing requirements, offering a loading capacity of 96 slides and throughput of 30 slides/hour. For large or small laboratories with lower volume testing needs, the CellaVision^® DM1200 and CellaVision^® DC-1 offer alternative options.

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