BioMérieux And Wescor Bring A New Gram Staining Instrument For Enhanced Microbiology Laboratory Workflow
Marcy L'etoile, France - bioMérieux (Paris:BIM) and Wescor, an ELITech Group Company have signed an agreement by which bioMérieux will become Wescor's exclusive worldwide partner for marketing two customized slide stainer instruments for Gram and tuberculosis bacillus under the bioMérieux brand.
With this OEM (original equipment manufacturer) agreement, bioMérieux reinforces its leadership position in the microbiology laboratory, bringing automation to a new step in the analytic process with the unique slide staining technology, PREVI Color Gram and PREVI Color TB.
Gram staining is a critical and mandatory test performed in the microbiology laboratory. It is a preliminary step used to differentiate Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. A cumbersome and long procedure, traditional Gram staining requires technical expertise, numerous manual steps and therefore lacks reliability and reproducibility. Wescor's automated spray technology saves time and enables standardization and accuracy of results. The addition of the Cytopro rotor to the slide stainers results in a cytocentrifugation with eight slide capacity. The innovative technique also improves laboratory workflow and generates significant savings for laboratories of all sizes. Commercial launch is scheduled for the third quarter 2008.
"This very promising partnership with Wescor further advances bioMérieux's strategy to enhance microbiology laboratory automation. From having two microbiology instruments mid 2006, bioMérieux will be offering six microbiology instruments to customers in summer 2008," said Stéphane Bancel, Chief Executive Officer of bioMérieux. "The PREVI Color Gram and PREVI Color TB consume less reagents than other current methods, also contributing to our company's commitment to sustainable development," he added.
The bioMérieux PREVI Color Gram and PREVI Color TB perfectly complements bioMérieux's complete range of fully automated solutions for the microbiology bench, with recent innovations such as the MicroStreak for PPM streaking and Sysmex UF-1000i for urinary screening.
SOURCE: bioMérieux