Clinical laboratory automation has come a long way over the past decade. About 10 years ago there were only three major vendors in the field—Beckman Coulter, Roche and Lab Interlink. Although Lab Interlink has since gone under, the industry has experienced accelerated growth to where vendors such as Dade Behring, Abbott, Bayer, Ortho, Tecan, Olympus, etc. have all delved into the automation pie. In fact, the clinical lab automation arena has become so lucrative, industrial automation companies are crossing over into the market.

CLSI Standards
In addition to the technology and approach, standardization within the automation arena is perhaps the most essential means of assuring QC. The Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) has developed a definitive and comprehensive series of automation standards that serve as the gold standard for automation in laboratories throughout the world, says Dr. Felder.

Read the full article text as published in the June 2007 issue of ADVANCE for Administrators of the Laboratory. [ return to top ]