LBT Innovations makes first APAS sale in EU to Germany’s largest clinical laboratory
LBT Innovations’ APAS Independence device can read and interpret 200 plates per hour.
Australian medical technology company LBT Innovations (ASX: LBT) has announced the first sale of its APAS (Automatic Plate Assessment System) Independence instrument within the European Union, to Germany’s largest clinical laboratory Labor Dr Wisplinghoff.
The sale was completed following CE Mark certification and full integration into Labor Dr Wisplinghoff’s laboratory workflow to support routine clinical testing.
The transaction was managed by LBT’s 50%-owned joint venture company Clever Culture Systems which will receive the revenue.
LBT will benefit through a reduced funding requirement to the joint venture.
Fast and fully-automated
APAS Independence is fully-automated with the ability to process over 200 culture plates per hour – at least three times faster than manual culture plate reading.
The instrument is able to autonomously differentiate culture plates showing signs of bacterial growth, without the need for human or further intervention.
It can read and interpret 200 plates per hour and automatically reviews and sorts plates into stacks of negatives, positives and those to be reviewed
It has demonstrated greater accuracy than microbiologists in independent clinical trials.
First sale
LBT chief executive officer Brent Barnes said the first sale to Labor Dr Wisplinghoff reflects the positive performance experienced by the laboratory over the last 18 months.
“We are particularly pleased at the benefits that this commercial sale to a marquee customer in the EU will bring us, given their reputation for early adoption of leading-edge technology in our market,” he said.
“With our CE Mark in place, we believe we are well-placed to target commercial sales to other laboratories in the region.”
Centre of Excellence
In April 2018, Labor Dr Wisplinghoof received the first placement of an APAS Independence unit under its standing as a European centre of excellence for LBT.
The laboratory has been a partner in the development of LBT’s MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) analysis module by capturing culture plate images required for the module’s machine learning process.
The laboratory evaluated more than 17,000 routine specimens over a six-month period to evaluate the accuracy of artificial intelligence-based detection of MRSA on chromogenic culture plates when compared to conventional reading by an experienced microbiologist.
Purpose-built lab
Founded in 1977, Labor Dr Wisplinghoff is the largest clinical laboratory in Germany and one of the largest of its kind in Europe.
Based in a purpose-built facility in Cologne, the laboratory services hospitals and medical practices.
It employs over 40 medical specialists covering all relevant areas of clinical pathology including clinical microbiology and virology, clinical chemistry, toxicology, endocrinology, haematology, oncology, genetics, anatomical and molecular pathology and cytology.
At midday, shares in LBT were up 24% to $0.155.