Hologic’s New Tomcat Pre-analytical Sample Processing Instrument to be Featured at ASM2014
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Hologic, Inc. today announced that its new Tomcat instrument will be showcased at the 114th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology (asm2014) at the Boston Convention and Exhibit Center, in Boston, Massachusetts from May 17 - 20th. The Tomcat instrument is a fully automated general purpose platform designed to ease the strain of pre-analytical sample processing by eliminating the inefficient and error-prone activities required to manually aliquot samples. The Company expects to begin commercial shipments of the Tomcat instrument in June 2014.
“The full automation of Hologic‘s Tomcat instrument eases the burden of manual sample transfer steps and helps low- to high-volume laboratories streamline workflow and enhance productivity,” said Rohan Hastie, PhD, Hologic's Division President, Diagnostics. “Adding our Tomcat instrument to the Company’s family of molecular testing systems extends our commitment to give customers more freedom and control over their workflow.”
The design of Hologic’s Tomcat instrument incorporates Lean principles to deliver increased value through automation. The Tomcat instrument performs a full range of sample processing activities for liquid-based cytology samples - from de-capping and capping of sample tubes, to vortexing, aliquoting, incubating and racking of each sample. The instrument also provides positive barcode matching for each sample as well as reagent addition if desired. By eliminating repetitive manual steps, the Tomcat instrument can help laboratories reduce hands-on time and enhance workflow efficiency while improving the quality of each result.
Featuring a standardized aliquoting process, the Tomcat instrument accommodates multiple sample types concurrently, with the ability to continuously load and unload samples and consumables. The instrument is designed to minimize the risk of cross-contamination, with limited hands-on interactions and an intuitive touchscreen interface.
The Tomcat instrument is the latest addition to Hologic’s family of automated molecular testing systems which include: the Panther system, a random and continuous access, fully automated molecular testing platform designed with the flexibility to handle a wide range of testing needs, and the Tigris system, the first fully automated, high-throughput molecular testing system for large laboratories.
