Beckman Coulter Setting Benchmarks in Complex Biomedical Testing

In a recent interview published in Medical Laboratory Observer (MLO), Beckman Coulter's MD and CMO, Michael Samoszuk spoke about the company and how it is working to simplify, automate and innovate complex biomedical testing. He explained how the company has come a long way since its inception 80 years ago and how it is working to improve people's lives with its clinical diagnostic solutions. Beckman Coulter has set the benchmark for many others in the industry. Here is a brief overview of the company's achievements and future goals as explained by its CMO.

Beckman Coulter provides four major categories of solutions for its customers - chemistry/immunoassay, hematology/urinalysis, molecular diagnostics, and workflow/IT solutions. Its high throughput chemistry and immunochemistry analyzers and reagents can be used to perform a wide variety of tests on different bodily fluids to help diagnose or manage various illnesses and evaluate a person's overall health.

The company's line of hematology/urinalysis products are used to perform tests that help detect blood disease (such as anemia, leukemia, or blood infection) or abnormalities in the urine. The molecular diagnostics unit is developing advanced tests to measure the concentration in the blood of viruses responsible for serious illnesses such as AIDS and hepatitis B and C.

Automation improves the productivity of medical professionals, providing them with the critical information necessary for improving patient health and reducing the cost of care. Beckman Coulter Diagnostics is a leader in development of laboratory automation and specializes in the automation of clinical laboratory testing. The goal is to help hospital laboratories and other critical care settings provide fast, accurate and cost-effective test results to help physicians confidently diagnose disease, make treatment decisions, and monitor patients.

Another area where Beckman Coulter has made a difference is in workflow management in labs with solutions designed to increase their efficiency, quality, and speed.

The company is also working to address changing customer needs. It is developing a fully automated platform for viral load testing that will make it easier way to perform these sophisticated molecular tests by ultimately combining all molecular testing onto one platform. It has also invested in developing several innovative assays such as an improved assay for troponin to diagnose myocardial infarction, a new immunoassay for vitamin D, and an innovative new assay for assessing ovarian reserve.