OCTOBER 17--Molecular Diagnostics Inc. (MDI; formerly Ampersand Medical Corporation; Chicago, IL; www.molecular-dx.com) has entered a strategic venture with a leading provider of tissue-analysis systems whereby the partner will purchase more than $1 million of MDI's AcCell automated microscopy platforms. For strategic purposes, the venture partner will remain anonymous until later this month. MDI is to begin shipment of the instruments immediately.
Under terms of the venture, the partner will focus its delivery of the tissue-imaging systems based on MDI's AcCell 2001 and 2500 automated microscopy systems in a configuration specifically adapted to the partner's needs. The AcCell will provide the high-volume robotic and computer-controlled means of digitally analyzing microscope-slide-based tissue samples. MDI has also based its own Slide Based Test platform on the AcCell. The Slide Based Test is an automated platform for the analysis of liquid-based cervical cytology samples stained with MDI's proprietary Cocktail-CVX or In-Cell HPV assays. The test is in clinical trials now to validate its ability to replace the Pap test as the primary method of screening samples for cervical disease.
