Beckman Coulter Becomes First Diagnostics Company to Offer Workflow Automation Specifically for Mid-Volume Laboratories
|
By LabMedica International staff writers Posted on 05 May 2021 |

Image: DxA 5000 Fit (Photo courtesy of Beckman Coulter)
Beckman Coulter (Brea, CA, USA) has announced the global launch of the DxA 5000 Fit, a workflow-automation solution designed to fit into medium-sized labs that run fewer than 5,000 tests a day.
The clinical laboratory has gone through trial by fire in 2020, where total testing was 245% of baseline volumes, with ~55% being SARS-CoV-2 molecular tests. Despite vaccines, many industry players suggest SARS-CoV-2 testing volumes would not be impacted in the near term, and the demand for COVID-19-related testing will continue through 2021 and potentially into 2022. This means that testing-volume pressure on labs is going to continue.
Labs of all sizes are facing the same challenges: shortage of laboratory technologists and technicians, historic financial pressures on hospitals and health systems, and physically and mentally exhausted laboratory professionals - a pre-pandemic problem that has since been exacerbated. However, the TLA solutions that cater to labs processing high-sample volumes are out of reach for smaller volume labs due to space requirements and infrastructure constraints.
With the DxA 5000 Fit, mid-sized labs can enjoy the same benefits as larger-volume lab. The DxA 5000 Fit’s comprehensive workflow automation reduces up to 80% of manual steps through pre-analytical, analytical and post-analytical automation, thereby conserving precious human resources to do higher-value clinical work. It offers intelligent routing with dynamically calculated route planning for rapid and consistent TAT, with STATs always prioritized to deliver results faster. Additionally, its flexible design can be adapted to meet a mid-volume lab's space and infrastructure constraints.
"At Beckman Coulter, we believe that medium-size labs should be able to leverage the benefits of automation to address their challenges. Just because your lab is not processing a higher number of samples, doesn't mean you have to sacrifice the benefits of intelligent laboratory automation and settle for a marginally automated workcell-plus solution," said Dr. Peter Soltani, senior vice president & general manager, hematology, urinalysis & workflow information technology solutions at Beckman Coulter. "This is why we have launched DxA 5000 Fit, the first compact workflow automation solution that's the right fit for mid-volume labs because automation should be for all labs."
The clinical laboratory has gone through trial by fire in 2020, where total testing was 245% of baseline volumes, with ~55% being SARS-CoV-2 molecular tests. Despite vaccines, many industry players suggest SARS-CoV-2 testing volumes would not be impacted in the near term, and the demand for COVID-19-related testing will continue through 2021 and potentially into 2022. This means that testing-volume pressure on labs is going to continue.
Labs of all sizes are facing the same challenges: shortage of laboratory technologists and technicians, historic financial pressures on hospitals and health systems, and physically and mentally exhausted laboratory professionals - a pre-pandemic problem that has since been exacerbated. However, the TLA solutions that cater to labs processing high-sample volumes are out of reach for smaller volume labs due to space requirements and infrastructure constraints.
With the DxA 5000 Fit, mid-sized labs can enjoy the same benefits as larger-volume lab. The DxA 5000 Fit’s comprehensive workflow automation reduces up to 80% of manual steps through pre-analytical, analytical and post-analytical automation, thereby conserving precious human resources to do higher-value clinical work. It offers intelligent routing with dynamically calculated route planning for rapid and consistent TAT, with STATs always prioritized to deliver results faster. Additionally, its flexible design can be adapted to meet a mid-volume lab's space and infrastructure constraints.
"At Beckman Coulter, we believe that medium-size labs should be able to leverage the benefits of automation to address their challenges. Just because your lab is not processing a higher number of samples, doesn't mean you have to sacrifice the benefits of intelligent laboratory automation and settle for a marginally automated workcell-plus solution," said Dr. Peter Soltani, senior vice president & general manager, hematology, urinalysis & workflow information technology solutions at Beckman Coulter. "This is why we have launched DxA 5000 Fit, the first compact workflow automation solution that's the right fit for mid-volume labs because automation should be for all labs."
Latest Industry News
- BD and Penn Institute Collaborate to Advance Immunotherapy through Flow Cytometry
- Abbott Acquires Cancer-Screening Company Exact Sciences
- Roche and Freenome Collaborate to Develop Cancer Screening Tests
- Co-Diagnostics Forms New Business Unit to Develop AI-Powered Diagnostics
- Qiagen Acquires Single-Cell Omics Firm Parse Biosciences
- Puritan Medical Products Showcasing Innovation at AMP2025 in Boston
- Advanced Instruments Merged Under Nova Biomedical Name
- Bio-Rad and Biodesix Partner to Develop Droplet Digital PCR High Complexity Assays
- Hologic to be Acquired by Blackstone and TPG
- Bio-Techne and Oxford Nanopore to Accelerate Development of Genetics Portfolio
- Terumo BCT and Hemex Health Collaborate to Improve Access to Testing for Hemoglobin Disorders
- Revvity and Sanofi Collaborate on Program to Revolutionize Early Detection of Type 1 Diabetes
- GSI Group Acquires Blood Processing Equipment Manufacturer GenesisBPS
- ELITech and Hitachi High-Tech to Develop Automated PCR Testing System for Infectious Diseases
- Lumiquick Acquires Aoxre to Expand Global IVD and Research Capabilities
- Lunit and Agilent Partner to Develop AI-Powered Cancer Diagnostics
Channels
Clinical Chemistry
view channel
Compact Raman Imaging System Detects Subtle Tumor Signals
Accurate cancer diagnosis often depends on labor-intensive tissue staining and expert pathological review, which can delay results and limit access to rapid screening. These conventional methods also make... Read more
Noninvasive Blood-Glucose Monitoring to Replace Finger Pricks for Diabetics
People with diabetes often need to measure their blood glucose multiple times a day, most commonly through finger-prick blood tests or implanted sensors. These methods can be painful, inconvenient, and... Read moreMolecular Diagnostics
view channel
Sample Prep Instrument to Empower Decentralized PCR Testing for Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis remains the deadliest infectious disease worldwide despite being both treatable and curable when diagnosed early. A major barrier to timely diagnosis is that PCR-based TB testing is still... Read more
Endometriosis Blood Test Could Replace Invasive Laparoscopic Diagnosis
Endometriosis affects an estimated 1 in 10 women globally, yet diagnosis can take 7 to 10 years on average due to the invasive nature of laparoscopy and lack of accurate, non-invasive tests.... Read more
World's First NGS-Based Diagnostic Platform Fully Automates Sample-To-Result Process Within Single Device
Rapid point-of-need diagnostics are of critical need, especially in the areas of infectious disease and cancer testing and monitoring. Now, a direct-from-specimen platform that performs genomic analysis... Read more
Rapid Diagnostic Breakthrough Simultaneously Detects Resistance and Virulence in Klebsiella Pneumoniae
Antibiotic resistance is a steadily escalating threat to global healthcare, making common infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of severe complications. One of the most concerning pathogens... Read moreHematology
view channel
MRD Tests Could Predict Survival in Leukemia Patients
Acute myeloid leukemia is an aggressive blood cancer that disrupts normal blood cell production and often relapses even after intensive treatment. Clinicians currently lack early, reliable markers to predict... Read more
Platelet Activity Blood Test in Middle Age Could Identify Early Alzheimer’s Risk
Early detection of Alzheimer’s disease remains one of the biggest unmet needs in neurology, particularly because the biological changes underlying the disorder begin decades before memory symptoms appear.... Read more
Microvesicles Measurement Could Detect Vascular Injury in Sickle Cell Disease Patients
Assessing disease severity in sickle cell disease (SCD) remains challenging, especially when trying to predict hemolysis, vascular injury, and risk of complications such as vaso-occlusive crises.... Read more
ADLM’s New Coagulation Testing Guidance to Improve Care for Patients on Blood Thinners
Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are one of the most common types of blood thinners. Patients take them to prevent a host of complications that could arise from blood clotting, including stroke, deep... Read moreImmunology
view channel
Ultrasensitive Liquid Biopsy Demonstrates Efficacy in Predicting Immunotherapy Response
Immunotherapy has transformed cancer treatment, but only a small proportion of patients experience lasting benefit, with response rates often remaining between 10% and 20%. Clinicians currently lack reliable... Read more
Blood Test Could Identify Colon Cancer Patients to Benefit from NSAIDs
Colon cancer remains a major cause of cancer-related illness, with many patients facing relapse even after surgery and chemotherapy. Up to 40% of people with stage III disease experience recurrence, highlighting... Read moreMicrobiology
view channel
New UTI Diagnosis Method Delivers Antibiotic Resistance Results 24 Hours Earlier
Urinary tract infections affect around 152 million people every year, making them one of the most common bacterial infections worldwide. In routine medical practice, diagnosis often relies on rapid urine... Read more
Breakthroughs in Microbial Analysis to Enhance Disease Prediction
Microorganisms shape human health, ecosystems, and the planet’s climate, yet identifying them and understanding how they are related remains a major scientific challenge. Even with modern DNA sequencing,... Read morePathology
view channel
AI Tool Simultaneously Identifies Genetic Mutations and Disease Type
Interpreting genetic test results remains a major challenge in modern medicine, particularly for rare and complex diseases. While existing tools can indicate whether a genetic mutation is harmful, they... Read more
Rapid Low-Cost Tests Can Prevent Child Deaths from Contaminated Medicinal Syrups
Medicinal syrups contaminated with toxic chemicals have caused the deaths of hundreds of children worldwide, exposing a critical gap in how these products are tested before reaching patients.... Read more
Tumor Signals in Saliva and Blood Enable Non-Invasive Monitoring of Head and Neck Cancer
Head and neck cancers are among the most aggressive malignancies worldwide, with nearly 900,000 new cases diagnosed each year. Monitoring these cancers for recurrence or relapse typically relies on tissue... Read moreTechnology
view channel
AI Predicts Colorectal Cancer Survival Using Clinical and Molecular Features
Colorectal cancer is one of the most common and deadly cancers worldwide, and accurately predicting patient survival remains a major clinical challenge. Traditional prognostic tools often rely on either... Read more







