Antech Digital Cytology Scanner Now Available

Delivering effective treatment gets faster with access to board-certified pathologists at the point of care

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Jun 06, 2021, 07:00 ET

ORLANDO, Fla., June 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- NAVC Veterinary Meeting and Expo (VMX) booth #1026 —Today, Antech Diagnostics announced that its new Digital Cytology Scanner is available to veterinary practices across North America. Offering several innovative features, the new digital scanner connects veterinarians at the point of care with Antech's diverse, highly accomplished team of board-certified pathologists, significantly accelerating the speed at which veterinarians can deliver effective treatment to pets. Field-tested by specialty hospitals in the US and Canada, the new scanner enables Antech to deliver whole-slide interpretations within 2 hours: 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

"Digital cytology gives veterinarians a virtual pathologist in their practice," said Jennifer Klein, General Manager, Emerging Technologies for Antech. "Our new point-of-care scanner allows rapid delivery of the best possible care by connecting veterinarians with an unbelievably talented, committed group of veterinary pathologists representing an astounding breadth of specialties. By creating an opportunity for deeper, faster connection between them and the veterinary teams they serve, we have created another efficient, easy way to get critical diagnostic information to veterinarians faster, doing our part to ensure pets enjoy long, healthy lives."

Antech's Digital Cytology Scanner, especially useful for specialty, referral and emergency hospitals, offers several distinguishing features to support efficient clinic operations, including:

24/7/365 access to board-certified pathologists—For more than 30 years, highly accomplished, board-certified anatomic and clinical pathologists have built their careers at Antech. Feedback from customers and staff reveal shared appreciation for the relationships that have grown and deepened as a result of the pathology team's unique tenure.

Industry leading image quality—A pathologist-led, rigorous review of scanning technology followed by a 10-month field study support industry leading image quality in veterinary medicine.

Unique usability features—The Digital Cytology Scanner's intelligent, flexible design offers unique space- and time-saving features for a highly efficient practice. The scanner's all-in-one design features a user-friendly touch screen atop integrated computing technology, resulting in a compact, powerful system. A simple interface makes it easy to use for all veterinary team members. Eliminating the slide cartridge, a common source of system downtime, means operators can load slides directly into the system, avoiding team frustration and delays associated with cartridge malfunctioning, lost or damaged parts and out-of-focus images due to improper slide loading.

Unique efficiency features—Several automated functions eliminate time-consuming steps while ensuring the highest quality slide submissions. These include auto-detection for regions of interest; auto-scan, which allows slide preview prior to upload; integration with practice management systems; and auto-transfer of patient information from PIMS for easy ordering.

Field-tested—Since September 2020, a national team of oncologists, criticalists and internal medicine specialists have challenged the scanner with their toughest cases. To date, Antech has processed thousands of slides that have led to an equal number of fast, accurate diagnoses. As a result, veterinarians can benefit from a customer-proven solution that's ready to use now.

Zachary Wright, DVM DACVIM (oncology), Medical Director at VCA Animal Diagnostic Clinic and Chair of the VCA Pet CancerCare^® Alliance, participated in Antech's field test, commenting: "When pet owners face what could be a very scary diagnosis, they want answers quickly. The ability to meet this need within a few short hours is incredibly gratifying. Additionally, fast access to pathologist-reviewed, blood-smears pathology when our in-clinic hematology analyzer flags CBC results is a unique function that adds tremendous value to our practice. Providing these pathologist-verified results offers a continuity of care and client peace of mind that allows us to make decisions about a cherished pet's health quickly."

Antech's Digital Cytology Scanner relies on Hamamatsu Photonics K.K.'s state-of-the-art NanoZoomer digital slide scanner, noted globally for its exceptionally high-quality images for pathology interpretation. Antech is also adopting the technology in its reference laboratory, ensuring that all customers benefit from the same high-quality afforded by best-in-class technology.

"Our pathologists conducted an extensive evaluation of scanning technologies to ensure our point-of-care scanner would deliver the highest image quality and speed while also supporting our unique ease-of-use features," said Jan Andrews, DVM, PhD, Diplomate ACVP, Chief Medical Officer of Clinical Pathology and Department Head of Quality Assurance at Antech. "After reviewing thousands of slides, we found Hamamatsu's technology to be superior, which allows our clients to benefit from a system that's been pathologist-reviewed and pathologist-selected."

Hamamatsu's proprietary image-viewing software advances pathology beyond what traditional microscope technology affords: 24/7/365 access to pathology expertise across a broad range of specialties along with their ability to collaborate virtually and in real-time on difficult cases allows veterinarians to deliver answers confidently and faster than traditional technology allows. Using Hamamatsu's software, pathologists can review a complete slide scan, leveraging the ability to zoom in/out and focus on regions of interest, as well as "map" areas that have been reviewed but need attention.

The new Digital Cytology Scanner is available immediately. To learn more about the Antech's Digital Cytology Scanner and register for product updates, please visit antechdiagnostics.com/digitalcytology.

For more information about Hamamatsu Photonics K.K. and its technology, please visit nanozoomer.hamamatsu.com/

About Antech
At the heart of Antech is our love for pets. We combine innovative technologies backed by scientific rigor with data-driven insights and consultative moments to help veterinarians and their teams improve the health and well-being of the pets we love. Our commitment to customers spans more than 30 years and celebrates their dedication to setting new standards in pet care quality, which we support through innovative diagnostic, imaging, education and support services. Today, Antech is driving the future of pet health as part of Mars Veterinary Health, a family-owned enterprise focused on veterinary care. Visit us at antechdiagnostics.com. Follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.

SOURCE Antech Diagnostics