- LBT Innovations (LBT) has sold its first intelligent Automated Plates Assessment System (APAS) in the United States
- The beneficiary is the Hennepin County Medical Centre (HCMC) in Minneapolis, who’s been in partnership with LBT for the last two years developing the technology
- The HCMC Microbiology Laboratory provides a full range of diagnostic testing and reporting services
- It’s purchased the APAS Independence with associated urine analysis module to support its daily culture plate workflow, which has had a profound effect on freeing up staff for more hands-on work
- LBT hopes the deal will kick start more sales in the United States
- The company is up more than 10 per cent following the announcement, and are selling shares for 15.5 cents each
Australian Microbiology technology visionaries LBT Innovations (LBT), has completed the first sale of its Automated Plates Assessment System (APAS) in the United States.
The beneficiary is the Hennepin County Medical Centre (HCMC) in Minneapolis, who has been in partnership with LBT for the last two years developing the technology.
The APAS system is the only U.S. Food and Drug Administration cleared artificial intelligence technology for automated imaging, analysis and interpretation of culture plates following incubation.
The sale was made directly to HCMC by LBT’s 50 per cent owned joint venture company, Clever Culture Systems (CCS). HCMC has entered into an annual software license for the urine analysis module and a five-year service agreement.
HCMC Director of Microbiology, Dr Glen Hansen, said the technology has had a profound impact on his staff since its implementation.
“The ability for us to automate the reading of our culture plates with the APAS Independence has increased the work efficiency through the laboratory and has motivated staff who now have more time for other activities,” Glen said.
“It has been a real pleasure to work with the teams from LBT and CCS over the past two years,” he continued. “Their commitment and excitement towards the technology is obvious and I look forward to continuing the collaboration into the future.”
The HCMC Microbiology Laboratory provides a full range of diagnostic testing and reporting services and has purchased the APAS Independence with associated urine analysis module to support their daily culture plate workflow.
The medical centre processes approximately 500 specimens a day including 300 urine plates for analysis.
The sale of the technology has been completed following the installation of the middleware driver for APAS connecting the instrument to the centre’s Laboratory Information Management System, which enables automated reporting capability of the APAS technology.
The APAS driver, developed by Data Innovations, has been successfully interfaced by the hospital and is now in a testing and validation phase prior to the expected routine clinical use of the urine analysis module.
“We are thrilled for HCMC to be the site of our first APAS sale in the United States given their status and reputation which will no doubt help provide further commercial validation.”
LBT Innovations Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Brent Barnes
LBT hopes the sale will kickstart further deals in the United States.
The company is up more than 10 per cent following the announcement, and are selling shares for 15.5 cents each at 1:30 pm AEST.