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| The R&D "H TEAM" of Oxford Science, Inc.1 can trace their hematology roots back to the 60's with the first application of pattern recognition to automated microscopy when Professor Kendell Preston, in 1962, developed an operating system at Perkin Elmer Corporation. This system was later produced and distributed by Coulter Corportion as the diff32. The diff3 was named for differentiating the three major groups of blood cells circulating throughout the body: white blood cells with a full 5 part differential, red blood cells with reticulocytes, and platelets. The major technical contribution to automated hematology during the 60's, via the diff3 project, was Feature Extraction. Feature Extraction is much more than the use of a simple threshold to separate blood cells; Feature Extraction is a complex mathematical tree that would separate blood cells based on their physical features including the nucleus to cytoplasmic ratio, diameter and density.
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| This lineage continued with the development of the Hycel Celltrak3 series of in-office blood cell counters during the 70's. These semi-automated systems were initially developed at Angel Engineering, by Henry Angel and Jim Hennessy. Over 10,000 units were private labeled and distributed by several different companies including Boehringer Mannheim. The Celltrak instruments provided a rapid cell count for white and red blood cells, MCV and Hb.
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| During the early 80's, development continued at Allied Corporation (comprising a joint venture between Instrumentation Laboratories and Fisher Scientific) with the introduction of the first automated hematology instrument to use patented "solid-state fluidics." As quoted in Fisher Medical Division Brochure: "Developed at R&D facilities in Trumbull, Connecticut, the systems' revolutionary engineering centerpiece is the patented "solid-state fluidics." In place of extensive and trouble-prone tubing (which is used in virtually all automated laboratory instrumentation), Fisher Medical's hematology systems use compact, acrylic blocks with interconnecting channels for fluid transportation, mixing and analysis". The Cellect4 Hematology instrument offered an automated WBC with interpretive 5 part differential, RBC and Platelet counts.
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In the 90's, the first automated system for multi-species hematology, the Mascot Hemavet5 was developed at CDC Technologies, Inc. This system featured WBC, RBC, platelets and a 5 part diff using patented "Voltaic Permeability" to separate the white blood populations.
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Oxford Science, Inc. introduced the FORCYTE6, which is the first in-clinic hematology system for animal health care using dual Laser and Impedance, in 2001. This system now features the ability to simultaneously count, size and collect light scatter information on each cell analyzed. This innovative flow cytometer analyzes the three major blood groups WBC, RBC, and Platelets using both impedance and light scatter for each blood cell yielding 27 measurements including a 5 part diff, reticulocytes, and NRBC. Over 50 species are built into this system, along with the ability to process joint fluid and abdominal fluid for a total white blood count. The FORCYTE uses Smart SoftwareSM, which automates all maintenance procedures. Quality control is performed on each blood sample using the combination of Laser, Impedance, and Hb LED Technology. During cellular analysis, impedance, the "Gold Standard" is used for counting and sizing each cell, while "State of the Art" Laser technology is used for intracellular complexity and lobularity measurements.
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