Lab Equipment Maker Gets Patent for New Analyzer

International Remote Imaging Systems Inc., a Chatsworth maker of medical diagnostic equipment, said it was granted a patent for a machine that identifies abnormalities in white blood cells automatically, so that lab technicians don’t have to spend as much time scrutinizing samples through a microscope.

The company said the device will be used in a new instrument it is developing with LDA Systems that will screen white blood cells for leukemia or infections. The device, called the White IRIS Leukocyte differential analyzer, is about to enter clinical trials.

The company said the device incorporates a speedy method of analyzing cell sub-types by assigning them numerical signatures. It then projects their images on a screen so that laboratory workers can look them over.

The device will cut the time needed to analyze white blood cells from about six minutes to one, International Remote said, and will ostensibly cut labor costs in clinical laboratories.