EUROIMMUN, a PerkinElmer company, launched the EUROPatternTM Microscope Live (EPML) compact immunofluorescence microscope, according to a news release.
The microscope is available with the fourth generation of the company’s EUROLabOfficeTM 4.0 (ELO 4.0) laboratory management software. The combined system of hardware and software allows for automated immunofluorescence image acquisition, pattern recognition and titer estimation as well as modern diagnostics at the screen, EUROIMMUN said.
Indirect immunofluorescence tests (IIFT) are diagnostic assays used to detect antibodies in a patient sample. Traditional interpretation of IIFT results under the fluorescence microscope is a time-consuming process that requires a dark room and experienced staff. The introduction of automated microscopy in diagnostic routines eliminates these challenges and supports standardization of IIFT result interpretation.
The system autonomously evaluates a particularly high number of recorded immunofluorescence patterns that are indicative of the presence of certain autoantibodies, and thus point to a specific autoimmune disease, such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, vasculitis, or autoimmune hepatitis.
In addition to the positive/negative classification for a variety of different substrates, the patterns of anti-nuclear antibodies (in conformity with the International Consensus on Antinuclear Antibody Patterns) and anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies can also be recognized by leveraging deep learning algorithms.
ELO 4.0 software is designed to speed up not only IIFT testing but also other laboratory diagnostics by acting as the central interface for all laboratory instruments, working places and laboratory information systems.
