TUCSON, Ariz., March 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Ventana Medical Systems, Inc.
(Nasdaq: VMSI), a leading supplier of automated instrument reagent systems to
histology labs and drug discovery labs worldwide, today announced that its
BenchMark(TM) system, the world's most automated histology instrument for
protein, DNA and RNA testing, has received one of the 2001 Medical Design
Excellence Awards (MDEA). The MDEA competition is the premier product design
awards program for companies involved in the design, engineering, manufacture
and distribution of finished medical devices and is sponsored by Canon
Communications LLC. BenchMark(TM) won in the category of in vitro
diagnostics.
"We are very proud of the MDEA award because it recognizes a total
research and development team effort in taking extensive feedback from our
customers and then designing a very innovative, automated histology system,"
stated Kendall Hendrick, Ventana's Vice President of Research and Development.
"In fact, the BenchMark(TM) eliminates over 50 manual steps by automating the
baking through staining (BTSTM) process. For the first time, this process is
performed easily, quickly and without exposing laboratory staff to potentially
toxic solvents."
BenchMark(TM) is Ventana's newest, fully automated histology platform,
combining a unique reagent system with a revolutionary platform and technology
design. This system will perform immunohistochemistry (IHC) stains, in-situ
hybridization (ISH) stains and florescent in-situ hybridization (FISH) tests
on tissue and cytological patient samples for the purpose of cancer and
infectious disease diagnosis. BenchMark(TM) is the first histology instrument
to automate the labor-intensive steps required in baking, dewaxing, cell
conditioning and staining tissue, performing all of these processes with the
use of automated slide heaters and non-toxic aqueous reagents, without the use
of any solvents.
Christopher Gleeson, Ventana's President and Chief Executive Officer,
stated, "Product and process innovation has always been Ventana's strength, so
we are particularly pleased that we have been recognized in this regard.
BenchMark(TM) has been well received in the United States and around the world
since its introduction late last year. It is the most advanced product of its
kind and has a significant impact on histology labs in three main areas: the
labor savings associated with the automated BTSTM process; the ability to run
IHC, ISH and FISH tests on a single platform; and a dramatic improvement in
quality in terms of consistency and reproducibility, which is very important
for pathologists and, ultimately, patient care."
Ventana develops, manufactures and markets instrument/reagent systems that
automate tissue preparation and slide staining in clinical histology and drug
discovery laboratories worldwide. Ventana's clinical systems are important
tools used in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer and infectious diseases.
Ventana's drug discovery systems are used to accelerate the discovery of new
drug targets and evaluate the safety of new drug compounds.
For more information on Ventana Medical Systems, Inc. via facsimile at no
additional cost, simply dial 1-800-PRO-INFO and enter the stock symbol "VMSI."
Visit the Ventana Medical Systems, Inc. website at
http://www.ventanamed.com .
The Molecular Discovery Systems Division has its own website
at http://www.ventanadiscovery.com .
SOURCE Ventana Medical Systems, Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.ventanamed.com
CONTACT:
Christopher Gleeson, President and CEO of
Ventana, 520-690-3557; Analysts, Kathy Brunson of The Financial
Relations Board BSMG Worldwide, 312-640-6696
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