Three Cheers for WASPLab®!

Wielding a pair of cartoonishly large scissors, Dr. Mir Noorbash ceremoniously cut the blue ribbon draped in front of the WASPLab^® at Sutter Shared Laboratory and smiled with satisfaction.

It makes perfect sense that the Sutter Microbiology and Molecular Director was excited to celebrate the recent installation of COPAN’s automation at his East Bay reference laboratory last week. The cutting-edge technology, which is up and running at the Livermore locale, is the largest installation in Northern California and one of the largest in the United States.

As a nod to this incredible milestone, COPAN Diagnostics and the Clinical Laboratory Management Association (CLMA) Golden Gate Chapter, co-sponsored an event filled with Bundt cakes, Mediterranean food and an in-depth discussion about automation.

A Tour, Demo and Much Needed Fuel
More than 45 individuals from healthcare sites throughout the Bay Area showed up to get an in-person peek of the trailblazing technology of COPAN’s WASPLab^®.

Norman Sharples, COPAN CEO, kicked off the evening event with a presentation titled “Automation, Digital Imaging and Artificial Intelligence in Clinical Microbiology Labs”. During the discussion, Sharples explained the pressing need for automation in Microbiology laboratories.

Increased workloads, labor shortages and the impending retirement boom of medical technologists have compelled labs to look for more efficient, cost-effective ways to process the influx of samples.

Sharples also discussed the incredible artificial intelligence that sets WASPLab^® apart from other automation in its category. These algorithms, called PhenoMATRIX™ is a set of software, available to WASPLab^® users, that automatically recognize organisms enabling Microbiology labs to read, interpret, and segregate bacterial cultures with the click of a button.

Attendees said nothing compared to seeing the WASPLab^® in person and in action, as technicians processed samples in front of their eyes. Sutter Shared Labs Livermore is outfitted with a total of three WASPs and six incubators. This revolutionary instrument gives laboratories the ability to fully automate up-front specimen procession, incubation and digital plate reading of samples.

Guests were treated to both a tour of the installation and demonstration of WASPLab’s key features. Afterward, attendees were excited to tuck into some well-needed Mediterranean bites and of course sweet little cakes.

Want to learn more about WASPLab^®? Contact COPAN today!