The Tomcat instrument from Hologic Inc, Bedford, Mass, streamlines laboratory workflow by providing automated processing of liquid-based cytology samples. Designed to eliminate the error-prone activities required to manually aliquot samples, the Tomcat performs a range of processing activities, including decapping and capping of sample tubes, vortexing, aliquoting, incubating, and racking of each sample, as well as positive barcode matching and reagent addition. The instrument can accommodate multiple sample types concurrently and loads and unloads samples and consumables continuously. The Tomcat is designed to minimize the risk of cross-contamination by enabling limited hands-on interactions through a touchscreen interface. The company expects to begin commercial shipments in June 2014. For more information, visit Hologic.