Aquios flow cytometer

The Aquios CL flow cytometer by Beckman Coulter Life Sciences.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has accepted the Aquios CL flow cytometer by Beckman Coulter Life Sciences, Miami, as part of its prequalification program for in vitro diagnostics (IVDs).

The WHO program aims to promote and facilitate global access to safe, appropriate, and affordable IVDs of good quality in an equitable manner. Focus is placed on IVDs for priority diseases and their suitability for use in resource-limited settings. Products that satisfy the criteria for prequalification are eligible for inclusion in procurement tenders issued by the United Nations.

The WHO designation indicates that the Aquios flow cytometer can now be procured and used specifically for the immunologic assessment of patients who have, or are suspected of having, immune deficiency. News of the acceptance came as the company was attending the 2015 International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA), taking place in Harare, Zimbabwe, November 29 to December 4.

Together with the Aquios flow cytometer, the prequalification program accepted the Aquios Tetra?1 panel of monoclonal antibody reagents (CD45?FITC/CD4?RD1/CD8?ECD/CD3?PC5), which permit identification and enumeration of lymphocyte subset populations indicative of the competence of a patient’s immune system:

  • Total CD3+, CD3+CD4+, CD3+CD8+, CD3+CD4+/CD3+CD8+ (ratio only) lymphocyte percentages and absolute counts.
  • CD45+ absolute count.
  • CD45+ low SS (lymphocytes) percentage and absolute count.
Koksch

Mario Koksch, PhD, Beckman Coulter Life Sciences.

The program also accepted the Aquios Immuno?Trol and Immuno?Trol low cells quality control products. The reagents and controls are intended for use with flow cytometric IVD applications involving four fluorescent detection channels using a blue (488 nm) laser, two light-scatter detection channels, and electronic volume.

“Beckman Coulter is committed to developing HIV monitoring solutions that contribute directly to the treatment process,” explains Mario Koksch, PhD, vice president of the cytometry unit for Beckman Coulter Life Sciences.

A leader in centrifugation and flow cytometry, Beckman Coulter has long been an innovator in life sciences instruments and solutions used at the forefront of important areas of investigation, including genomics and proteomics. The company’s cellular accessible retroviral evaluation systems (CARES) initiative is designed to provide innovative solutions for monitoring HIV and AIDS treatment. It was launched in 2004, after Deborah K. Glencross, MBBch, a South African laboratory pathologist, found a different and less expensive way to measure a patient’s CD4 count. Development of the compact, fully automated Aquios instrument to run that assay and carry out accurate characterization of T-cell CD4 subsets is the latest achievement of the CARES initiative.

Fast and easy to use, the Aquios instrument is the first authentic ‘load-and-go’ cytometry system designed specifically to streamline workflow and reduce backlogs when handling applications such as immunophenotyping. It is suitable for clinical labs of all sizes and requires minimal training to operate.

“The small footprint, high-throughput Aquios helps improve workflow in all sizes of labs, even those with limited access to highly trained staff,” explains Koksch. “In addition, its cap piercing technology provides additional safety for staff, reducing their need to handle open blood tubes and risk exposure to biohazardous material.”

For additional information, visit Beckman Coulter.