Abaxis Inc., a medical products company manufacturing point-of-care blood analysis systems, announced yesterday that it was awarded $650,000 from the Kansas Bioscience Authority to help set up the first laboratory testing facility for veterinarians nationwide in Olathe, Kansas. The authority's board of directors approved the three-year grant during meetings in Wichita, Kansas. In January, Abaxis formed an alliance with Kansas State University (KSU), K-State Veterinary Diagnostic Lab and the National Institute for Strategic Technology Acquisition and Commercialization, the commercial arm of K-State, to provide a full-service commercial laboratory for veterinarians across the US. “We are pleased with this award from the Kansas Bioscience Authority,” says Clint Severson, chairman and chief executive officer of Abaxis. “In conjunction with KSU, we are in development of a laboratory facility that will set the standard for accuracy, timeliness and customer support for the veterinary community nationwide. We believe this project will be mutually beneficial to the university as a leading academic institution and to Abaxis as a leading veterinary laboratory solutions provider.” The system consists of a compact, 5.1 kilogram (11.2 pounds), portable analyzer and a series of single-use plastic discs, called reagent discs that contain all the chemicals required to perform a panel of up to 13 tests on veterinary patients and 14 tests on human patients. According to Abaxis, the equipment can be operated with minimal training and performs multiple routine tests on whole blood, serum or plasma samples. Abaxis says the analysis system provides test results in less than 12 minutes with precision and accuracy equivalent to a clinical laboratory analyzer. Abaxis is in the final stages of building a full-service laboratory testing facility for veterinarians, focusing on specialty and esoteric testing and analysis. This commercial laboratory will be the hub of the Abaxis Veterinary Reference Laboratory. <Home>
