TUCSON, Ariz., June 13, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Ventana Medical Systems, Inc. (Ventana), a member of the Roche Group, today announces commercial availability of the VENTANA iScan HT slide scanner(1) in North America to be followed by Europe, the Middle East and Africa in July, 2012.

"The launch of the VENTANA iScan HT scanner is a significant milestone for the pathology industry. Digital pathology can increase diagnostic confidence, reduce subjectivity and ultimately improve patient care with consistent and reproducible results," says Mara G. Aspinall, President of Ventana Medical Systems, Inc. "This newest instrument exemplifies the latest advancements in digital technology that I believe will continue to transform the industry."

The VENTANA iScan HT slide scanner is the most powerful high-throughput brightfield scanner in the anatomic pathology market today, enabling pathologists and lab managers to optimize their digital pathology workflow with efficiency, convenience, speed, throughput and reliability for unprecedented results.

"I have put the VENTANA iScan HT through its paces in a thorough evaluation and find the instrument produces crisp, sharp digital images at both 20X and 40X. The intuitive user interface and consistently accurate detection of regions of interest provide a practical whole slide scanner for walk-away scanning in high volume environments," says Dr. John W. Bishop M.D., Sacramento, California.

Incorporating cutting-edge optical focus and slide handling technologies, the VENTANA iScan HT features include:

Unprecedented throughput: the new system holds up to 360 slides and scans up to 80 slides per hour

Superior quality images at 20X and 40X (580 and 1160 times actual magnification respectively)

Intuitive, efficient and flexible workflow management, enabling a lab manager to load and unload slides while the scanner is in active operation

"Pathology labs clearly have a need for a high throughput scanner. They work with hundreds, sometimes thousands, of glass slides a day," says Steve Burnell, Ph.D., Ventana Digital Pathology and Workflow Lifecycle Leader. "The growing VENTANA portfolio of integrated digital solutions including slide scanners, CE-IVD and FDA-cleared algorithms and VIRTUOSO image management and workflow software, underscores our commitment to providing the most innovative and advanced digital pathology solutions available globally."

The VENTANA iScan HT slide scanner is ideal for high throughput, high volume applications and complements the VENTANA complete suite of digital pathology solutions which also includes the iScan Coreo Au slide scanner, VIRTUOSO image and workflow management software, and a portfolio of RUO, CE-IVD and FDA-cleared 510(k) image analysis algorithms. The iScan Coreo Au slide scanner best supports low to mid-volume pathology labs and specific applications such as frozen sections. Both the VENTANA iScan HT and the iScan Coreo Au slide scanners are integrated with VIRTUOSO for complete workflow management software functionality from image acquisition through reporting.

The VENTANA iScan HT instrument was showcased at CAP 2011 and USCAP 2012. For more information, visit http://www.ventanadigitalpathology.com

(1) The VENTANA iScan HT slide scanner is for research use only in the US and is not for use in diagnostic procedures.

About Ventana Medical Systems, Inc.

Ventana Medical Systems, Inc. ("VMSI") (six:RO)(six:ROG)(otcqx:RHHBY), a member of the Roche Group, innovates and manufactures instruments and reagents that automate tissue processing and slide staining for cancer diagnostics. VENTANA solutions are used in clinical histology and drug development research laboratories worldwide. The company's intuitive, integrated staining, workflow management platforms, and digital pathology solutions optimize laboratory efficiencies to reduce errors, support diagnosis and inform treatment decisions for anatomic pathology professionals. Together with Roche, VMSI is driving Personalized Healthcare through accelerated drug discovery and the development of "companion diagnostics" to identify the patients most likely to respond favorably to specific therapies. Visit http://www.ventana.com to learn more.

via MarketWatch