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AI-enabled IVD culture plate imaging, reading and reporting
The first automated culture plate reader with FDA clearance
Free up FTE resource in your microbiology laboratory and put their time toward more meaningful activities with the Clever Culture Systems APAS® Independence instrument, distributed exclusively in the U.S. and Europe by Thermo Fisher Scientific.
The APAS Independence is an innovative in vitro diagnostic instrument for automated imaging, analysis and interpretation of agar culture plates (see FAQs below for details). It utilizes the breakthrough Automated Plate Assessment System (APAS) imaging technology and artificial intelligence algorithms to analyze an image of agar plates, categorizing them as:
- Significant growth
- Non-significant or negative growth
- For review
By automatically releasing negative results and removing them from the workflow, it delivers reliable and consistent results three times faster than a highly skilled microbiologist*. Being able to triage these out of the workflow provides significant efficiencies in time and focuses skilled staff on more complex tasks that require their expertise.1
* Based on a timing study conducted in June 2016 at St. Vincent’s hospital in Melbourne, Australia.
1 For more information, see Special Use Conditions. For technical documentation, visit the product information page.
The APAS Independence instrument2:
Provides accurate results: intelligent imaging and machine learning for consistent, quality results
Saves labor: significantly reduces time for reading and reporting negative results
See how your plate reading compares to the APAS Independence instrument with our interactive tool
Delivers immediate gains: minimal installation and training required
2 For more information, see Special Use Conditions. For technical documentation, visit the product information page.
See how the APAS Independence instrument fits into your workflow
SmartNote: Automated culture plate reading and the hospital finance crisis
With hospitals facing a multitude of pressures, including post-COVID financial constraints, rising demand for microbiological testing, and a significant shortage of skilled labor, the health economics arguments for investment are gaining traction.
Automated culture plate reading, for example, can streamline processes to not only boost productivity, but also leave room for expansion into other, often profitable, areas of testing. Read our SmartNoteAutomated culture plate reading and the hospital finance crisis: Why wait to unlock the true value of your clinical laboratory? to find out how the APAS instrument could help your hospital shore up its finances today and be ready for the needs of tomorrow.
Case study: Ticking all the boxes with the APAS Independence instrument
New York State’s Albany Medical Center microbiology laboratory recently adopted the APAS Independence instrument as part of a drive to meet an anticipated increase in urine cultures. In doing so, they cut the number of plates requiring hands-on reading and interpretation by a third and reduced the turnaround time for negative samples by two hours per test.
Read our latest case study, The APAS Independence instrument: Ticking all the boxes for accurate, practical, time-saving microbiology automation, as Mary George, Ph.D., D. (ABMM) and the director of Albany’s microbiology lab, explains how the APAS instrument met every one of the team’s needs, from accuracy and budgetary, to ease of use and implementation.
Studies show Clever Culture Systems’ APAS Independence instrument can boost productivity
Take a look at our new case study spotlighting the experiences of Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis, as Jacqueline Getty, Microbiology Technologist, discusses the studies and data sets that they’ve generated, and how the APAS instrument has transformed their workflow.
"[It] equates to significant additional time for the tech to focus on other tasks, whether that be getting to clinically relevant cultures sooner, starting downstream workups earlier, or tackling some of the other tasks in laboratoryl"
SmartNote: New perspectives on the automated lab
Artificial intelligence (Al) holds the key to many of the microbiology field's biggest challenges, by streamlining workflows and freeing up microbiologists to concentrate on higher value activities. Yet despite the technology being ubiquitous in many areas of our everyday lives, laboratories have been slow to adopt it.
In our new SmartNote, New perspectives on the automated lab: The productivity boosting potential of plate reading Al, we explore how Al and machine learning (ML) are transforming the way microbiologists screen culture media plates and how new technologies like the APAS Independence instrument are helping to unleash the lab Al revolution.
Clever Culture Systems APAS Independence FAQs
Automated Plate Assessment System
The APAS technology is based on an intelligent imaging system using proprietary machine learning algorithms.
Currently, the APAS Independence Urine module is FDA cleared for clinical diagnostic use with Thermo Scientific™ Blood Agar (TSA with Sheep Blood) R01200 & R01202 and Thermo Scientific™ MacConkey Agar R01550 & R01552. The APAS Independence MRSA module is FDA cleared for clinical diagnostic use with Thermo Scientific™ Spectra™ MRSA Agar R01821 & R01822, as well as Beckton Dickson BBL™ CHROMagar™ MRSA II agar.
The APAS Independence has a modest footprint of 78.74” x 31.5” x 62.99” (L x W x H) – the instrument is floor standing and requires no bench space.
The APAS Independence does not require any specific streaking or culturing method. Laboratories can continue to use their current automated or manual workflow.
The APAS Independence does not require any specific streaking or culturing method. Laboratories can continue to use their current automated or manual system.
No, the APAS Independence does not incubate plates. The APAS Independence does not require specific incubators so laboratories can continue to use their current methods of incubation.
The APAS Independence does not require specific incubators.
The APAS Independence processes a minimum 200 plates per hour.
Yes, the instrument saves the images for 45 days from reading. The images can be viewed on a web browser and can be easily exported.
The APAS Independence is designed to integrate with any workflow by quickly and accurately identifying, interpreting and reporting negative cultures on your prepared culture media plates. This empowers clinicians and enables your microbiologists and other skilled staff to focus on more complex tasks that require their expertise.
Products are distributed in the U.S. and Europe so uses, applications, and availability of product in each country depend on local regulatory marketing authorization status. © 2021 Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. All rights reserved. Clever Culture Systems is the legal manufacturer of the APAS® Independence instrument. APAS® is a trademark of Clever Culture Systems. BBL is a trademark of Becton, Dickinson and Company. CHROMagar is a trademark of Dr A. Rambac. All other trademarks are the property of Thermo Fisher Scientific and its subsidiaries. The APAS® Independence is distributed in the U.S. and Europe by Thermo Fisher Scientific.