FDA Clears System for Measuring Reticulocytes

A system that measures reticulocytes has been cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Called reticOne, the test was developed by Beckman Coulter, Inc. (Fullerton, CA, USA).

Reticulocytes are immature red blood cells occurring in the peripheral circulation during increased red blood cell production. Measuring reticulocytes can help doctors assess erythropoietic activity and diagnose anemias, internal hemorrhaging, hemoglobinopathies and certain nutritional and vitamin deficiencies. Measuring reticulocytes can also be useful as an indicator of bone marrow recovery after bone marrow transplantation. The reticOne System is comprised of reagents and software for fully automated use on Beckman Coulter's Epics XL and XL-MCL flow cytometry analyzers.

The new automated system can accurately identify red blood cells and reticulocyte populations, reducing subjective counting and interpretative errors, said Grant Howes, marketing manager, cytometry. In addition, the new system provides quick test results, typically computing and printing out reticulocyte percentages for each sample in less than a minute.



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