SOUTH AFRICA – Roche Pharma South Africa has launched its newest advanced tissue staining platform dubbed the BenchMark ULTRA PLUS system for cancer diagnostics that enables pathologists to provide quick and accurate results that help inform patient treatment options, timeously.

Roche announced in a press release that the BenchMark ULTRA PLUS system will be available in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Lesotho, Namibia and Mauritius in 2023.

The global pioneer in diagnostics revealed that Roche’s advanced tissue staining platform has new intuitive software, remote monitoring features, an integrated touchscreen for a more optimized user experience, and a more environmentally sustainable waste system and product packaging.

The BenchMark ULTRA PLUS system (including hardware, software and assays) leverages the success of the current BenchMark series of IHC/ISH advanced staining platforms. It is built upon the proven technology of the BenchMark ULTRA system to deliver an enhanced lab experience.

Roche Diagnostics South Africa

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In addition, the BenchMark ULTRA PLUS tissue staining system has optimized workflow, testing efficiency and environmentally sustainable features that will enable pathologists to provide high-quality, time-critical results to doctors and patients.

Lab personnel will also be able to manage their activities more efficiently as a result of simplified software and streamlined productivity and quality control since the enhancements can help support the quicker delivery of test results for patients who are waiting for a diagnosis.

Pharma giant Roche said the advanced diagnostics system enables quick and accurate test results so clinicians can make timely decisions regarding a patient’s care journey, observing that laboratory diagnostics involved in more than two-thirds of healthcare decision making.

Roche further said that innovative laboratory solutions that enable an accurate and timely diagnosis are crucial to successful treatment, noting that about 17 million new cases of cancer are diagnosed worldwide each year and nearly 10 million people die from the disease.

Over one million cases of cancer are diagnosed in Africa each year. With many African communities living in rural areas or far from healthcare centres, waiting for a diagnosis is often one of the most stressful times,” said Alan Yates Ad-Interim General Manager South Africa & SADC markets, Roche Diagnostics.

The multinational company outlined that by applying chemical solutions to tissue on glass slides with the BenchMark ULTRA PLUS, a healthcare professional can identify biochemical markers to determine the presence or absence of key drivers that feed the unhealthy cancerous cells.

Roche explained that the BenchMark ULTRA PLUS tissue staining system will help determine the type of therapy that could be used to combat cancerous cells bearing in mind cancer and other abnormal cells can be characterized by biochemical markers from within the cells.

The new BenchMark ULTRA PLUS system continues the evolution of the BenchMark series which revolutionized cancer diagnostics by fully automating processes that used to be performed manually, one slide at a time,” Roche Pharma South Africa highlighted.

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