It was the concept of the microplate - a reaction vessel with tiny wells that are ideal for blood typing and the detection of infectious disease - that made blood transfusion testing systems based on the agglutination method possible. Olympus blood transfusion testing systems are used in Red Cross blood centers throughout the world.
The PK7100 was the first-generation blood transfusion testing system to use the exclusive Olympus microplate technology. The first systems were delivered to blood centers of the Japanese Red Cross Society in 1985.
One of the essential requirements when developing a blood transfusion testing system is blood, but it was difficult for an individual manufacturer to collect large quantities of it. During development, prototype systems were therefore installed in Red Cross blood centers in various parts of Japan, including Hokkaido and Okayama, to allow repeated checking of performance using samples of blood donated at these centers. Development team members faced a grueling schedule of repeated visits to the blood centers.
In 1986 the PK7100 was launched in the United States and Europe.
PK7300
This third-generation blood transfusion testing system is our latest model. Our continuing development efforts have resulted in the creation of a high-speed, high-performance system.
