First lab confirmed to introduce X-ZELL Cryoimmunostaining™ into clinical routine

Dr Achim Battmann, chief pathologist at MVZ Frankfurt, Germany

Frankfurt, June 2023 – X-ZELL, a pioneering company in the field of next-generation cytology, is proud to announce a strategic collaboration with the Medizinisches Versorgungszentrum für Pathologie, Zytodiagnostik und Molekularpathologie (MVZ) in Frankfurt, Germany, a medical service centre specialising in pathology, cytodiagnostics and molecular pathology.

The collaboration comes two years after the opening of X-ZELL’s first European office in Germany and aims at establishing the company’s novel Cryoimmunostaining™ technology in routine clinical practice in the near future.

X-ZELL CEO, Dr Sebastian Bhakdi, says the partnership marks the end of extensive usability testing and the beginning of a new era for X-ZELL. “Over the course of 2022 and 2023, MVZ Frankfurt has put our technology to the test under real-life conditions to assess it in-depth,” he explains. 

“Now we are ready to announce that MVZ Frankfurt will become the first laboratory in the world to use Cryoimmunostaining™ in routine clinical practice – marking a historic moment not just for X-ZELL, but cancer diagnostics at large.”

More than 90 per cent time saving

X-ZELL Cryoimmunostaining™ enables diagnostics centres to process non- and minimally sample material such as lung or stomach fluid in less than four hours, compared to an average of more than 48 hours using conventional immunohistochemistry (IHC). In addition, it is replacing manual microscopic analysis with a convenient digital imaging solution for faster, more accurate diagnoses.

“After nine months of testing, we are confident that Cryoimmunostaining™ will fundamentally change the way we process and analyse non- and minimally invasive samples”, says PD Dr Achim Battmann, co-owner and chief pathologist at MVZ Frankfurt. “X-ZELL will not only help us reduce the average time from sample to diagnosis by more 90 per cent, but also provide us with more, and more reliable, data from these sample types, which will directly benefit the patient.”

Around 50 per cent of non- and minimally invasive samples do not yield enough information for a diagnosis when processed using conventional IHC technology. X-ZELL Cryoimmunostaining™ extracts up to eight times more information per sample and dramatically reduces the risk of non-diagnoses.

Staged roll-out imminent

MVZ Frankfurt is set to introduce Cryoimmunostaining™ in two stages over the course of 2023-24. 

Stage one will see it use the technology in parallel with IHC, stage two will then phase out the conventional system and establish X-ZELL as the laboratory’s new lead technology for the analysis of pleural effusion and ascites, with more sample types to follow.

Dr Battmann: “We are extremely proud to be the first centre in the world to be introducing such a game-changing technology into our routine workflow. I see a clear patient benefit here in addition to significant improvements in process efficiency and cost – it’s the next big thing in modern pathology.”

Media Contact
Sebastian Grote
Managing Director, X-ZELL
sebastian.g@x-zell.com

About X-ZELL
X-ZELL is an award-winning medical technology company pioneering the field of next-generation cytology. The company’s mission is to transform cancer diagnostics by fusing novel laboratory technology with digital imaging to detect and visualise individual atypical cells in minimally invasive body liquids and digitize them for instant on-screen analysis. Founded by Y Combinator finalist, Dr Sebastian C.P. Bhakdi, X-ZELL was ranked second-most innovative healthcare start-up in the world in 2020 and has since won the coveted MedTech Innovator APAC competition as well as the Abstract Award at the 2021 European Conference of Cytology.

About MVZ Frankfurt
The Medizinisches Versorgungszentrum für Pathologie, Zytodiagnostik und Molekularpathologie is a leading pathology & cytology centre at the heart of Germany’s Rhine-Main metropolitan region, with a catchment area of more than 5.8 million people. With a team of highly skilled pathologists and state-of-the-art facilities, the MVZ is committed to advancing the field of cytopathology and improving patient care by making analyses of non- and minimally invasive samples more accessible.