World-Class Laboratories Rely on Dakos New Artisan(TM) Link Pro for Special Stains Diagnostics

GLOSTRUP, DENMARK -- (Marketwire) -- 02/08/12 -- Dako, a global leader in tissue-based cancer diagnostics, now introduces a unique solution and process that seamlessly integrate and automate the pre-staining process with optimized Special Stains protocols. Pathologists experience multiple benefits from this advanced technology which standardizes drying and deparaffinization of the tissue samples to provide high quality slides with minimal hands-on time. New Artisan153; Link Pro and the Artisan153; Clearing Solution are now available worldwide.

"The new Artisan153; Link Pro is fast, user-friendly and offers excellent staining quality, while at the same time being cost effective. The stains were simply fabulous to look at," says Dr. Paolo Dei Tos, Director of the Department of Oncology and Anatomic Pathology from the General Hospital in Treviso, Italy.

Laboratories worldwide doing Special Stains in a routine setting will benefit from the accelerating productivity. Three new Special Stains and five new counterstains have been added to the already most comprehensive selection of Special Stains available in the market today.

"The new Jenner Weight Giemsa for bone marrow is best in class, very good at differentiating. We are going to adapt this new staining protocol in our routine when available. It is simply a perfect quality," says Professor Hermann Herbst, Director of the Vivantes Pathology Departments in Berlin, Germany.

Workflow studies performed at several sites showed a 90% reduction in hands-on time when running the new Artisan153; Clearing Solution compared to the same protocols being performed manually.

"The improvements to the system... like the touch screen interface and the Artisan Clearing Solution are simply a plus. It saves us one hour per run in the daily routine," says Lilian Antonio, Presbyterian Cornell Medical Center, New York, USA.

Dako sets new standards with Special Stains related to safety. The new Artisan153; Clearing Solution is non-toxic, and combined with waste separation on the Artisan153; Link Pro instrument and the possibility to connect to ventilation systems, it provides a safer and healthier work environment for the laboratory.

Artisan153; Link Pro and the Artisan153; Clearing Solution are truly the next generation offering within Special Stains. With this new offering Dako improves Special Stains workflow significantly while maintaining the high level of reproducibility and the robustness and quality that characterizes the Artisan153; Link system.

"When every hour matters, the new Artisan153; Link Pro offers true walk-away automation from drying through counterstaining, without compromising the unique well-known quality of the Dako Artisan153; Link instrument," says Lars Holmkvist, CEO of Dako.

Artisan153; Link Pro and Artisan153; Clearing Solution together with the new stains have received FDA approval and the CE-IVD label.

About Dako
Dako, based in Denmark, is a global leader in tissue-based cancer diagnostics. Hospital and research laboratories worldwide use Dakos know-how, reagents, instruments and software to make accurate diagnoses and determine the most effective treatment for patients suffering from cancer. Employing more than 1000 people and being present in more than 80 countries, Dako covers essentially all of the anatomic pathology markets globally. Dako is owned by a private equity fund EQT V. www.dako.com