Maximizing Lab Efficiency: How Lumea Technology Delivers a 35% Improvement in Prostate Tissue Integrity

An internal study of the BxBoard and BxChip workflow reveals significant reductions in specimen fragmentation and tortuosity while ensuring anatomical orientation is maintained through the entire grossing process.

The Challenge: When Tissue Integrity is Lost, Efficiency Slows

For core needle biopsies, the quality of the tissue on the slide is the foundation of the lab’s workflow. However, traditional handling methods—ranging from loose cores in formalin bottles to unconstrained cores within cassettes—introduce mechanical stress and uncontrolled movement before fixation is complete.

This often leads to two common and costly operational hurdles:

• Fragmentation: Cores break into multiple pieces, requiring histotechnicians to spend excessive time orienting tiny fragments and increasing the risk of “floaters” or lost material during processing.
• Curling and Distortion: Non-linear or “coiled” tissue creates significant challenges at the embedding station and complicates the sectioning process. This leads to increased linear variability and inconsistent surface area in the final slides.

The result is a ripple effect of inefficiency, starting from longer grossing times to a higher volume of “technical artifacts” and repeat sectioning. In a high-volume pathology environment, specimen instability is a major workflow bottleneck.

The Solution: Stabilized Fixation with BxBoard™ and BxChip™

The Lumea BxBoard was engineered to eliminate pre-analytical tissue damage at the source. Unlike traditional immersion, where cores are subject to fluid turbulence in a bottle or mechanical shifting within a standard cassette, the BxBoard provides a high-control environment from the moment of collection.

The BxBoard Advantage:

• Immediate Stabilization: Cores are placed directly into narrow, dedicated lanes immediately after collection.
• Directional Integrity: Maintains proximal and distal orientation throughout the entire transport and processing chain.
• Controlled Absorption: Uses a saturated sponge for rapid, uniform fixation, preventing the “shriveling” often seen in standard immersion.
• Physical Protection: Eliminates the movement and friction that cause mechanical breakage during transit.

Once the specimen reaches the lab, cores are transitioned into the Lumea BxChip. This tissue-mimetic matrix holds the cores in fixed lanes through all stages of processing. The BxChip enables the lab to move from embedding to the microscope with significantly less friction, ensuring the tissue remains straight and oriented.

The Impact: Quantifying Improvements in Stability

A single-site comparative study evaluated the impact of the Lumea workflow on tissue stability. Researchers compared the fragmentation rate (number of breakpoints) and tortuosity (the ratio of tissue curve length to straight-line length) between traditional methods and the Lumea system.

*Statistically significant (p<0.001)

Why It Matters: Standardization and Protection

Reducing fragmentation and curling does more than produce a cleaner slide; it transforms the economics of the pathology laboratory. By stabilizing tissue at the point of collection, the Lumea workflow allows labs to:

• Maximize Microtomy Efficiency: Straighter, intact cores are easier to embed and section, drastically reducing the time spent per block.
• Minimize Rework: A significant reduction in tissue “curling” results in fewer recuts and less waste of reagents and technician time.
• Standardize the Workflow: Shifting from variable, unconstrained specimens to a fixed-lane system creates a predictable process less dependent on manual “salvage” techniques.
• Protect Downstream Performance: Well-preserved, intact tissue ensures sufficient surface area and material integrity for critical molecular or genomic testing.

The Result: A New Standard for Core Biopsies

The BxBoard and BxChip transform tissue handling from a passive, variable process into a controlled, protective system. The outcome is measurable: more intact cores, straighter tissue, and more usable material for a more confident diagnosis.

Stop managing fragments and start streamlining your workflow. Request information from one of our sales reps now to see how the BxBoard and BxChip can improve and streamline your lab workflow.

Further note:

• Fragmentation also makes data messier. Sometimes one core will get counted as multiple cores, putting a patient at risk of being under-staged. Even a small difference can have a big impact on a patient’s treatment plan. Being able to keep all the fragments together, clearly showcasing they’re from the same core, and keeping those fragments in order with the proper orientation with the BxBoard and BxChip is a big deal. Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20221804/