We have the Ventana ES.  In general we are happy with the instrument, but we
have had problems with the reagent and antibody dispensers.  They run dry
before their time and we have to repeat runs.  Ventana is aware of the
problem and has been working on the dispenser design.  The NexES uses the
same dispensers.  We have seen the Optimax but have not actually used it.
It looks good, but I would really talk to people that have used it.  If you
have any questions regarding the ES I would be happy to discuss it with you.

Jennifer MacDonald
San Antonio Community Hospital
(909) 985-2811 ext. 4148
jmacdonald@sach.org

> ----------
> From: 	bs[SMTP:schanbacher.2@osu.edu]
> Sent: 	Monday, August 30, 1999 12:51 PM
> To: 	'histonet@pathology.swmed.edu'
> Subject: 	Autostainers
> 
> Hi all,
> 
> In the recent past, I've heard several people mention using Ventana
> autostainers.  We are currently in the market for an autostainer and are
> looking for any info or experiences - good or bad - that people have had
> with different manufacturers.  I am especially curious about any
> comparisons between the Biogenex Optimax and the Ventana models (both
> the ES and NexES), but I'm also interested in any experience with the
> Zymed ST5050 or CytoLogix Artisan.
> 
> Will any of these automate routine H&E's, Massons, as well as IHC?  One
> big reason for this is that, since we have many students doing their own
> IHC staining, we sometimes have inconsistent staining between people and
> runs.  We're hoping that an autostainer may remedy that problem.  We're
> a research lab, so programming and protocol flexibility will be
> important.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Brandon Schanbacher
> 
> --
> Division of Pharmacology
> Ohio State University
> 
> 
>