EFLM recognizes Babson Diagnostics for innovations in sample collection and preparation
AUSTIN, TX / ACCESS Newswire / December 18, 2025 / Babson Diagnostics, a science-first healthcare technology company transforming diagnostic blood testing, presented scientific posters on automation and hemolysis at the 7th EFLM conference on preanalytical phase in Padova, Italy on December 12-13, 2025. Babson received a Best Abstract award for its poster titled "Use of automation to reduce error in sample preparation."
Preanalytical errors, or errors that occur before the sample arrives at the laboratory, account for 60-70% of all laboratory errors. Preanalytical activities such as sample collection and sample preparation are most vulnerable to human error because they involve many manual processing steps. These errors may cause misdiagnoses and negative patient outcomes because they compromise the sample in a variety of ways, many of which the laboratory cannot detect.
Babson's "Use of automation to reduce error in sample preparation" poster details the Babson Sample Preparation Device, which is used in the BetterWay blood testing service to automate sample preparation steps following BetterWay's patient-preferred fingertip collection process. Innovations including paperless identification and automated mixing, centrifugation, and refrigeration transform error-prone manual tasks into unattended or digital processes. The poster was selected from among hundreds of submissions to receive one of three Best Abstract awards.
"To optimize sample quality, we needed to address the root cause by eliminating the possibility of human error. We believe that automating sample preparation from the point of collection will be the frontier of laboratory automation over the next decade," said Eric Olson, lead author for the poster and founder of Babson Diagnostics.
Babson's "Use of the BD MiniDraw and the Babson Sample Preparation Device to produce capillary blood samples with hemolysis levels equivalent to venipuncture" poster highlights clinical study data showing capillary blood samples with a mean extracellular hemoglobin concentration of 13.1 mg/dL, compared with venous samples with a mean of 14.0 mg/dL. Low hemolysis levels are a key indicator of a blood sample's quality and reliability for testing.
"This research sets a benchmark for sample quality in the capillary blood field," said Christopher DiPasquale, lead author for the poster and VP of Assay Development for Babson Diagnostics. "By optimizing and standardizing each step of sample collection and preparation, we effectively neutralize the single greatest threat to capillary blood sample quality and enable the use of capillary blood for routine tests."
To read the award-winning poster on automation, please visit betterway.com/our-science/eflm-automation.pdf. To read the poster on hemolysis levels, please visit betterway.com/our-science/eflm-hemolysis.pdf.
About BetterWay Blood Testing by Babson Diagnostics
BetterWay is blood testing reimagined-patient-friendly fingertip collection with accurate lab results. One in three people skip blood testing due to anxiety, fear of needles, difficult venous access, or inconvenience. BetterWay enables blood testing without phlebotomy. This improves patient experience, increases adherence to testing, optimizes staffing efficiency, and advances health equity. BetterWay was developed by Babson Diagnostics, a science-first healthcare technology company that has become the global leader in the use of capillary blood for routine testing. Babson was named 2024 Medtech Company of the Year by MD + DI, 2025 SXSW Innovation Award winner for Health & Biotech, and one of Fast Company's 2025 Most Innovative Companies in Healthcare. For more information, please visit BetterWay.com or connect with us on Instagram or LinkedIn.
Media Contact:
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SOURCE: BetterWay Blood Testing
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https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/healthcare-and-pharmaceutical/babson-diagnostics-wins-best-abstract-award-at-2025-eflm-preanalytica-1119141