[Histonet] Ventana Symphony

[Akemi Allison]

Hi all of you in Histoland!

I want to recognize all of you who have served in the Armed Forces.   
I am an old Marine Corp Brat, so Semper Fi and Thank-you! Thank-you!  
Thank-you! You gave us years of your lives and took risks on behalf  
of your country. I admire you.....

Now to the question at hand...  I would like any and ALL of your  
comments regarding the "Ventana Symphony".

I just started working with a laboratory that is considering  
purchasing a Ventana Symphony after demo'ing it.  There is going to  
be a meeting in a couple of weeks, and I want to be fully prepared  
with the pro's and con's regarding this instrument.

I want to keep an open mind, but I have had absolutely NO experience  
with this instrument.  My 40 plus years in the field has been with  
the use of manuel H&E staining, and the Leica and Sakura stainers.   
The Leica and Sakura Stainers have a solid track record, and are the  
recognized leaders in the field.

I have been informed by the AP manager, who is a (PA), that the  
Ventana Symphony is Green, and that was a very attractive feature for  
her.  Right off the bat, I recognized the following issues:
Cost of instrument and solutions
Proven Track Record?
Huge Footprint
Proprietary Solutions?  How can I troubleshoot any issues that may  
arise???  Also, how do I know these solutions are "GREEN" if the  
ingredients are not disclosed?
California is extremely rigid to disposal of ALL solutions!

Having worked in both the Clinical and Biotech arenas, I can see both  
sides to the issue of "Proprietary Ingredients".   Biotech companies  
do not want to disclose the ingredients because they do not want to  
lose the edge on sales.  I developed numerous products with formulas  
that stated "Proprietary Ingredients" because I was told by my CEO to  
omit certain ingredients and state "Proprietary Ingredient" .  The  
end-user becomes reliant on your expertise for troubleshooting, thus  
creating sales....  Also, these companies do not want the competition  
to know the ingredients because they can duplicate the product.   
Trust me, I used to reverse engineer numerous products from our  
competition and create a new product for sale!

I realize it is extremely difficult to break into the field when you  
are introducing a new product or instrument.  Ventana tried to  
introduce a Tissue Processor back in the late 90's early 2000 with  
little success.  Perhaps, Ventana has a great instrument with the  
Symphony.  I would appreciate your comments.  Thank you in advance  
for your input!


Akemi Allison BS, HT (ASCP) HTL
Director
Phoenix Lab Consulting
Tele: 408.335.9994
E-Mail: akemiat3377 <@t> yahoo.com