Shared Health Diagnostic Services transfusion medicine testing sites across the province of Manitoba will be transitioning testing methodologies for the determination of red cell group typing, antibody detection, and identification from solid phase to gel column agglutination technology with the Bio-Rad IH-500 and Saxo-ID instruments.

The first implementation of the Bio-Rad IH-500 will go live at Westman Lab in Brandon on Tuesday, January 13, 2026 with the remaining testing sites in the NRHA region to follow with the Bio-Rad Saxo-ID instruments in the upcoming months.

As part of our ongoing commitment to quality, standardization, and alignment with current best practices, this transition is intended to enhance workflow efficiency, improve result consistency, and support standardization across our testing sites.

System Improvements:

• improved specificity and reduction of non-specific reactivity
• more consistent and reproducible endpoint detection
• facilitates harmonization of testing across multiple sites
• reduced sensitivity to environmental and procedural variability

Access details here.

Submitted by Tamara Burnham, Collaborative Practice Lead, and Tim Siran, Regional Manager-Logistics and Supply Chain Management. For more information contact Tim at T 431 356 0217 or email .