A Decade of Innovation with the Hidex AMG
May 21, 2024
2024 marks 10 years since Hidex first launched the Hidex Automatic Gamma counter to the market. In these years, development has continued, taking strides forward with constant feedback from our users and with over 340 units sold over the first decade.
Where Did the Product Idea Originate?
Every company will tell you that listening to one’s customers is important. In Hidex’s case, listening to our customers and distributors led to developing what we know today as the Hidex AMG. When the Hidex AMG was in the development stage, one of the main aspects taken into account was how to ease the workflow in the lab. Manual work in weighing samples can be the most time-consuming part of the test process, and this fact was not lost on the team designing the device. That’s why the onboard balance was implemented from the start, to skip manual weighing and report results as activity per mass.
The multi-functional use of the device has progressed along the way – while initial years saw the use for pre-clinical studies of new drugs and general nuclear medicine, today it has expanded to radiopharmaceutical research containing gamma isotopes and radiotheranostics.
Development of the AMG Through the Years
The initial years of the instrument’s debut involved constantly gathering valuable feedback. In 2016, a 21 CFR part 11 security module was added, and soon after, a radioimmunoassay (RIA) software was implemented as an optional feature for those doing hormone measurement studies.
2019 saw the launch of the wipe test function. Many laboratories who were already utilizing the Hidex AMG for other applications also opted to use gamma counting for contamination monitoring with wipe testing. The addition of an automated protocol with radiation contamination limits allows the user to easily monitor the radiation levels with an automated report. The same year saw the introduction of the IRMA software plugin to complete the hormone research tool for quantitative measurement of hormones.
In 2021, the device saw the addition of a 2D barcode reader, allowing the users to be able to identify their samples labelled with a barcode, reducing the chances of human error. The GeGa elution plugin addition in 2022 allows the user to verify that only gallium, not germanium, is eluted from commercial generators.
How to Manage a Product on a Global Scale?
Sari Viljanen, Nuclear medicine product line manager, has been actively involved with the AMG from day 1 when the instrument was revealed at the 2014 EANM (European Association of Nuclear Medicine) Conference. Viljanen initially joined Hidex as a QA maternity substitute and soon after took on the role of Associate product manager for the Hidex AMG. In her role, she has overseen the devices which are in the field globally and supported the company’s network of distributors.
When asked about what she enjoys about her role, Sari shares that her role has allowed her to combine a long-term passion for medicine with her love for hands-on work. In the last 10 years, her professional career has grown almost in conjunction with the Hidex AMG, which is the instrument she has dedicated a majority of her time to.
A decade since its launch, the device has reached a significant milestone, having played a crucial role in various fields such as nuclear medicine, drug discovery, radiation protection, and radiopharmaceutical development, among others.