Automation in microbiology is often associated with robotics, sample handling or fully integrated laboratory systems. But for many routine QC laboratories, one of the biggest opportunities is more practical: automating the critical steps to generate more accurate and reproducible microbiological results earlier .
Keeping the value of culture-based methods
Culture-based methods remain essential in many quality control procedures because they provide results in CFU — a format laboratories know, use and trust.
The challenge is that traditional enumeration (CFU) can still rely heavily on manual observation, subjective interpretation and time-consuming reading and confirmation steps.
A faster path from culture to CFU result
Diamidex developed the MICA platform to help laboratories keep the value of culture-based microbiology while making the workflow faster, more standardized and less operator-dependent.
By combining specific detection probes, AI-powered analysis and automated enumeration, MICA supports the generation of actionable CFU results with reduced manual intervention.
The objective is not to replace culture-based microbiology, but to make it more efficient, consistent and responsive to modern QC needs.
Applications in water microbiology
The MICA water microbiology (with a LOD of 1 CFU) portfolio includes:
- MICA Advance E. coli - CFU results in 6 hours
- MICA Advance Total Coliforms - CFU results in 10 hours
- MICA Advance Legionella - Legionella pneumophila CFU results in 48 hours
A Pseudomonas aeruginosa application is also in development to further expand the platform’s water microbiology capabilities.
Reducing manual workload and variability
For laboratories, the benefits go beyond shorter time-to-result.
Automated culture-based workflows can help reduce manual workload, improve result standardization, limit reader-to-reader variability and support faster quality decisions.
Modernizing routine microbiology
In a microbiology lab, automation does not always have to mean replacing existing methods with complex systems.
It can also mean automating the critical steps that turn a culture into a reliable, interpretable and timely CFU result.
With MICA, Diamidex aims to help laboratories modernize culture-based microbiology while preserving what matters most: actionable results, expressed in CFU, delivered faster.
