Webinars and Sponsored Roundtables — Register Now
Tuesday, July 21, 2026, 11:00-11:30 AM CT
- Explain how transparency and manufacturer partnerships improve quality, consistency, and decision-making confidence in specimen management.
- Evaluate blood collection tubes beyond cost and commodity assumptions, incorporating clinical impact and risk into decision-making.
- Assess the potential risk points when using a blood collection device that has not been cleared for a specific purpose.
Roundtable presenters Nick Fingland, PhD, PMP, Senior Director, R&D Operations and Science, BD, and Chris Farnsworth, PhD, D(ABCC), Section Head of Clinical Chemistry, Professor of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine.
Moderated by: Bob McGonnagle, Publisher, CAP TODAY
Wednesday, July 29, 2026, 1:00-2:00 PM ET
Learn about digital pathology technology that is future-ready, yet practical for today’s
laboratory needs.
Webinar presenters Scott Hammond, Senior Systems Consultant, Digital Pathology Division, Wexner Medical Center, Department of Pathology, and Ursula Hofer, Imaging Technologist, Pathology Digital Imaging Lab, Wexner Medical Center, Department of Pathology, and Sandra Banky, PA(ASCP), Director of Operations, Wexner Medical Center, Department of Pathology.
Moderated by: Bob McGonnagle, Publisher, CAP TODAY
Subspecialties
Interactive Product Guides
Product Spotlight
Gold Standard Diagnostics
| Company | Gold Standard Diagnostics |
|---|---|
| Name of instrument | ThunderBolt |
| City, State | Davis, CA |
| Phone | 530-759-8000 |
| Website | |
| Type of instrument | immunoassay |
| List price/First year sold in U.S. | —/2011 |
| Targeted hospital bed size/Targeted test volume | — |
| Company manufactures instrument | yes (also sold by distribution partners) |
| Other models in this family of analyzers | Bolt |
| No. of units in clinical use in U.S./Outside U.S. (countries) | —/— (Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Czech Republic, England, Finland, more) |
| Dimensions (H × W × D)/Instrument footprint | 22 × 39 (includes laptop) × 22.5 in./6.09 sq. ft. |
| Weight empty/Weight fully loaded | 62 lbs./110 lbs. |
| No. of different measured assays onboard simultaneously | up to 24 (with limitations) |
| No. of user-definable (open chemistry) channels | — |
| Test throughput per hour/Assay run time | dependent on assay incubation times (192 tests in throughput)/20 min.–4 hr. (avg. 2 hr.) |
| No. of direct ion-selective electrode channels | — |
| Detection methods | — |
| Stat time until completion/specimen throughput for Ion-selective electrode | — |
| Stat time until completion/specimen throughput for Ion-selective electrode basic metabolic panel | — |
| Stat time until completion/specimen throughput for Ion-selective electrode complete metabolic panel | — |
| Typical time delay from ordering stat test until aspiration of sample | — |
| Fully automated microplate immunoassay system | yes (192 tests per unit; 96 wells per microplate) |
| Methodologies supported | chemiluminescence, enzyme immunoassay |
| Separation methodologies | coated microwell |
| Stat time until completion of a ß-hCG test | — |
| Stat time until completion of a cTn test | — |
| • Typical time delay from test order to aspiration of sample | — |
| Reagents refrigerated onboard/Reagents ready to use | no (room temperature–40°C)/variable; reagent specific |
| Reagent lot tracking/Reagent inventory | yes/no |
| Reagent form/Reagents barcoded | liquid chemistry (open reagent system)/no |
| Separate reagent pack for each specimen/for each test run | no/yes |
| Walkaway capability/Walkaway duration | yes/dependent on reagent |
| Design of sample-handling system | slide-in racks |
| Uses washable cuvettes/Uses disposable cuvettes | no/no |
| Min.–max. sample volume that can be aspirated at one time | 1–300 µL |
| Min. reaction volume/Min. specimen volume/Min. dead volume | 25 µL/151 µL/150 µL |
| Dedicated pediatric sample cup | no |
| Primary tube sampling | yes |
| Accommodates most standard tube sizes/Accepts nonstandard tube sizes | yes/yes |
| Pierces caps on primary tubes | no |
| Protects against probe collision | yes |
| Detects clots/liquid level/short sample | no/yes/yes |
| Detection or quantitation for hemolysis, icterus, lipemia, clots | hemolysis, icterus, lipemia, clots not available |
| Dilutes patient samples onboard/Susceptibility to carryover | yes (can be programmed to perform dilutions prior to analysis)/assay specific |
| Automatic rerun capability | no |
| Sample volume can be diluted to rerun out-of-linear-range high results | yes |
| Sample volume can be concentrated to rerun out-of-linear-range low results | yes |
| Autocalibration/Multipoint calibration supported | no (calibrants are not stored onboard)/yes (recommended avg. frequency: per batch) |
| Typical calibration frequency for ISE/therapeutic drugs/drugs of abuse/general chemistries/immunoassays | —/—/—/—/per batch |
| Automatic programmable start/Automatic programmable shutdown | no (5 min. start-up time)/no |
| Onboard real-time QC/Onboard software capability to review QC | yes/yes |
| Supports multiple QC lot numbers per analyte | yes |
| Waste management | manually by user |
| Sample barcode-reading capability/Autodiscrimination | yes (Interleaved 2 of 5, UPC, Codabar, Code 39, Code 128, Code 93, more)/yes |
| Lab can control analyzer from remote computer | no |
| Instrument can diagnose its own malfunctions | yes (operator intervention required to order parts) |
| System malfunctions can be diagnosed via remote monitoring | yes |
| UPS backup power supply | no |
| Data-management capability/LIS or EHR systems interfaced | onboard/— |
| LIS interface provided/Bidirectional interface capability | no/yes (host query) |
| Modem servicing provided/Service engineer on-site response time | no/48 hrs. |
| Mean time between failures | — (displays error codes for troubleshooting) |
| Average scheduled maintenance time by lab personnel | daily: 5 min.; weekly: 15 min.; monthly: 20 min. |
| Maintenance records kept onboard for user/vendor | yes/some records (dye tests and calibrations) |
| Maintenance training demonstration module onboard | no |
| Training included with purchase/Avg. time for basic user training | yes/4 hrs. (at customer or vendor site) |
| Advanced operator training/Extra charge for follow-up or advanced training | yes (at customer or vendor site)/yes (contract dependent) |
| Warranty provided/Cost of annual service contract (24 h/7 d) | yes (1 year from shipment date)/— |
| Distinguishing features (supplied by company) | open architecture: program any EIA or CLIA protocol; fully customizable with flexible and intuitive software; space saving: high capacity (192 samples) in a 2 × 2 ft. footprint; cost saving: low instrument price point with no routine consumables required |