09/17/2026
Blood samples aboard an autonomous drone. 1,000 kilometers of Alaskan wilderness. We're proud to have joined the International Testing Agency and a pioneering aviation team to explore whether samples can maintain their integrity when transported over long distances by air.
Led by the International Testing Agency (ITA), in collaboration with the Alaska Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration (ACUASI) at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and Sysmex America, the study flew blood samples aboard Windracers' autonomous heavy-lift drone while a matched control group remained on the ground. Onboard sensors tracked temperature, pressure, humidity, vibration and acceleration throughout the flight, and both groups were then analyzed on-site under identical conditions using Sysmex XN-Series technology.
The research was conducted in an anti-doping context, but its implications reach further. As Andy Hay, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Sysmex America, put it: "The same technology that can move a blood sample across 1,000 kilometers of Alaskan wilderness could one day bring timely diagnostics to patients in the world's most remote communities."
The ITA intends to submit the findings for publication in a peer-reviewed scientific journal, with results communicated once the scientific evaluation is complete.
Read the full story and watch the complete project video: https://www.sysmex.com/en-us/company/news-and-events/2026-sysmex-supports-drone-test-flight
