Building on our progress advancing adoption and leverage of IDEXX solutions, we continue to make solid progress advancing our ongoing innovation agenda, including the development of new platforms for diagnostics testing. The first of two such new testing platforms currently under development was announced recently at VMX. The IDEXX inVue Dx cellular analyzer, a first of its kind slide-free cellular analyzer platform. It’s powered by Advanced Optics and enabled by AI that has been trained by IDEXX’s global pathology network. Development of this platform is proceeding to schedule and is in its final stages as we plan to begin shipping to customers in the fourth quarter of this year. Our commercial teams have begun educating busy customers on this new piece of technology while also using it to engage with customers on other IDEXX solutions that may be relevant to their practices now.
This is another multiplier of new IDEXX innovation, which helps support high reach to revenue metrics in the quarter which reflect the efficacy of our commercial playbook. Early feedback from customers across the globe remains highly positive, building up the enthusiasm experience at both domestic and international veterinary conferences. Customers have resonated with both the medical and workflow productivity benefits. Clinicians are wild, for example, by the powerful technological innovations that appreciate the clinical need for solutions to ear cytology, a daily practice and blood morphology, a critical element of a complete hematology exam. The feedback is consistent across general practices, specialists and corporate accounts who seek cutting-edge tools from IDEXX.
We look forward to building on this highly innovative menu by delivering fine needle aspirate testing that reflect IDEXX’s high-performance standards. At IDEXX, innovation goes beyond new platforms. Our technology for life approach means that we’re constantly assessing our on-market portfolio for opportunities to add value to our products, new insights, greater efficiency or improved easy use. Similar to how blood morphology insights on the IDEXX inVue Dx complement our premium hematology analyzers. We recently launched a new generation of our IDEXX VetLab UA platform, which complements SediVue Dx. The new UA analyzer brings a highly attractive, modernized form factor is easier to use and features enhanced integrations with IDEXX VetLab Station and VetConnect PLUS, saving practice team’s time on commonly run urine diagnostics.
In the eight essential urine parameters provided on IDEXX VetLab UA, including PH and protein merged with results from SediVue Dx driving actionable interpretive guidance on next steps that support clinicians to make informed medical decisions. IDEXX Reference Labs are also benefiting from recent innovations where we see momentum building with the recently launched IDEXX Cystatin B, our differentiated kidney injury detection test that further bolsters our best-in-class renal health offering for our customers. We’ve now launched in North America, UK and Australia and plan to launch in Europe later this year. Experience is growing with its important innovation with almost 500,000 tests ordered by over 13,000 customers since the December launch.
Awareness of the test is solid, estimated at just over 50% of US veterinarians based on recent survey work. Significant runway exists to increase awareness and deepen understanding of the clinical utility of this test. IDEXX’s software and imaging business continues to perform well and is addressing significant unmet customer needs. Our cloud-first strategy to building a seamlessly integrated software ecosystem delivers workflow and communication advantages across a clinic that drive productivity while supporting double-digit growth of our profitable SaaS recurring revenue stream for IDEXX. Strong software placement growth is now virtually all via cloud-based products. It is supported by customers looking for modern tools to assess diagnostic insights, create and streamline practice workflows and communicate with an increasingly digitally native end customer by partnering with IDEXX on these solutions customers are increasingly freed from unrewarded administrative test to pursue their care mission for patients.
Like our diagnostic platforms and menu, we’re also focused on enhancing the IDEXX software ecosystem. Our recent announcement at the Western Veterinary Conference is an example of this, where we were thrilled to announce that Vello, our newest pet owner engagement platform, which officially went live in late March. Veterinarians increasingly tell us that their client communication processes and tools are disjointed, high friction and time-consuming. Vello provides veterinarians with a powerful tool that is directly embedded within our IDEXX practice management software, supporting streamlined interactions and more efficient workflows. The benefits of expanding IDEXX’s vertical software suite are many, including deeper customer relationships and improved compliance that helps drive better health outcomes.
Vello supports the growth of our profitable recurring software revenues while also delivering multiplier benefits to our Diagnostics business, as early Vello adopters are benefiting from fewer customer no-shows and increasing their diagnostic stabilization with IDEXX. Another addition to the software ecosystem was the acquisition of Greenline Pet, a leading digital platform that provides easy practice workflow solutions for coupon and rebate redemptions, which was completed in the first quarter. The Greenline digital platform enhances IDEXX partnerships with leading manufacturers in the animal health pharmaceutical and nutrition space, supporting sector development through targeted rebating to customers. Made possible through deep integrations with IDEXX and third-party practice management systems.
By delivering additional relevant solutions to our software customers like Greenline and Vello, we’re able to drive strong adoption of our deeply integrated vertical SaaS applications inside of our cloud practice management systems. Providing our customers with a single unified platform for payments, workflow and client communications to name a few applications, helps drive efficiency and remove the need to toggle between multiple applications and manual reconciliations. Not only does this accelerated adoption drive practice productivity, but it also supports greater diagnostics revenue growth and very high retention rates, thereby helping drive our key recurring revenue annuity. Overall, we’re very proud of how we have advanced our strategic initiatives across multiple business areas in the first quarter, while also delivering an excellent customer experience and strong financial results.
I’ll now conclude our prepared remarks by thanking the 11,000 IDEXX employees for your ongoing commitment and incredible passion for our purpose-driven work. Your contribution to IDEXX not only helps deliver against our goal of providing a better future for animals, people and our planet, but also helped deliver a strong start against our financial objectives in 2024. The companion animal diagnostics sector, including supporting software solutions remains highly attractive and IDEXX teams play a critical role in providing excellent care based on diagnostic insights. As a result, we are very well positioned to deliver solid growth and financial results over the long-term horizon. So on behalf of the management team, thank you for your continued focus on enhancing the health and wellbeing of pets, people and livestock.
Now let’s open the line for Q&A.
Operator: Thank you. [Operator Instructions] We’ll go first to Chris Schott with JPMorgan.
