When it comes to the quality of its laboratory consumables and supplies, the National Institute for Biological Standards and Control (NIBSC) can demand nothing but the very highest standards
This call for quality extends to its water supply - a fundamental component of scientific research yet one often overlooked.
To meet the stringent standards in water purity, the institute has opted for the Purelab Ultra Analytic, an intelligent water purification system from laboratory water specialist Elga LabWater.
Reporting to the UK Departments of Health, the NIBSC is a multi-disciplinary scientific establishment responsible for safeguarding and enhancing public health by providing advice on the quality, safety and efficacy of biological medicines.
Substances under study include everything from vaccines, purified human blood products and recombinant therapeutic proteins, to the preparation and calibration of QC reference standards.
The institute is a renowned international authority working with government and regulatory agencies both in the UK and across the world.
Within NIBSC, the Laboratory for Molecular Structure (LMS) develops sophisticated spectroscopic and chromatographic approaches for use in characterization and quality control.
Techniques employed include NMR, mass spec and optical spectroscopy methods such as UV/vis, circular dichroism and fluorescence.
According to laboratory head Chris Jones, "The materials we work with are precious, available to us in only small quantities and water soluble - usually in the range of micrograms to a few milligrams.
"Ultimately, the quality of the analytical results depends on the prevention of contamination during sample preparation and analysis, and for this we require water of a very high quality - free from contaminating salts and other electrolytes or trace organic materials.
"We use a Purelab Ultra Analytic system to provide us with the highly pure water for all our optical spectroscopy work, chromatographic analyses, sample preparation and all other purification work".
The Purelab Ultra Analytic combines multiple purification technologies to polish feedwater to the consistently high standard demanded by such sensitive applications.
Organic adsorbents, ion exchange resins and ultramicrofiltration technology are combined with full-spectrum UV photo-oxidation to produce pure water with extremely low levels of inorganic, organic and bacterial contaminants (ppt levels of metals, TOC <2ppb and bacterial counts < 1CFU/ml).
Designed with a multi-stage monitoring concept, the use of primary and secondary cartridge packs provides reassurance of trace contaminant removal, while bringing additional cost benefits by prolonging pack life.
Additional features, such as the automated feedwater purge on start-up and full sanitization, provide further confidence in water quality for NIBSC's exacting applications.
The Purelab Ultra range has five models specifically designed to deliver the ideal water quality for any bioscience or analytical requirement.
To provide accurate scientific advice across the wide range of analyses and techniques performed, highest standards must be maintained.
According to NIBSC, "Our ability to do this successfully depends on the quality of the scientific work undertaken - an ability that will ultimately depend on the quality of the laboratory water we use."
