Anachem has announced that the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service has chosen its Cyclertest MTAS validation system for its thermal cycler and light cycler validation.
Robert Howieson, engineering contracts manager at the SNBTS, along with a team of scientists decided in June 2008 to standardise their thermal cycler and light cycler validation using the mobile temperature acquisition system (MTAS) from Anachem.
Howieson said: 'Initially the advantage of using MTAS validation was to establish if light cyclers used in the SNBTS were performing satisfactorily, since no means to do this was available at that time.
'Additionally it became apparent that the validation system could be used in conjunction with any make and type of thermal cycler, and therefore it became a practical proposition to standardise on one test procedure nationally, since within SNBTS there are several makes.
'Another attraction was the fact that the test was conducted dynamically and so the characteristic of each thermal cycler could be determined.
'Not only could the accuracy of all test parameters be determined but so could temperature spread and undershoot/overshoot.
'All the test information contributes to the overall assessment of thermal cycler performance and is used in determining if the equipment continues to operate to manufacturers' specification.' Howieson added: 'A standardised approach has now been possible within the SNBTS because this test procedure can be applied to all makes and types of thermal cycler.
'All test information is recorded and presented in a detailed report to a standard format.' Cyclertest MTAS provides assurance, with detailed information on how PCR machines are performing throughout a reaction.
Reporting on the real-time performance of PCR machines helps users better understand their results, adapt protocols for more efficient use of valuable reagents and conform to regulatory requirements.
For forensic and diagnostic applications, complete confidence in the procedure and data obtained is essential and can only be guaranteed with regular checking of the instrument used.
UKAS accreditation of this system ensures users are complying with the most stringent laboratory practices of ISO:17025.
The use of biological positive, negative and threshold controls is insufficient to guarantee reliable PCR results but the method of Cyclertest MTAS performs both static and dynamic testing on virtually every commercially available thermal cycler.
Cyclertest uses the MTAS that has been calibrated against the NIST standard.
Test results are analysed and reported through an automated process, prohibiting any alterations of the acquired sample data.
The data and layouts are encrypted and cannot be modified.
A 'Certificate of Thermal Validation' accompanies every test report.
This certificate represents the results of the measured and calculated main parameters of the tested instrument.
Anachem's technicians will carry out all validations in your laboratory, which ensures the performance of your cycler is measured as you use the cycler every day.
