System to automate routine lab tasks including centrifugation, decapping, aliquoting, recapping, barcode labelling, sorting and archiving will be installed at Guy's and St Thomas's Hospital, London
Roche Diagnostics says its state-of-the-art modular pre-analytics (MPA) system allows efficient, error-free preparation of samples, simplifying the working environment and releasing qualified staff to concentrate on more specialised tasks.
Individual modules automate centrifugation, decapping, aliquoting, recapping, barcode labelling, sorting and archiving.
Professor R Swaminathan, head of clinical chemistry at Guy's and St Thomas's Hospital, London, said: "Seeing first hand the modular pre-analytics system fully integrated and operating very successfully in other laboratories, convinced us that the platform would be a good investment for Guy's and St Thomas's.
"Ultimately, we need an efficient, reliable system to improve turnaround times, to benefit the laboratory and, of course, the patients".
The fully-automated platform removes many of the health and safety issues associated with manual handling and ensures that samples are not contaminated, thereby reducing potential errors.
The system also automatically archives samples so that they are easier to locate and retrieve.
Kathy Graham, chief biomedical scientist for the automated section in chemical pathology at Guy's and St Thomas's, said: "The system is easy to operate and will perform all the pre-analytical tasks we need, cutting down the time staff have to spend on pre-analytical preparation stages, which can be repetitive and tedious.
"As a result, we will be able to reallocate our highly valued staff to where they are most needed".
Roche Diagnostics says it is developing strong working relationships with its customers and is constantly striving to improve its services.
Ian Parfrement, director of Roche Diagnostics's hospital segment, said: "With laboratories under increasing pressures to improve turnaround and cost-efficiency, Roche Diagnostics is committed to working in partnership with laboratories, helping them to streamline workloads and provide a more efficient and robust pathology service.
"The modular system allows us to offer laboratories a tailor-made approach that can be easily expanded, meeting their needs in terms of flexibility and reliability.
The Trust is looking forward to installing the Modular Pre-Analytics system early in 2006.Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Roche is one of the world's leading research-focused healthcare groups in the fields of pharmaceuticals and diagnostics.
As a supplier of innovative products and services for the early detection, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease, the group contributes on a broad range of fronts to improving people's health and quality of life.
Roche claims to be a world leader in diagnostics, the leading supplier of medicines for cancer and transplantation and a market leader in virology.
In 2004 sales by the pharmaceuticals division totalled SFR21.7billion, while the diagnostics division posted sales of SFR7.8billion.
Roche employs approximately 65,000 people in 150 countries and has R and D agreements and strategic alliances with numerous partners, including majority ownership interests in Genentech and Chugai.
Roche's diagnostics division offers a uniquely broad product portfolio and supplies a wide array of innovative testing products and services to researchers, physicians, patients, hospitals and laboratories worldwide.
