BACKGROUND: Diagnostic laboratories need automation that facilitates efficient processing and workflow management to meet today's challenges for expanding services and reducing cost, yet maintaining the highest levels of quality. METHODS: Processing efficiency of two commercially available automated systems for quantifying HIV-1 and HCV RNA, Abbott m2000 system and Roche COBAS Ampliprep/COBAS TaqMan 96 (docked) systems (CAP/CTM), was evaluated in a mid/high throughput workflow laboratory using a representative daily workload of 24 HCV and 72 HIV samples. Three test scenarios were evaluated: A) one run with four batches on the CAP/CTM system, B) two runs on the Abbott m2000 and C) one run using the Abbott m2000 maxCycle feature (maxCycle) for co-processing these assays. Cycle times for processing, throughput and hands-on time were evaluated. RESULTS: Overall processing cycle time was 10.3, 9.1 and 7.6 h for Scenarios A), B) and C), respectively. Total hands-on time for each scenario was, in order, 100.0 (A), 90.3 (B) and 61.4 min (C). CONCLUSIONS: The interface of an automated analyzer to the laboratory workflow, notably system set up for samples and reagents and clean up functions, are as important as the automation capability of the analyzer for the overall impact to processing efficiency and operator hands-on time.
BACKGROUND: Diagnostic laboratories need automation that facilitates efficient processing and workflow management to meet today's challenges for expanding services and reducing cost, yet maintaining the highest levels of quality. METHODS: Processing efficiency of two commercially available automated systems for quantifying HIV-1 and HCV RNA, Abbott m2000 system and Roche COBAS Ampliprep/COBAS TaqMan 96 (docked) systems (CAP/CTM), was evaluated in a mid/high throughput workflow laboratory using a representative daily workload of 24 HCV and 72 HIV samples. Three test scenarios were evaluated: A) one run with four batches on the CAP/CTM system, B) two runs on the Abbott m2000 and C) one run using the Abbott m2000 maxCycle feature (maxCycle) for co-processing these assays. Cycle times for processing, throughput and hands-on time were evaluated. RESULTS: Overall processing cycle time was 10.3, 9.1 and 7.6 h for Scenarios A), B) and C), respectively. Total hands-on time for each scenario was, in order, 100.0 (A), 90.3 (B) and 61.4 min (C). CONCLUSIONS: The interface of an automated analyzer to the laboratory workflow, notably system set up for samples and reagents and clean up functions, are as important as the automation capability of the analyzer for the overall impact to processing efficiency and operator hands-on time.
Authors: Ana M Sanchez; C Todd DeMarco; Bhavna Hora; Sarah Keinonen; Yue Chen; Christie Brinkley; Mars Stone; Leslie Tobler; Sheila Keating; Marco Schito; Michael P Busch; Feng Gao; Thomas N Denny Journal: J Immunol Methods Date: 2014-01-19 Impact factor: 2.303
Authors: Kenneth N Ouma; Sridhar V Basavaraju; Jully A Okonji; John Williamson; Timothy K Thomas; Lisa A Mills; John N Nkengasong; Clement Zeh Journal: J Clin Microbiol Date: 2013-02-06 Impact factor: 5.948
Authors: Laura G Wesolowski; Muazzam Nasrullah; Robert W Coombs; Eric Rosenberg; Steven F Ethridge; Angela B Hutchinson; Joan Dragavon; Jennifer Rychert; Frederick S Nolte; James E Madory; Barbara G Werner Journal: Open Forum Infect Dis Date: 2015-12-09 Impact factor: 3.835