Accreditation for robotic tech to increase test capacity for Biobest

Biobest Laboratories has gained official accreditation to use robotic technology installed to increase its testing capacity and provide faster test results.

The automated ELISA system installed at the company’s laboratory at The Edinburgh Technopole, near Penicuik, Midlothian, has been accredited for use by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service. The government-appointed body assesses and accredits organisations, providing certification, testing, inspections and calibration services.

VetPartners, which owns Biobest, had invested in the automated system, which will optimise lab workflows, increase testing capacity and streamline transfer of data, creating a faster turnaround of results.

Screening

The system will be used for various serological testing, including herd and flock screening for infections such as Johne’s disease in ruminants and maedi visna and caseous lymphadenitis in sheep.

Biobest Laboratory director Paul Burr said: “We have been working hard on the validation of these instruments over the past few months and I’m delighted to report that the system has now been accredited for several of our farm animal tests.

“This is an important step forward for us and means we can provide a better service to our customers by reducing turnaround times significantly.

“We can also handle much higher fluctuations in demand, which is particularly helpful to our farm animal work that is highly seasonal.

“Removing human data transcription steps also reduces the scope for errors as the results go directly into the LIMS [laboratory information management system] from the testing machine.”

Other areas

Biobest said it would now be looking at other areas of automation and is in the process of validating a plate reader that would automate part of the rabies serology testing process.

The laboratory company is the main provider of rabies testing in the UK and accepts samples from customers worldwide.