Tecan systems make light work of thousands of samples for UK Biobank

UK Biobank, a major UK medical research initiative, is using 11 Freedom EVO® liquid handling workstations from Tecan to process thousands of samples taken each day from volunteers for a new study. Detailed information about lifestyle and medical history, together with physical parameters (weight, height etc.) and blood and urine samples, are being collected to give an insight into a wide range of diseases. The huge sample size and large amount of health information make it the most detailed study of its kind ever undertaken.

Paul Downey, Director of Operations of UK Biobank, explained: “An efficient liquid handling system was absolutely essential to handle and store so many blood and urine samples. Firstly, we needed a system with the reliability and throughput required to process as many as 20,000 tubes in a day. Secondly, a comprehensive data audit trail was essential, ensuring full traceability of all samples using barcodes and supported by a LIMS. After looking at several liquid handling systems, we are confident that the Tecan Freedom EVO workstations best address these issues.”