Laboratory Analyzers and Reagents

Laboratory analyzers and reagents are the basis for all assay tests performed in clinical laboratories. They are the ‘engines’ that drive the workflow, productivity and standardisation of laboratory operations. Automated analysers have revolutionised clinical chemistry, but this automation would be incomplete without the availability of a complete range of reagent kits to feed these engines. Learn more about laboratory analyzers in this article.

Clinical chemistry kits offer prepackaged, ready-to-use assay reagents and methodologies for assay preparation. The development of these kits has greatly increased the efficiency and standardisation of laboratory processes, reducing the potential for handling errors and improving the quality of patient results.

These kits contain a number of essential components such as barcoded reagents, tubes, lids and caps; centrifuge spin racks; decapping tubes; aliquoting vials and cuvettes; and sample cups. The kit also contains a user manual with step-by-step instructions for assay preparation. The kits are designed to work on the analysers for which they have been designed, which reduces the total number of handling steps in a typical laboratory, decreases and standardises turnaround times (TAT), increases productivity and frees up manpower for optimisation of those tasks that cannot be automated.

The kits are also a cost effective way to manage assays and supplies. A single kit usually provides all the reagents for one or more assays, which can be run on any analyser in the laboratory, so that laboratories have flexibility of choice and can adapt to changing workloads. In general, analysers are designated as either 'closed systems' or 'open systems' depending on whether only the proprietary reagents of the manufacturer can be used on the instrument or any assay application is adapted to it. Closed systems require the use of only their reagents for calibration, maintenance and method validation, while open systems can be used with any reagents on any analyser.

Analyzers with integrated systems offer a combination of chemistry and immunoassays on the same platform. This consolidation of the workflow is a significant improvement over multiple individual instruments, with their associated QC, preventive maintenance and record keeping. This is particularly attractive for high volume laboratory environments.

Roche has a range of integrated analysers which can handle the requirements of any laboratory. The cobas c 311 and cobas e 411 series are examples of these platforms, combining clinical chemistry and immunoassay testing in a single system. Using a common analyser family saves valuable space and eliminates the need to maintain duplicate instruments with their separate QC, preventive maintenance and record keeping, reducing capital expenditure and operating costs. View here for more info: https://www.jantdx.com/product-category/laboratory-analyzers-and-reagents/molecular-testing/real-time-pcr/.

In addition to their consolidated workflow, these systems have the ability to perform advanced diagnostics such as HbA1c testing, which requires an immunoassay. This capability enables laboratories to offer enhanced services to patients, while increasing their profitability.

In a recent article, Doumas and colleagues described the RX suzuka (Fig. 1) as “an intelligent random access chemistry analyser for small, medium and large hospital core labs”. This enables laboratories to perform routine, drugs of abuse and specialty chemistries on one device. The analyzer includes a high throughput, ISE flow cell; three lanes to transport racks, including a bypass lane for true STAT testing; and is designed to connect to other laboratory automation systems for seamless integration with immunoassay and clinical IT. Check out this post that has expounded on the topic: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automated_analyser.