The Lab of the Future: Russia Automates Diagnostic Testing
Automated laboratory lines have entered operation in Russia, fundamentally changing how diagnostic tests are processed. Sample sorting, centrifugation, testing and reporting are now combined into a single digital workflow with oversight at every stage. This reduces the risk of errors, speeds up diagnostics and allows physicians and laboratory professionals to focus on complex clinical cases.
A medical laboratory is not simply a place where blood samples are collected and results are issued. It is a complex production environment involving dozens of stages, thousands of test tubes and vast amounts of data that must be processed with maximum accuracy. To address this challenge, the LabQuest personalized medicine laboratory is introducing end-to-end automation in its biochemistry and immunochemistry instrument room and its molecular genetics department. Individual stages of preparation, testing and results processing are being integrated into a sequential workflow designed to handle large volumes of samples. This will fundamentally change how laboratory operations are organized.
What Is Being Automated?
An automated SNIBE line is being commissioned in the instrument room. According to the company, it is the first line of this configuration in Russia and one of the first in Europe. It combines sample sorting and preparation, centrifugation and testing on two Maglumi X8 analytical modules.
Previously, centrifugation – a key stage in preparing biological material for testing – was performed manually. A laboratory professional placed test tubes in the centrifuge, started the process, then removed the tubes and transferred them to the next stage. This took time and created opportunities for error, including the possibility that containers holding biological material could be mixed up.
The process is now fully automated. This reduces the likelihood of deviations from protocols for handling biological materials. LabQuest also plans to connect a refrigerated sample-storage module, or automated archive, to the line in the near future. Once that happens, the integrated workflow will cover the sample’s entire journey through archival storage.
A Second Line
A second automation project has been launched in the molecular genetics department. A DTstream line developed by DNA-Technology is now operational there. It performs all key stages of molecular biology testing: automatically extracting nucleic acids, removing test-tube caps, dispensing material and conducting high-throughput PCR amplification. Designed for large sample volumes, the line minimizes manual intervention, reducing the risk that foreign biological material – DNA, RNA, cells or microorganisms – will contaminate samples or reagents. Test results are generated graphically, but comments and the final interpretation are prepared exclusively by a laboratory professional.
Reliable Results at High Volume
Automation addresses several challenges at once. Processes become standardized, meaning results no longer depend on who performs the test. The laboratory can process more samples. And each sample can be tracked at every stage, from arrival through the release of results.
At the same time, LabQuest is expanding its range of tests. Its molecular genetics laboratory has begun performing tuberculosis testing. Laboratory professionals identify not only the pathogen itself but also its drug resistance, helping physicians select the appropriate treatment regimen. Testing for Clostridium difficile toxins, previously performed manually, has also been automated. This has improved accuracy and makes it possible to track changes in a patient’s condition over time.
Another new area is allergy panels. There are four panels, each covering eight to 10 allergens: food, respiratory, seasonal and household allergens specifically relevant to Russia. These panels cost less than a comprehensive allergy microarray and are suitable for initial diagnostics when a physician needs to quickly screen a patient for sensitivity to the most likely allergens.
What Matters Most for Patients
The ultimate goal of these changes is their effect on patients. For someone undergoing testing, automation means faster results and more reliable interpretation, which in turn can allow treatment to begin sooner.
Such laboratories can also become particularly valuable during pandemic outbreaks, when healthcare professionals must process very large volumes of samples. Automated lines are designed for precisely that kind of workload. In addition, if identical systems operate in different cities, their results can be compared more consistently, an important advantage for patient routing and telemedicine.
LabQuest plans to complete the SNIBE workflow by connecting the sample-storage system. The company will also continue testing the QuantiFERON assay, implementing a C. difficile testing protocol and introducing molecular genetics technologies for determining drug resistance in dermatophytes.
