How Can Your Lab Benefit from Immunoassay Automation?
The use of the Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) technique has assisted both clinical and research laboratories in quantifying analytes of interest in heterogeneous samples. The sensitivity and specificity achievable with immunoassays are often ideal for biomarker testing. However, manually performing ELISAs is typically labor intensive and reliant on technique that can vary by user. Labs that implement immunoassay automation receive many benefits such as easily expand their offering, increase capacity and profitability, and improve analytical performance.
Five Benefits of Immunoassay Automation
Below are five of the top benefits provided by immunoassay automation systems:
1. Reduces Assay Variability
Inter-assay and inter-operator variability are key factors in obtaining consistent results for control samples, re-tests, and incurred sample re-analysis. Differences in pipetting technique, washing technique, plate shakers, and timing can lead to high variability between operators and assays. A well-maintained liquid handler onboard an automated ELISA system will deliver a consistent volume to each well during every step of the assay. Additionally, it ensures that each plate is washed and shaken in the same manner every time. Timing to load samples, standards, controls, and reagents is consistent from plate to plate, day after day.
Figure 1: Example of a multichannel liquid handler on an automated ELISA system.
2. Reduces Potential for Error
With any manual immunoassay, there is a potential for human error. Common human errors include adding a sample or reagent to the wrong well, incubating a plate for too long, and omitting a wash step. Manually running too many assays at once can significantly increase these types of errors and can lead to pipetting fatigue. Automating an immunoassay eliminates many opportunities for human error. On-board reagents and automated reagent transfer according to pre-set protocols ensure a consistent assay procedure from one run to the next. Furthermore, some automated ELISA systems include a bar code reader that enables enhanced sample tracking and traceability.
3. Increases Productivity and Capacity
Keeping up with increasing testing demands is an ongoing challenge for many laboratories. The right immunoassay automation system enables trained personnel to accomplish more per shift and significantly reduces the physical stress associated with manual pipetting. A pre-set automated protocol can reduce a three-hour manual assay with multiple pipetting and wash steps down to 30 minutes for loading sample vials and reagents. Some systems run multiple plates simultaneously and enable a technician to manually run an assay in conjunction, increasing the lab’s productivity and reducing turnaround time. Automation creates more time for implementing new assays, data analysis, quality assessment, and training.
Figure 2: Example of an automated ELISA system that can run two assay plates simultaneously, which allows for more samples per run compared to a single technician manually running a single plate.
4. Reduces Costs and Increases Profitability
Labor is one of the largest expenses in a clinical laboratory. Automation reduces hands-on-time and often increases the number of samples that can be tested in a single run, reducing the cost per test and improving overall profitability. Reduction in operator error also reduces re-tests, eliminating unnecessary cost and improving the turn-around time for test results. Automation can enable expansion of the test menu without an increase in staffing, spreading fixed costs over a greater number of tests, which adds additional revenue and further increases profitability.1
5. Implementing Immunoassay Automation is Easy and Affordable
Today’s automated ELISA systems are simpler than ever. Most instruments come with pre-set protocols, convenient sample racks, and user-friendly maintenance procedures designed for accuracy and ease-of-use. Space availability may dictate the type of ELISA automation system a laboratory can implement. A low-throughput benchtop system requires just over two feet of linear space, making it a welcome addition to most laboratories. High-throughput systems generally require more space, but allow for more samples to be processed per shift. ALPCO field application scientists are available to assist with system selection, training, and validation of new automated biomarker tests, simplifying and accelerating implementation. At ALPCO, we understand the challenges associated with growing a business and maintaining profitability in a constantly changing environment. We have developed cooperative instrument evaluation and reagent rental programs to help lab directors implement the right automation solution in a cost-effective manner. Even small labs running a single plate at a time can decrease hands-on time and cut costs, while increasing capacity and revenue with the use of simple automation solutions.
References:
Scott, K (2020). AACC. Exposing clinical labs budget blind spots. https://www.aacc.org/cln/articles/2020/march/exposing-clinical-labs-budget-blind-spots. Accessed 1Dec2020.