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Centrifuges are used within our laboratory areas to spin samples ready for analysis. This process also stabilises the sample to preserve the integrity of that sample, and allow safe transport to the laboratory for testing.

Decappers are used within our laboratory to remove sample lids before they are loaded onto analysers for testing.

Kiosks are used within our main Phlebotomy clinics, for patients to check into the clinic, and to book future appointments if required.

Supplier: Swiftqueue

Tablets are used by our phlebotomy staff to call patients into the clinic cubicles at their appointment time. These tablets are connected to a main call-in screen in the clinic waiting area, so patients are immediately advised when and which cubicle they should go to for their blood test.

Supplier: Swiftqueue

Tablets are used by our phlebotomy staff to retrieve electronic patient information regarding your blood test, and the printers then allow them to print labels to place on the specimen tubes, so the sample is ready for analysis when it reaches our laboratories.

Supplier: Salutare

Device used to support communication with patients whilst they are having a blood test.

Full Blood Count Analyser.

Supplier: Siemens

Blood Film Maker and Stainer.

Supplier:  Siemens

Coagulation Analyser.

Supplier: Stago

Digital Blood Film Morphology System.

Supplier: Siemens

Flow Cytometer (CD4 analysis).

Supplier: Beckman Coulter

Flow Cytometer (CD34 and B27 analysis).

Supplier: Beckman Coulter

Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR) Analyser.

Supplier: Oxford Bio Systems

Plasma viscometer.

Supplier: Benson

Blood Film morphology.

Supplier: Nikon

Haemoglobinopathy Screening.

Supplier: Sebia

Main Clinical Biochemistry and Immunoassay analysers. Used to calculate the concentration of certain bio markers within samples of serum, plasma, urine and/or other body fluids. Substances analysed through these instruments include certain metabolites, electrolytes, proteins and/or drugs.

Supplier: Siemens

Automated analysis of blood samples for routine and confirmatory viral targets. 

Supplier:  Diasorin

Analyser for performing Autoimmune and Allergy testing.

Supplier: Thermo Fisher

Analyser for performing Hormone investigations

Supplier: Siemens

Analyser for measuring haemoglobin A1c levels for Diabetes monitoring

Supplier: Tosoh

Free light chain and specific protein analyser

Supplier: The Binding Site

Osmometers are used to measure the osmolality of aqeous samples by measuring the freezing point depression.  Serum and urine osmolality may be tested in patients with low and high serum sodium concentration or unusually low or high urine output.  It is also used to check the electrolyte balance between water and certain chemicals in the blood and help diagnose if a patient has swallowed a poison such as antifreeze or if a patient has diabetes insipidus.

Supplier: Advanced Instruments

Downs screening Analyser

Supplier: Brahms

Analyser for performing Protein Electrophoresis

Supplier: Sebia

Deionised water purification system which provides distilled water for use by some of the laboratory analysers

Supplier: Millipore

Gel agarose electrophoresis analyser

Supplier: Sebia

Immunofluorescence slide processor

Supplier: Euroimmun

Automated pre transfusion testing analyser including blood groups and antibody screens

Supplier: Ortho Diagnostics

Thaws frozen blood components at a controlled temperature prior to administration to a patient

Supplier: Barkey

Device that controls access to satellite blood fridges, and forms part of the electronic blood tracking system

Supplier: Blood Track

An automated sample sorting, recapping and archiving system

Supplier: NGNY

An open automation system that offers connectivity and delivery of specimens to a suite of pre-analytical, analytical and post-analytical robotic modules to automate routine tasks.

Supplier: Impecco

Blood Culture Analyser

Supplier: BioMerieux

Urine particle analyser

Supplier:  Sysmex

Identification of microorganisms using mass spectrometry

Supplier: Bruker

Urine Culture Analyser

Supplier: MAST

Rapid antimicrobial susceptibility testing from blood cultures

Supplier: Quanta Matrix

Analyser for the determination of C.dif and H.pylori status

Supplier: Alere

PCR platforms x2: rapid carbapenemase resistance screening and rapid TB detection

Supplier: Cephid

To facilitate optimum growth of microorganisms according to preferred temperature and atmosphere

Supplier: Various

Direct examination of specimens and microorganisms by various techniques, performance of cell counts and detection of pathological crystals in joint fluids. 

Supplier: Nikon

Incubation under anaerobic conditions

Supplier: Don Whitley

Safe handling of potentially hazardous materials

Sterilisation of infected / contaminated waste prior to disposal.

Supplier: Priorclave

Safe handling of potentailly harardous materials in a sealed, negative pressure room 

Supplier: Vinci

Rapid TB culture using Mycobacterial Growth Indicator Tubes

Supplier: Beckton Dickinson

Long term storage of viable cultures

A real time PCR and detection machine

Before using the rotorgene, we need to extract the DNA/RNA from the patient sample (EZ1). Depending on what we are looking for (eg a virus), we will add a primer reagent to the sample which will then stick to the virus if present in the sample. 
We also add a probe, a detector which has a fluorescent dye attached to it. The probe attaches to the primer and as the sample amplifies in the rotorgene , the probe amplifies too emitting a fluorescent light which is then captured by the machine. PCR machines can exponentially amplifies 1 copy of DNA/RNA into million of copies. we can then precisely calculate how much virus there is in the sample. 

Supplier: Qjagen

A real time PCR and detection machine

The light cycler is intended for performing rapid, accurate polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in combination with real-time, online detection. This system also amplifies a target agent and measures how much is in a patient sample. Primarily this equipment is used in the detection of hereditary diseases

Supplier:  Roche

A PCR and detection machine

This equipment is able to use a process known as REB array to look for mutations within cancer patients, in order to indicate which treatment pathways may be suitable for that patient.

Supplier: Thermofisher

A real time pcr and detection machine

This analyser Is a two step process (extraction on the M2000 sp, followed by amplification on the M2000 rt) used to assess the amount (viral load) of virus within a patient sample.

This is currently used for testing viral quantities of Hepatitis B and C and also HIV, where medics need to assess if treatment is working

Supplier: Abbott

cartridge based PCR test. 
This is also a test cartridge based system, with only 1 patient per cartridge. There is a wide ranging repertoire of tests available  including norovirus and Covid-19.

Supplier: Cephid

Extraction machine, assay set up and PCR machine. 

Fully automated machine which can be loaded with original patient samples and once testing is complete, the result is available within a few hours. It also allows us to run multiple tests on the same patient sample. 

Currently this system is used to process sexual health tests such as for chlamydia, gonorrhoea and herpes simplex.

We can control the workflow by either batch testing or using random access for urgent samples. 

Supplier: Hologic

Extraction machine 

This system extracts and purifies viral DNA/RNA material from the patient samples (blood, faeces, fluids etc) ready for PCR (molecular level) detection..

Supplier: Qjagen

Automated test setup 

Q1 agility is rapid, reliable and eliminates manual pipetting steps that are typically prone to human error.
The patients DNA/RNA is extracted and placed in the Q1 machine where the mastermix reagent (containing the primers/probes and enzymes) is added, mixed and pipetted for testing.  

They are then manually transferred to a PCR machine to amplify the DNA/RNA.

Supplier: Qjagen

A cartridge-based PCR test 
Allows the detection of up to 30 molecular targets, including cancer and hereditary disease. Sample is loaded in the test cartridge which is placed in the Idylla system and results obtained after a few hours. One sample per cartridge

Supplier: Biocartis

Immunohistochemistry, stains prepared slides by pipetting reagents onto them.

Supplier: Roche

Immunohistochemistry, stains prepared slides by pipetting reagents onto them.

Supplier:  Leica

Processors, removes the water from tissue to allow wax to penetrate them.

Supplier: Leica

Cutting Frozen sections. A microtome in a freezer.

Supplier: Leica

Cassette Printers, Prints the patient lab number on cassettes to ensure integrity of the samples.

Supplier: Epredia

Bone Saw, to cut thin slices of boney material like mandible and femur to allow for efficient decalcification and processing. 

Supplier: Exakt

Embedders, wax dispensers. To allow for the production of wax blocks with tissue embedded within it.

Supplier: Sakura Tissue TEK6

Microtomes, to cut 3 micron sections of tissue to put onto slides for staining and investigation.

Supplier: Leica

Staining Machine, to stain prepared slides with cellular stains Haematoxylin and Eosin.

Supplier: Sakura

Slide Scanners, to take a digital image of prepared slides for use in digital diagnosis of cancer and disease.

Supplier: Phillips