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EDITOR'S PAGE

During the past few years, a number of trends in laboratory medicine have affected the development and implementation of automation in lab analyzers. Such trends are related to reducing costs, running tests with fewer lab personnel, and maintaining quick turnaround times for test results. IVD manufacturers have been responding to such trends in automation and instrumentation in different ways.

One trend is automating the preanalytical sample-preparation steps, including registering samples in the laboratory information system, centrifuging blood tubes, and preparing them to be sampled. Seeing this trend, several major IVD manufacturers have developed and offer automated sample-prep systems.

As the postgenomic era continues to unfold, another trend is the increasing number of samples arriving in laboratories for molecular analysis. Such increases place added demands on automated instruments that can handle the specialized needs of molecular tests. For example, lab automation will need to be able to conduct closed-tube sampling for DNA analysis in order to minimize the increased risk of cross-contamination.

In addition, with so much of a lab’s work load concentrated on a few analyzers, any downtime due to instrument malfunctions is disruptive. In the past few years, remote instrument analysis via device relationship management (DRM) has become an integral part of instrument quality control. DRM is software that enables interactive monitoring and servicing of lab instruments through the Internet. It also allows IVD manufacturers to run routine instrument maintenance and inspection activities from a remote location.

In this issue, Hunter Bagwell of Data Innovations Inc. (South Burlington, VT) explores how middleware can offer more than just autoverification. His article, “Middleware: Providing value beyond autoverification” (page 35), not only discusses autoverification but also illustrates three key facets of a laboratory’s business strategy that middleware is contributing to: operations efficiency and improvement, business continuity, and business expansion. More articles and information about the latest technology developments in automation and instrumentation can be found on the IVD Technology Web site at www.ivdtechnology.com/auto.

Editor’s note: As part of our ongoing Webcast series on “The Fundamentals of In Vitro Diagnostics,” IVD Technology will be hosting the next installment of this series on developing next-generation automated clinical chemistry laboratory instruments. Scheduled to be broadcast in September, this Webcast will examine the current trends and future developments in automated lab analyzers and will feature three live presentations by industry experts, each with extensive experience in this area. Further details and information about how to register for this Webcast will be coming soon.

Richard Park