Automated Blood Fraction Retrieval with Hamilton easyBlood

21 Apr 2013
Sarah Thomas
Associate Editor

Product news

The Hamilton easyBlood is a new Standard Solution offering from Hamilton to address market needs and develop a portfolio of tailored products for Biobanking and Clinical Applications.

easyBlood is able to detect buffy coat and gel separators in centrifuged blood tubes and automatically separates these fractions into a variety of target containers found in today’s biobanks. The system uses CCD camera technology, software and precision hardware to identify the three fractions of blood and calculate their exact positions within the sample tube.The system then uses Hamilton liquid handling to retrieve the relevant layers and place them is user designated tubes for downstream applications. The buffy coat is removed using a wide bore tip and careful pipetting.

Other Hamilton standard modules on the system allow the complete biobanking sample preparation workflow to be automated with the easyBlood:

• Barcode reading on primary tube
• Fraction detection (Plasma, Buffy Coat, Red Blood Cells)
• Pipetting of all three fractions
• Aliquoting
• 2D barcode scanning of target tubes (Mircotubes from various manufacturers)

Features
• Automated buffy coat detection and pipetting
• Up to 192 primary samples processed in one run
• Complete sample tracking including storage of image information
• On Deck 2D barcode scanning implementable
• Pre-programmed methods as templates included in delivery

Benefits
• Automates tedious and error-prone buffy coat pipetting process
• Operator independent pipetting of precious biobanking samples
• Free-up laboratory resources
• Increased sample safety with complete sample tracking

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Sample PreparationSample preparation can improve the quality and speed of separation techniques. Products to assist sample preparation include filtration equipment, evaporators, membranes and sieves.Sample ManagementSample management systems include sample storage devices such as freezers and plate storers, sample environment enclosures and sample organization, retrieval and sorter systems. Useful system features include high-throughput, automation, robotic arms, automated liquid handling and associated database systems. Accessories in sample management include barcode scanners, heat sealers and tubes.HematologyIn Haematology / Hematology, complete blood cell counts (or full blood counts) are obtained using automated blood count analyzers to enumerate blood cell types.  Hematology also encompasses haemostasis and coagulation, thrombophilia and hemophilia, plasma viscosity and ESR analysis, hemoglobinopathies, cell morphology and haematinic measurement.Robotic InstrumentsRobotic instruments can be used for high-throughput automation of many lab processes. Such processes use instruments for assays like cell based assays and ELISA, for sample preparation like shakers, centrifuges and incubators, and for analysis such as sequencing and western blot analyzers. Useful features of robotic instruments include speed, reproducibility, barcode readers, software and automation.Clinical ChemistryBiochemistry (or clinical chemistry) involves the analysis of bodily fluids using chemical tests. Techniques used include HPLC, chromatography, spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, immunochemical, electrophoresis, turbidometric / spectrophotometric assay, MRI and ISE analysis. Tests are often carried out on plasma or serum but urine (urinalysis) and fecal specimens are also processed.CCD cameraBlood AnalysisThe analysis of blood is vital for many areas of life sciences and forensic investigations. Blood samples can be tested for a number of different reasons such as diagnosis, glucose levels, cholesterol and drug testing.