Fully-Automated Robotic Biological Sample Storage and Retrieval System
Precision robotics specialist IRELEC is helping biobanks get ready for the future with its easy-to-deploy and highly-interoperable INLANDYS® automated sample management system. To rise to tomorrow’s biomedical research and healthcare challenges, biobanks will need to become more agile, robust, and efficient. INLANDYS® is designed to help do just that.
Human biological samples and the associated data crucial to tomorrow’s medicine
Data will accelerate the research necessary to making personalized diagnostics and treatments available to patients. Much of this valuable data will come from samples of human biological tissue stored in repositories called biobanks operated by:
- Hospitals and other healthcare providers
- Biomedical research organizations
- Biotech or pharmaceutical companies
- Biobanking service providers
As the number of samples to manage increases, automation and interoperability with laboratory information management systems (LIMS) and other data platforms are fundamental to providing researchers and clinicians with fast, easy access to the very specific samples they need to develop tomorrow’s precision therapies and diagnostics.
The advantages of a high-performance automated robotic biological sample management system from IRELEC
IRELEC, which has been designing precision robotic sample handling systems for large scientific instruments like synchrotrons for decades, can bring new levels of precision, reliability, and repeatability, and safety to biobanks to help prepare for the future. Our INLANDYS® high-performance automated robotic biological sample management system positions biobanks rapidly and efficiently respond to increasing numbers of requests for samples from researchers and clinicians.
Limit the loss of valuable human biological samples over time
Protect biobank technicians and free them from low-added-value tasks
Automation that integrates seamlessly with existing biobank equipment and processes
Biobanks have to be able to securely store valuable biological samples for a very long time to meet research and clinical needs that may not even exist yet. Losses can be very costly not only financially, but also in terms of missed opportunities to bring patients precision diagnoses and treatments. The main culprits are traceability gaps, sample identification issues, and cold chain disruptions—all of which occur more frequently when manual sample retrieval processes are used.
Our INLANDYS® systems feature:
- A camera to track each individually-identified sample from initial deposit to final delivery
- A log of the time each individual sample is exposed to room temperature throughout its lifetime
- Nitrogen-cooled transfer stations to keep the cold chain intact during retrieval
Manual sample retrieval is time consuming, error prone, and potentially hazardous due to the nitrogen in the cryogenic storage tanks and exposure to repetitive stress injuries. Technicians must open the tank, retrieve the rack of boxes, remove the right box, and transfer the individual sample.
With INLANDYS®, technicians simply:
- Enter their order via a touchscreen linked to the laboratory information system (hundreds of retrieval requests can be scheduled at once)
- Place an empty or full shuttle box in the secure, nitrogen-cooled transfer station where the automated system takes over
INLANDYS® does the work inside an enclosed area protected by a safety system and displays status information at every step in the process. While this is happening, technicians can focus on higher-added-value tasks.
Automating your biological sample storage and retrieval processes does not mean overhauling your entire biobank.
Our INLANDYS® systems are:
- Built on a standard architecture
- Designed for use with standard market racks, boxes, and tubes
- Compatible with your existing storage tanks and other equipment
- Adaptable to your workflows and processes
- Interoperable with your databases and software