Interma in newborn screening: with automatic sample preparation

• What was needed: dryspin® threaded spindles made of stainless steel with flange threaded nuts made of iglidur® J and iglidur® bearings of the Q2 series
• Requirements: Lubrication and maintenance-free, clean room suitability, compact design, low weight, small dimensions, quiet and smooth running
• Industry: Medical industry
• Success for the customer: The automated sample preparation machine makes it possible to reduce human labour and the associated errors during sample preparation to practically a minimum. The device considerably simplifies the process of preparing dry blood samples.

Newborn screening is an important medical test that is carried out in the first few days after birth. It is used to recognise certain genetic, metabolic and congenital diseases at an early stage. During this screening, a few drops of blood are taken from the newborn's heel. This blood sample is then analysed in the laboratory for various metabolic disorders and genetic diseases. The results of the screening can help doctors to recognise potential health problems at an early stage and initiate appropriate treatment. In many countries, this method has become routine, saving children's lives; however, it requires high-throughput solutions. The machine should be able to operate without the use of lubricants to save time and money on regular maintenance. It must also meet the strict requirements for cleanliness and hygiene in sterile environments to avoid contamination of samples. The machine should also have a space-saving design so that it takes up little space in the laboratory and can be easily integrated into existing workflows. The weight should be as low as possible to enable easy handling and flexibility during installation. The machine should also have small dimensions in order to still offer a high throughput rate and be able to process a large number of samples in a short time. Quiet and smooth running is also important.

The automatic sample preparation machine with dryspin® and iglidur® components is designed for just such an application. It is an automatic sample preparation device for dry blood drops that can replace the tedious and repetitive process of cutting discs from cards or blotters containing a dry drop. The machine makes it possible to remove soaked cards from magazines, identify them for process tracking and analyse the parameters of the dry drop. It then positions the card for cutting and cuts discs with a defined diameter into a multiwell plate with verification capability. The special feature of this machine is that it can be customised to a customer's specific requirements. It can either be equipped with a vision system developed for a specific type of blotter with dry drops or with a card cutter. By integrating a vision system, the machine can determine the correctness of a sample using machine vision and artificial intelligence algorithms. It can also cut multiple discs from a soaked field or already cut blotters. To ensure high cutting quality and minimise sample contamination, the machine is equipped with punches and matrices. This minimises human labour and the associated errors during sample preparation. The device significantly simplifies the process of sample preparation of dry punched drops and enables efficient and precise analysis.