Automation in ELISA – the preferred choice

Did you know that blood- the most important fluid in the human body is also the most common carrier for infections?

Blood donation is the noblest deed one can do, to help a person in need. However, it is utmost essential to ensure safe blood transfer, as patients run the risk of contracting an infection through blood transfusion. Validating that the blood is infection free is a basic mandate for blood banks and all healthcare setups. Advanced screening plays a major role in minimising horizontal transmission of diseases through blood donation.

Nucleic Acid Testing (NAT), a technique used to detect the bacteria or virus in blood, is becoming a regular practice at reputed blood banks. Current trend in screening of blood bags include NAT+CLIA or NAT+ELISA of which the latter is more cost effective but has the disadvantage of being very tedious and requiring expert technical intervention. ELISA still remains the method of choice due to its reliability and quick results for blood screening. It also helps in improving the performance and maintaining the screening records, thus aiding in accreditation documentation as well. Serological screening of HIV, HBsAg and HCV is commonly done by ELISA. Even malaria and syphilis can be screened by ELISA.

Better performing assay kits for serology are first introduced usually in ELISA technique. ELISA is easily adaptable, upgradable and the most affordable method for large screening of patients. Automation in ELISA + NAT is preferred for easy and complete screening.

ELISA test typically has various steps (series of incubations, reagent additions and washing) for performing a test which is mostly done manually, with the help of semi-automated ELISA readers and washers. ELISA systems still have a major market share (30 per cent) of the total immunochemistry business in India. The immunoassay platform has, however, dramatically changed in recent years with the development of reduced assay step protocols and reduction in total testing time. New generation fully automated ELISA instrument, are designed to reduce the manual errors and steps for performing these tests.

For blood banks, it is very important to source the instruments and reagents from manufacturers who can provide regular supplies and timely after sales support.

Automated workflows for these assays offers a host of advantages such as reliable and effective results, shorter sample processing time, large sample load capacity, multiple tests in a single batch, minimisation of human errors and cost effectiveness. ELISA is often used to screen a batch of samples of various origins, and adding automation is highly beneficial reducing the dependency on laboratory personnel. Moreover, automation assures accuracy since accurate volumes are dispensed and time is saved in transferring samples and reagents to designated micro-wells.

Automation in ELISA

Transasia Bio-Medicals is a leading in-vitro diagnostic company. For the past 35 years of its existence, Transasia has been offering the highest quality products with excellent after sales services to meet the needs of healthcare professionals across the globe.

Transasia offers complete range of instruments and reagents in the immunology segment for customers wanting to upgrade to automation. An extensive range of EIA automated analyzers supported by a robust team of experts, ensure that we deliver excellence to our customers.

Transasia’s Elan 30s is a unique instrument indigenously designed and developed in India for small and medium workload labs offering assorted tests. It is a boon for blood banks where workload is always performed in batches. Elan 30s is a fully automated ELISA strip processor which can perform 6 tests in a single batch for a private laboratory setup where the workload is low. Earlier, many blood banks, weren’t able to afford an automation for a medium workload laboratory owing to the high costs. Now, with the introduction of such system even a 300 – 500 samples workload blood bank can offer ELISA automation. Elan 30s is an ideal automation platform since it has got a single arm for performing all the steps, automatically inbuilt incubators to control temperatures, washers, and readers to analyse results, with optional barcode reader to track samples, and data storage equipment for a complete automated workflow. The user friendly software helps to easily track the steps being performed during batch process.

Mago 4 is another instrument manufactured by Delta Biologicals,Italy and distributed solely in India by Transasia. It is a fully automated 4 plate ELISA processor which can handle a high workload of upto 104 samples, perform 12 different tests in a plate and has the most easy to use software, making it the most ideal choice for fully automated ELISA system for high volume customers. The instrument delivers everything needed to ensure the rigorous, repeatable analysis required in critical applications including immunology, infectious disease, hormone, autoimmune and IFA. It eliminates errors that occur during manual processes, using advanced automation and precise liquid-handling capabilities. Mago 4 provides the flexibility of an open system; as a result, the users are not locked into a single reagent provider. It is ideal for blood banks in private and government sector in India.