The Automation Partnership (TAP) a world leading manufacturer of innovative industrial automation for life science applications, is delighted to announce that it has been asked to design and implement the -80?C automated sample management system for the prestigious UK Biobank project.

The UK Biobank, which will be the world's largest prospective study of the link between disease, environment and genetic factors, requires a storage and retrieval system for around 10 million biological samples from 500,000 participants. The samples will be stored at -80?C, for up to 25 years.

TAP is providing a design study, system prototype and implementation programme to match the UK Biobank's vision. The final system, named Polar?, will allow storage, retrieval and full tracking of all 10 million samples stored at -80?C. It will also accurately pick out any individually 2-D coded sample from this vast array of tubes for further research.

Dr Tim Peakman, Executive Director of the UK Biobank commented: ?After assessing the capabilities of several companies for this project, we found TAP was capable of delivering in three areas that are critical to us. We chose TAP because the company has engineering expertise combined with a consultative approach which has allowed them to undertake ambitious automation projects and successfully provide robust systems to match these needs. We believe these qualities make TAP the right company to produce an affordable and reliable solution for our requirements.?

Ian Ransome, Director of Sample Management and Screening at TAP added: ?The UK Biobank is a prestigious venture with the potential to make a fundamental and far-reaching contribution to healthcare research and we are honoured to be part of it?.

?At TAP, we have a wealth of experience and expertise in designing and supplying scalable automated systems for biological and compound sample management. These attributes will ensure we deliver a robust and secure archive for the UK Biobank,? concludes Ransome.

For more information, visit:
http://www.automationpartnership.com

About The Automation Partnership

The Automation Partnership (TAP) is a world leader in the design, development and manufacture of advanced automation systems for the life sciences industry. The Company provides systems for automating and integrating processes for cell culture, sample management, screening and genomics applications. Over 250 TAP systems are installed at major pharmaceutical companies world-wide and these include Amgen, AstraZeneca, Aventis Pasteur, Avigen, Baxter Vaccines, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer and Roche.

TAP, founded in 1988, is a private company with headquarters near Cambridge, UK and a U.S. sales and support office in Wilmington, Delaware. The Company, which employs over 180 staff, continues to grow by developing and supplying successful market driven automation products.

About the UK Biobank

The UK Biobank project will be the world's biggest resource for the study of the role of nature and nurture in health and disease. Up to half a million participants aged between 45 and 69 years will contribute a blood sample, lifestyle details and their medical histories to create a national database of unprecedented size.

Funded by the Medical Research Council, the Wellcome Trust biomedical research charity, the Department of Health and the Scottish Executive, the UK Biobank will be used by researchers to uncover the genetic and environmental factors that lead to disorders, including cancer, heart disease, diabetes and Alzheimer's disease. The combination of genetic material and information from participants will create a powerful resource for scientists which will enable them to improve the understanding of the biology of disease, as well as develop improved diagnostic tools, preventative strategies and tailor made treatments for disorders that appear later in life.

http://www.automationpartnership.com
http://www.ukbiobank.ac.uk