Aurora Health Care, a not-for-profit health care provider serving eastern Wisconsin in the United States, is relying on Tecan’s Freedom EVO® liquid handling platforms and REMP Small Size Store™ to provide automated sample processing, cataloging and storage for Aurora’s biorepository.

Aurora serves a population of more than one million people, and comprises 13 hospitals, over 120 outpatient clinics and approximately 140 pharmacies, so is uniquely positioned to create an extensive biorepository. The hospital system expects to collect 100,000 samples a year. Scientists will be able to use this library of samples and information to conduct sophisticated genetic analysis as they explore how age, genetics and other factors impact a drug’s effectiveness. Dr Matt Tector, biorepository director, explained: “The objectives of this project are to aid the discovery of new therapies, and to improve existing treatments and the overall health care that we provide. The project will rely on surplus blood samples taken for routine clinical tests that would otherwise go to waste. This means patients won’t have to give additional blood, so we expect patient consent to be high.”

“With this number of samples automated processing is essential,” Dr Tector continued. “The flexibility of the Tecan system means almost the entire process will be automated. We have a Freedom EVO 100 for sorting and cataloging samples, and a Freedom EVO 200 / REMP SSS Factory for extraction and storage of DNA. We also have a Safire2™ microplate reader and we are hoping to incorporate some standard genetic analysis assays into the system’s protocols.”

“Planning for the biorepository began nearly five years ago, and REMP has been involved from the beginning. As the project has evolved, Tecan’s staff has always offered good insight and support; they have put almost as much into this project as we have. As the project grows and expands we hope to continue our relationship with Tecan.”

About Tecan

Tecan (www.tecan.com) is a leading global supplier of laboratory instruments and solutions for the biopharma, forensic and diagnostic industries. The company specializes in the development, production and distribution of automation solutions for life science laboratories. Through its REMP subsidiary (www.remp.com), Tecan is the premier supplier of automated laboratory storage and logistics systems. Tecan's clients include pharmaceutical and biotech companies, university research departments, diagnostic laboratories and companies as well as forensics laboratories. Founded in Switzerland in 1980, the company has production, research and development sites in both North America and Europe and maintains a sales and service network in 52 countries. In 2007, Tecan achieved sales of CHF 414.4 million (USD 345.3 million; EUR 252.7 million). Registered shares of the Tecan Group are traded on the SWX Swiss Exchange (TK: TECN/Reuters: TECZn.S/Valor: 1210019).
 

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About Aurora Health Care

Aurora Health Care is a not-for-profit Wisconsin health care provider and a U.S. leader in efforts to improve the quality of health care. Aurora offers care at sites in more than 90 communities throughout eastern Wisconsin.
 
  

For more information about Tecan, please contact:

Tecan Group Ltd.
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info@tecan.com, www.tecan.com