ArticleMultiplexing and Throughput
Multiplexing is redefining how industry experts think about throughput, or output per unit of time. With traditional testing methods, one result is produced per test, and throughput is defined as the number of tests processed and analyzed per hour. But with multiplexing, multiple results are produced from a single test, and throughput is redefined not as tests per hour but as results per hour.
By enabling many more diagnostic results from a given number of tests, multiplexing reduces the number of individual tests performed as well as the number of calibrations and quality controls required. Multiplexing can thus help laboratories optimize their operational efficiency and significantly boost their throughput.
BioPlex 2200 System Multiplexing Advantages
A brief examination of the BioPlex 2200 System reveals how the traditional definition of throughput no longer suffices for the modern clinical laboratory. The BioPlex 2200 System can run up to 100 autoimmune or infectious disease tests per hour. This makes it comparable to other commonly used platforms in terms of the number of tests per hour.
However, the BioPlex 2200 System can deliver up to 14 times more results per hour: up to 1,400 autoimmune and up to 400 infectious disease results per hour.* For autoimmune testing, this amounts to nearly three times more results per hour reported than the closest competitor (Graph 1).
Results/Hour per Square Feet of Laboratory Floorspace
Is It Time to Rethink What Throughput Means?
Results, rather than tests, are how your laboratory is measured and what you ultimately report. Thus, your laboratory efficiency and throughput should be measured not by tests per hour but by results per hour.
The BioPlex 2200 ANA Screen panel illustrates this distinction. With its robust multiplexing capability, it enables multiple diagnostic results from a single test in a single run. Your laboratory can perform simultaneous testing and differentiated reporting of up to 13 individual markers associated with connective tissue diseases, as well as a composite ANA Screen result, all in one test.†
These tests are routinely ordered by clinicians in tandem for the diagnosis of autoimmune disorders. By multiplexing these tests on a single instrument, laboratories can optimize both laboratory resources and time to expedite the delivery of results to clinicians and patients.
BioPlex 2200 ANA Screen Panel
1 Test = 14 Individual Results
† RNP A and RNP 68 are a composite result in the U.S.
‡ Composite result
14 Separate Tests
Automation and Consolidation
In addition to multiplexing, automation and consolidation are clinical laboratory strategies to boost throughput and optimize efficiency.
Automation involves decreasing manual touchpoints and hands-on time for lab technicians. Automation reduces the need for manual processing, reagent preparation, and data transfer. This mitigates the risk of contamination, erroneous reporting, and costly repeat testing. Consolidation is the process of combining multiple tests onto a single instrument. This is crucial for optimizing an analyzer’s on-board testing capacity and efficiency, allowing clinical laboratories to perform a wide range of tests with a compact instrument footprint.
The BioPlex 2200 System offers multiplexing, automation, and consolidation in one package. It is a fully automated, random-access multiplex testing platform that consolidates autoimmune, infectious disease, and specialty testing. It can help laboratories increase workflow efficiency, reduce costs, expedite turnaround times, and streamline operations.
Conclusion
Through the power of multiplex technology, your laboratory can optimize efficiency and measure throughput as results per hour rather than tests per hour. Laboratories today are constantly expected to produce more results with fewer resources, and multiplexing is the key to streamlining your workflow, expediting turnaround times, and ultimately enhancing patient care.
Automation and consolidation are additional invaluable tools to help your laboratory increase throughput. Through automation, you can minimize manual testing processes, eliminate reagent preparation, and enhance efficiency while mitigating the risk of human errors.
The BioPlex 2200 System combines advanced multiplex technology with full automation and consolidation of multiple tests. By leveraging these technological advancements, your laboratory can maximize throughput and meet the ever-expanding needs of the modern clinical diagnostics industry.
* Results reported are panel dependent. In the U.S., the highest reporting is up to 12 results per test.
† In the U.S., the BioPlex 2200 ANA Screen panel reports up to 11 individual markers as well as a composite ANA result.
