<Back to current news

Press Release - for immediate release

29 July 2009

UK Biobank is Opened by HRH Princess Anne. Showcasing Sample Management System behind World’s most Detailed Health Resource

The Automation Partnership (TAP), a world leader in the design and commercialisation of innovative automation for life science applications, today announced that the UK Biobank’s facility containing TAP’s Polar™ –80°C automated sample management system for storage, retrieval and full tracking of up to 10 million human samples has been officially opened by HRH Princess Anne.

During the hour-long visit today to the UK Biobank coordinating centre in Cheadle, staff there explained that a biobank containing so many millions of samples can be used in prospective studies of the link between disease, environment and genetic factors to reveal the underlying causes of a variety of life threatening conditions including cancer, heart disease and diabetes, as well as debilitating neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease.

HRH Princess Anne was shown TAP’s Polar sample archive, which is currently filled to half its capacity with over five million human blood and urine samples provided by over 300,000 voluntary participants. UK Biobank staff stated that Polar currently maintains these samples at a steady −80°C and will continue to do so for up to 25 years. They described how any sample or cohort of samples can be instantly accessed automatically at any time via an intelligently designed ultra low temperature holding compartment, which maintains a steady temperature even when sample drawers are opened.

UK Biobank staff also explained to The Princess that the Polar system is an incredible engineering achievement because it can operate efficiently in such cold conditions and was a finalist in the prestigious Royal Academy of Engineering 2008 MacRobert Award.

Dr Tim Peakman, Executive Director of the UK Biobank said: “We are delighted HRH Princess Anne has come to open this fantastic facility and had the time to see how TAP’s unique automated inventory management system will help to ensure researchers can access this premier health resource for many years to come.”

Nick Cooke, COO at TAP stated: “Designing and producing the world’s largest low temperature inventory management system for the UK Biobank was a significant challenge and we are proud to have had the opportunity to showcase the completed archive at the UK Biobank’s official opening.”

Cooke continued: “Now Polar is fully operational, the system will in due course be selecting specific samples and cohorts of samples from the millions of tubes in the store and then it will become clear why TAP’s team are widely acknowledged to be the world’s leading experts in automated biological sample management.”

For further information, please contact:

York Way, Royston, Hertfordshire, SG8 5WY, UK
Tel: +44 1763 227200 Fax: +44 1763 227201

Polar - System Overview

http://www.automationpartnership.com/tap/sms/Polar.htm

Custom Automation

http://www.automationpartnership.com/tap/sms/custom_automation.htm

<Back to current news