Two RTS Life Science automated robotic systems, incorporating machine vision, are now running at UK BiobankÆs coordinating centre in South Manchester, and a third is due to be commissioned.
Hosted by Manchester University, UK Biobank aims to build a major biological resource to support medical research that will improve the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of illness and promote health throughout society. Over the next four years, 500,000 participants aged 40–69 years of age will be recruited from around the UK.
Already, participants are joining UK Biobank by attending its two assessment centres presently running in Manchester and Oxford, with six assessment centres expected to be operational by the end of the year.
Currently, UK Biobank is putting 6000 samples from 200 donors into store each day, and over 20,000 samples from 750 donors will have been processed and stored by the end of the year. The RTS system has been designed specifically to deal with such a large number of samples.
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