The Netherlands

Animal Sciences Group

Using a unique 2D-Data Matrix tube coding system from Micronic, the Animal Sciences Group (Lelystad, The Netherlands) has been able to significantly improve the absolute traceability, throughput and long term storage integrity of labelled samples going through their laboratory.

The Animal Sciences Group is the central Dutch institute for Animal Science and Health covering veterinary, zoo technical and biomedical research. With over 700 highly qualified staff and unique research facilities The Animal Sciences Group is internationally renowned for its contributions to the control of animal diseases, and the development of safe and healthy products of animal origin.

With developed expertise in handling, analysing and storing animal test samples The Animal Sciences Group were chosen to screen all Dutch cows over 30 months going to slaughter. However the need to be 100% sure in identifying the expected 10-100 positive results from 700,000 samples annually drew ID Lelystad to re-evaluate and upgrade their sample storage and retrieval system.

The usage of Micronic

The Animal Sciences Group selected to implement 2D-Data Matrix coding from Micronic as it offered the ability to uniquely identify and then retrieve positive samples without any fear of lost or incorrectly identified samples. Moreover the ability to seamlessly integrate 2D-Data Matrix coding into a fully automated system including incorporating data into a LIMS met the Animal Sience Group’s challenging need to provide confirmed assay results within 36 hours and having to process 200 samples per hour.

Whilst traditional sample storage systems are extremely accurate, problems can occur due to human errors during manipulation and removal. If a tube is incorrectly replaced or a bar code is abraded or drops off, the tube is effectively lost within the system. The Micronic 2D-Data Matrix system consists of a uniquely identified tube, a polypropylene tube rack, multi – piercable resealing cap and a range of specially designed readers to allow fast and accurate identification of 2D-Data Matrix tubes.

Benefitting from 2D tubes

Manufactured under exacting Class 7 clean room conditions from ultra-pure grade polypropylene 2D-Data Matrix coded tubes provide a unique 2-dimensional code precisely located at the bottom of each tube. As the unique laser encryption code cannot be abraded, fall or be wiped off from the tube it can never produce a false sample identity should the tube need to be recovered from cold storage for consolidation of an analysis result.

Following the implementation of 2D-Data Matrix coding, The Animal Sciences Group has already begun to see additional benefits including gaining two hours per day previously used for labeling tubes and intercompatibility with all their existing Micronic & other vendor storage products.