The Latest Trends in Laboratory Technology

As a consumer, it is easy to detect the advancements in technology that have become part of the everyday experience, such as the smartphones and devices that you use, the cars you drive and the entertainment that you consume. Rapid technological advancements like this are happening across all fields and industries, including those you may not interact with regularly, such as the laboratory.

According to Andrew from Yorlab “These trends in laboratory technology improve efficiency, making the process of using clinical chemistry to analyze all types of blood tests and specialized tests using body fluids more cost-effective, safer, and easier to reference when needed.” What are these technology trends in the laboratory?

Integration of Automation

Accurate laboratory testing is critically important for those awaiting their test results. Whether someone is testing for tumor markers or is simply getting tests to see if they are at risk of a heart attack, they expect to have clear, accurate data about their health. This can be a challenge if there are failure points, such as human error.

One of the trends in laboratory technology is to automate the points which are most likely to cause human error. These are the repetitive tasks which to a person can become monotonous, like capping and recapping, centrifugation, sorting, colony counting and more. These areas are perfect for the integration of automation in the laboratory, freeing up human resources for other tasks.

Cloud-Based Data Systems

The list of available tests and the volume of data that a laboratory produces, particularly in the wake of lab capacity expansion as a result of Covid-19, create a data volume challenge. Laboratories regularly process:

• Basic Metabolic Panels (BMP)
• Complete Blood Count (CBC)
• Fecal Occult Blood Test
• Immune System Screening
• Blood Clotting Tests
• Red Blood Cell, White Blood Cell, and Plasma Levels
• STD Tests
• Etc.

All these tests (and more) create the need for cloud storage systems. These types of systems provide data security by creating back-ups and allow for much-needed storage space.

AI Data Management and LIMS (Laboratory Information and Data Systems)

Using AI and machine learning for data management is an intriguing new development in laboratories that leverages the computing power of artificial intelligence to manage the large data sets that these laboratories generate.

These systems are far better at sifting through databases than their human counterparts and can find connections and patterns that could help lab technicians and scientists. Blood test results and other lab test protocols, as well as efficiency, could be improved by using this type of technology in the lab.

Supply Chain Security

While this technology trend doesn’t happen directly in the lab, it has a direct impact on the ability of the lab to operate effectively. Throughout Covid-19, the availability of essential lab materials (or lack thereof), made operating laboratories at full capacity difficult at best and impossible at worst.

Laboratories are responsible to analyze and process crucially important samples that include body fluids such as urine, stool, and saliva samples, as well as blood samples. People in the UK depend on these test results to make decisions regarding their future and their health. Taking supply chain security seriously means having diversified streams of lab materials to ensure proper operations of the entire lab.

The Lab of the Future

Laboratories will continue to be at the forefront of technology and will continue to adopt the most effective practices to deliver accurate and timely results to those that need them.