Search the archive: |
| | |
'ARIO SDM' RFID tags from TagSys are now being deployed by four prestigious French hospital research laboratories to manage their specimen test tubes in a safe and accurate manner and to increase overall efficiency, availability and reliability of data.
The ARIO SDM (Small Disc Module) is based on a tag measuring 8.9mm in diameter - small enough to be embedded into the tops of test tubes. The tags are fully functional and readable when subjected to the wide temperature variations typically found in medical research labs. For example, research samples can be maintained and tags read in temperatures as low as -32O°F (-196°C), as would be typical in liquid nitrogen storage, and can withstand a swing up to 257°F (125°C) in a matter of seconds.
The TagSys item-level RFID solution for the life sciences industry is in use at La Timone, Marseille Medical Faculty, Hospital La Conception and the Paoli Calmettes Institute. The 13.56 MHz HF tags are being used to track and manage pathology samples.
Data gatherer
The ARIO SDM is a pharmaceutical and medical application-specific tag that aims to meet the industry's widespread need for safe, accurate and timely tracking of important laboratory test and research samples. Applied to large patient samples, the system allows for frequent monitoring of pathology samples, thus increasing the amount of data available and thereby helping to improve the overall quality and timeliness of treatment development.
"The Paoli-Calmettes Institute's Cell Therapy Facility and Tumor Cell Bank are two highly valuable facilities shared by patients, physicians and scientists alike; the research conducted here requires the most timely, precise and efficient management of human pathology samples that are processed and stored in an extreme environment," explained Dr Christian Chabannon, head of The Paoli-Calmettes Cell Therapy Facility.
Instant tracking
To provide for further efficiency, the tags also feature an anti-collision function enabling the simultaneous reading of numerous tags. This functionality is crucial when searching for a specific sample on a tray containing multiple vials. When placed on a reading station, up to one hundred tags can be read in under three seconds, while locating a specifically targeted vial.
Each tag carries a unique serial number as well as ample memory that can be read, modified and protected. The serial number sample data is linked to a database housing information on tissue samples, including patient data, tissue treatments and other variables. This information is read from a distance of a few inches using a TagSys fixed desktop or lightweight RFID hand-held reader. The software behind this was developed by robotics and automation development partner Cybernetix.
Source: TagSys
|
