Biobanks may receive high numbers of samples, however the ability to process specimens in a timely manner without compromising sample integrity remains a challenge faced by many facilities. Over the past 2 years the NSW Health Statewide Biobank (NSWHSB) has processed over 150,000 new specimens spanning human sample types including whole blood, serum, plasma, buffy coat, red blood cells, peripheral blood mononuclear cells, urine, stool, RNA and DNA. These specimens were processed and stored for over 20 research groups across government, academic and industry organisations, using more than 40 different study specific standard operating procedures. The limited number of laboratory staff combined with manual workflows posed significant challenges to managing this workload. While process automation is an effective way to increase throughput, it may not always be feasible to implement due to costs and implementation challenges. We therefore directed our focus to making numerous low-cost changes to increase sample throughput that could also be implemented by other facilities.
First, we streamlined sample processing by reorganising the laboratory to dedicate areas for specific processes, allowing for more efficient sample flow. Next, we reviewed our procedures to identify opportunities for consolidation and standardisation. With this review, we identified repetitive manual tasks that could be alleviated using affordable semi-automated equipment such as multi-dispenser pipettes, hand-held decappers and bottle top dispensers. Finally, we reviewed the administrative tasks undertaken by the laboratory team to identify tasks that could be automated. One of the most impactful changes was implementing a QR code recognition script to automatically rename hundreds of request forms in minutes, eliminating the previously tedious and error prone task. These cost-effective changes have made significant contributions to reducing manual handling and alleviating staff burn out within a high-throughput human health biobank.