Immunoassay automation

Recent trends in immunoassay automation have been concentrated in two basic directions. The first trend, which started in the late 1980s, focused on c onsolidating the immunoassay with routine clinical chemistry analysis into a single analyzer. The second, and most recent, trend in immunoassay automa tion has focused on pre-analytical and post-analytical steps in the analyti cal process. Specimen transportation is becoming automated from sample pick up to delivery and directly into the analyzer. Following the transportation process, pre-analytical automation is providing hands-free centrifugation, decapping, and aliquotting in automatically relabeled tubes. New levels of computer sophistication are providing administrative oversight of all thes e automated activities, The resulting efficiencies can reduce current labor costs by as much as 50%.