cobas^® i 601 analyzer

If you could dream up a clinical laboratory of the future, what would it look like? The lab design, integration, and automation have always been central to Roche Diagnostics. Streamlined layouts, simplification of equipment and processes, complete automation. Over the years, we have pioneered the integration of all disciplines into the core lab. And more importantly, we connected the data. Finally, all the walls of the lab disappeared. Well, not quite. 

Despite all these efforts, there is still one room that is separated from all the rest. Mass spectrometry. The advantages of mass spec are clear: superior sensitivity and specificity. Testing of metabolites and additional sample types, thus expanding the menu. But above all, it’s the quality of results that offers a competitive advantage. But to what cost? 

Mass spec is extraordinarily complex, not only in technology but also in operation. It requires highly qualified personnel and continuous training. Due to the lack of integration and automation, large testing volumes are not possible, and standardization is an issue as well, not only between laboratories but also between individual instruments. So if you were to dream of the future of clinical mass spectrometry, it would look something like this. A device with fast turnaround time, high throughput, fully automated, connected to LIS, robust with standardized ready-for-use reagents, and all this fully integrated into the core lab, just like a cobas clinical chemistry analyzer. In short, it would look like…this! 

The cobas Mass Spec solution. It’s a fully integrated sample-to-results solution. It has the same sample supply like all cobas pro units, including the STAT-sample port. The same cassettes design as the cobas immunochemistry analyzers, with ready-for-use reagents that can be exchanged at any time, without interrupting the routine. Only very few manual tasks remain, like for example loading samples, reagents, and consumables or waste disposal, but from here on the instrument will do most of the work fully automated, like ensuring the purity of the sample during the sample preparation process by the magnetic bead-based procedure. Samples will then be automatically transported to the Liquid Chromatography Unit. Multiple streams guarantee a high throughput. The columns come in specific cartridges: ready to use and with RFID labeling. The Mass Spec-Detector. From here the data will automatically be processed and the results will be validated, using sophisticated algorithms and then sent to the LIS. In the near future, there will be a comprehensive portfolio of assays, more than 60 parameters launched in two staggered waves. 

Of course, the cobas Mass Spec solution is like all the other Roche instruments in the core lab designed to run 24/7. But the best thing is the flexibility of configuration. Choose yours according to your specific needs. And finally, the cobas Mass Spec solution is fully integrated into the core lab and cobas pro integrated solutions, together with immunoassay and clinical chemistry analyzers and ISE. So, in the near future, with cobas Mass Spec solution, all the walls will be gone and your dream of the laboratory of the future will have become reality for you physicians and ultimately for your patients.