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PAXgene® DNA Blood Collection Tube
Apr 7, 2014Luxembourg (April 4th, 2014) – IBBL (Integrated BioBank of Luxembourg) announces the results of its biorepository Proficiency Testing (PT) Programme, endorsed by ISBER (International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories). This year, for the first time, the biobank was able to offer a PT testing scheme for DNA extraction from whole blood, thanks to the PAXgene® Blood DNA Tube CE, from PreAnalytiX GmbH, a joint venture between leading medical technology company BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) and QIAGEN, a global leader in molecular sample and assay technologies.
High quality biospecimens stored within biorepositories are becoming increasingly important to healthcare professionals and researchers in identifying and validating biomarkers for disease and drug therapy. The optimal management of the collection, processing and storage of these biospecimens is vitally important to reduce pre-analytical error and ensure that samples are of high quality. The aim of IBBL's PT programme is to allow biorepositories to assess the accuracy of their quality control assays and biospecimens characterisation and to compare their results with those obtained in other laboratories around the world.
Healthcare companies PreAnalytiX and BD, have teamed up with IBBL for one of its key PT testing schemes - 'DNA Extraction Efficiency'- and supplied PAXgene® Blood DNA Tube CE, a CE marked, 2D barcoded 2.5 ml blood collection tube that stabilizes genomic DNA with validated time and temperature parameters, to help ensure stability of DNA during transportation. For the PT scheme, whole blood was shipped in PAXgene® Blood DNA Tubes from Luxembourg to participants in other European countries, Asia, Australia and the USA, confirming the tube's suitability for international transportation of whole blood.
"We would not have been able to offer this scheme without the PAXgene® DNA Tube," comments Dr. Fay Betsou, IBBL's Chief of Biospecimen Science and Coordinator of the PT programme. "The tube not only stabilises DNA, but it is also compatible with all DNA extraction methods, including magnetic bead-based, silica membrane-based and salting out methods. This is a key factor in PT testing." Over 90 biorepositories participated in IBBL's PT programme, of which 23 took part in the 'DNA Extraction Efficiency' scheme. All of the participants successfully extracted DNA and the results in terms of DNA yield and purity were coherent and satisfactory in all cases.