Genealogy testing company looks to REMP and Tecan for automated sample management

Scientists at Family Tree DNA, Texas, USA, have automated their DNA testing services using a REMP Small-Size Store™ (SSS) and a Tecan Freedom EVO^® liquid handling workstation to reliably process and store the hundreds of samples arriving daily.

Family Tree DNA provides genealogy services on request for customers worldwide, using PCR-based technologies in about 150 different genetic tests to establish relatedness of DNA samples. “We investigated several sample management systems,” said Dr Thomas Krahn, Lab Manager of the Family Tree DNA Genomics Research Center in Houston, “and chose the REMP technology because it was the most efficient. We are very happy with the system.”

All DNA extraction and storage preparation steps are automated with the Freedom EVO workstation, and purified samples are stored in the SSS. Any sample can easily be accessed and grouped for testing as required. Dr Krahn added: “Full automation of all steps, from sample registration to storing purified DNA, means we simply register each tube’s barcode on arrival and all information is stored automatically in the REMP database, and we can then handle each sample independently.”