BD FACS™ Sample Prep Assistant (SPA) III

Walkaway sample preparation for clinical labs

Overview

The BD FACS™ SPA III aliquots blood and reagents into daughter tubes, adds lysing solution and mixes the sample according to preprogrammed or custom protocols to automate workflow and increase laboratory efficiency.

Automating flow cytometry sample preparation with the BD FACS™ SPA III speeds up processing for labor-intensive manual steps, minimizes variability by reducing manual processing errors and frees technicians’ time for other tasks.

As part of a complete package of instrumentation, software and reagents for sample prep and data acquisition and analysis, the BD FACS™ SPA III makes BD Biosciences the clear choice for clinical applications.

FEATURES

The BD FACS™ SPA III automates tasks for consistent sample processing

The system’s automation:

Improves laboratory workflow efficiency and frees up technician time to perform other tasks
Reduces errors caused by manual pipetting variability
Minimizes interaction with potentially infectious samples, thereby reducing exposure to biohazards

The BD FACS™ SPA III offers compatibility with a variety of blood collection tubes and provides process improvements and reductions in sample waste

The system:

Supports a wider variety of blood collection sample tubes, including several type of BD Vacutainer^®, Streck Cyto-chex^® and Sarstedt^® products, to accommodate a range of incoming sample tube types
Improves processing speed for multicolor IMK and TBNK assays with time savings of up to 30% over the predecessor BD FACS™ SPA II
Has been optimized to reduce reagent waste by approximately 20% when using the single-dispense mode function

The BD FACS™ SPA III provides an efficient workflow and maintenance

Workflow

The BD FACS SPA III ensures an efficient workflow allowing technicians to scan a barcode or manually enter sample information into a worklist. Patient samples are loaded into the primary tube rack while processed samples on the carousel rack are loaded on the BD FACS™ Loader of a BD flow cytometer for automated data acquisition and analysis.

Predefined BD Multitest™ 6-Color and 4-Color Panels, as well as IVD BD Tritest™ Panels, are available in the BD FACS SPA III software. The SPA worklist can be imported into the BD FACSCanto™ Clinical Software, BD FACS™ Workflow Manager Software (or BD FACSLink™) and BD FACSDiva™ Software.