OREANDA-NEWS. Designed to improve sample tracking and protection, a new barcoded latch rack and wireless barcode reader enhance Thermo Fisher Scientific’s broad portfolio of automated and semi-automated laboratory instruments and related consumables for secure sample collection and storage.

The Thermo Scientific Matrix 2D barcoded tubes in barcoded latch rack and Thermo Scientific VisionMate Wireless barcode reader will both debut at SLAS2016, the annual conference for the Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening, within booth 707 at the San Diego Convention Center.

“Precise sample tracking and identification is essential to protecting sample integrity and safeguarding sample information,” said Chris Tsourides, senior business director, life science products at Thermo Fisher Scientific. “The new line of tubes in a barcoded latch rack and the enhanced portability of the wireless barcode reader are intended to instill user confidence, providing assurance that samples have been securely identified and tracked throughout the workflow.”

Each Matrix 2D barcoded tube features its own unique barcode to ensure individual sample identification and is paired with linear and 2D barcodes on three sides of the tube rack as well as human readable type. While samples stored in 2D barcoded tubes could previously be tracked individually, tracking entire racks of tubes required the application of adhesive labels to tube racks, and labels commonly fall off during storage or transport. Adding new laser-etched barcodes to the tube racks helps eliminate potential code duplication or mislabeling, while text labels instill further confidence. This saves valuable user time and provides peace of mind because barcoded data stays with samples for their lifetime.

Barcoded tubes and racks – with both 2D and linear barcodes – can now be read with the VisionMate wireless reader. Unlike currently available wireless barcode readers, the unit is designed to lay flat allowing users to set it directly on the benchtop and scan tubes or racks without holding it. For samples that should not be exposed to ambient conditions, the reader can easily be used as a handheld instrument, reading samples while they remain safely in storage. Finally, the VisionMate wireless reader can read tubes in a cold environment, capturing and sending data via Bluetooth to a paired computer.