阅读说明：本技术 操作分析实验室的方法 (Method for operating an analytical laboratory ) 是由 C·斯科菲尔德 D·阿诺德 M·V·霍普夫加滕 W·斯密特 C·Y·P·谭 F·R·劳舍尔 于 2020-02-14 设计创作，主要内容包括：本文公开了一种操作分析实验室的方法,包括：a)接收并识别样品容器,并将它们分拣到样品架中；b)检索包括与所述样品架内的样品容器相对应的测试命令的命令列表A；c)基于所述命令列表A、约束集和目标函数来确定所述样品架的最佳运输路线,所述最佳运输路线指示完成所述命令列表A所需的实验室仪器的列表和/或序列；d)在所述约束和/或目标函数发生变化时,重新确定所述最佳运输路线；e)通过样品运输系统根据所述最佳运输路线将所述样品架运输到一个或多个所述实验室仪器；f)由所述目标实验室仪器根据相应的测试命令处理所述生物样品。(Disclosed herein is a method of operating an analytical laboratory, comprising: a) receiving and identifying sample containers and sorting them into sample holders; b) retrieving a command list a comprising test commands corresponding to sample containers within the sample rack; c) determining an optimal transport route for the sample rack based on the command list A, a set of constraints, and an objective function, the optimal transport route indicating a list and/or sequence of laboratory instruments required to complete the command list A; d) re-determining the optimal transportation route when the constraint and/or objective function changes; e) transporting, by a sample transport system, the sample racks to one or more of the laboratory instruments according to the optimal transport route; f) processing, by the target laboratory instrument, the biological sample according to the corresponding test order.)

1. A method of operating an analytical laboratory (1), comprising the steps of:

a) receiving and identifying a plurality of biological samples stored in sample containers (30) and sorting the plurality of sample containers (30) into sample racks (40) by a PRE-analysis laboratory instrument (10PRE) of the analysis laboratory (1);

b) retrieving from the storage unit (22) a command list a comprising a plurality of test commands corresponding to the sample containers (30) within respective sample holders (40), each test command defining at least one processing step to be performed on the biological sample held in a respective sample container (30);

c) determining, by a control unit (20), an optimal transport route for the sample rack (40) based on the command list a, a set of constraints, and an objective function, the transport route indicating a list and/or sequence of laboratory instruments (10) required to complete one or more of the test commands of the command list a;

d) -re-determining, by the control unit (20), the optimal transportation route upon a change of one or more constraints of the set of constraints and/or a change of the objective function;

e) transporting the sample rack (40) to one or more of the plurality of laboratory instruments (10) according to the optimal transport route by a sample transport system (50);

f) processing the biological sample by the target laboratory instrument (10) according to the corresponding test command.

2. Method of operating an analytical laboratory (1) according to claim 1, wherein the step of determining and/or re-determining the optimal transport route by the control unit (20) comprises the steps of:

i) retrieving a route list B of all available transport routes of the sample transport system (50);

ii) determining for each transport route of said route list B one or more route instrument lists C comprising laboratory instruments (10) reachable by the respective transport route;

iii) determining from the order list A an instrument list D of all laboratory instruments (10) required for processing all sample containers (30) in the respective sample holder (40);

iv) discarding from the route list B any transportation route that does not contain any laboratory instrument (10) in the instrument list D;

v) determining the optimal transportation route from route list B by means of the objective function.

3. Method of operating an analytical laboratory (1) according to claim 2, wherein the objective function determines a transport route from laboratory instruments (10) in the route list B, including the most instruments list D, as the optimal transport route.

4. A method of operating an analytical laboratory (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the set of constraints considered for determining and/or re-determining an optimal transport route by the control unit (20) comprises one or more of the following constraints:

-availability and/or priority of said laboratory instrument (10) for completing any of said processing steps according to test commands of said command list a;

-a workload (10) of the laboratory instrument;

-a processing status of the biological sample within the sample container (30) within the respective sample holder (40);

-a position of the sample holder (40) in the sample transport system (50);

-command demographics of the test commands of the command list a;

-availability and/or priority of each transport route of the sample transport system (50) for transporting the sample racks (40) to a plurality of laboratory instruments (10);

-urgency/priority of one or more of the test commands in the command list a;

-rules to resolve conflicts between equal optimal transportation routes;

-additional test commands after completion of any of the test commands in the command list a, including repeat, rerun or reflect test commands.

5. Method of operating an analytical laboratory (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, in which the objective function for determining and/or re-determining the optimal transport route is a function of one or more of the following criteria:

-the completed test orders of the order list a associated with each of the plurality of sample containers (30) within the sample rack (40) are at most;

-the aggregate processing time of the test commands of the command list a is shortest;

-the processing time of the emergency test command of the command list a is shortest;

-the total amount of consumables used by the target laboratory instruments (10) required to complete the order list a is minimal;

-most efficient and/or balanced utilization of the laboratory instrument (10);

-the shortest and/or fastest transport route of the sample racks (40) on the sample transport system (50);

-the overall risk of contamination of any one of the biological samples held in each of the plurality of sample containers (30) within the sample holder (40) is minimal.

6. Method of operating an analytical laboratory (1) according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the optimal transport route is re-determined by the control unit (20) when the sample rack (40) and/or any one of its sample containers (30) is identified by an identifier reader unit (52) of the sample transport system (50).

7. Method of operating an analytical laboratory (1) according to claim 6, wherein the step of determining and/or re-determining the optimal transport route by the control unit (20) further comprises the step of removing a transport route comprising at least one laboratory instrument (10) in the list of not allowed instruments E from the route list B.

8. Method of operating an analytical laboratory (1) according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the step of determining and/or re-determining the optimal transport route by the control unit (20) further comprises the step of removing from the route list B a transport route which does not comprise all laboratory instruments (10) in the mandatory instruments list F.

9. Method of operating an analytical laboratory (1) according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein a route list B of all available transport routes of the sample transport system (50) is determined in view of a current position of a respective sample rack (40), wherein the current position of a respective sample rack (40) indicates one of the laboratory instrument (10), the sample transport system (50) and/or the identifier reader unit (52) of the sample transport system (50).

10. The method of operating an analytical laboratory (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the step of processing the biological sample by the target laboratory instrument (10) according to the test order comprises determining the presence, absence and/or concentration of one or more analytes in the biological sample.

11. An analytical laboratory (1) comprising:

-one or more PRE-analytical laboratory instruments (10PRE) configured to receive and identify a biological sample;

-one or more laboratory instruments (10) configured to perform one or more processing steps on the biological sample;

-a sample transport system (50) configured to transport biological samples between the laboratory instruments (10PRE, 10);

-a control unit (20) communicatively connected to the PRE-analysis laboratory instrument (10PRE), the laboratory instrument (10) and the sample transport system (50), the control unit (20) being configured to control the analysis laboratory (1) to perform any of the methods of the preceding claims.

12. The analytical laboratory (1) according to claim 11, wherein said one or more laboratory instruments comprise one or more analytical laboratory instruments (10AI) configured to perform one or more analytical processing steps on said biological sample to determine the presence, absence and/or concentration of one or more analytes in said biological sample.

13. The analytical laboratory (1) according to claim 11 or 12, wherein said one or more laboratory instruments comprise one or more POST-analytical laboratory instruments (10POST) configured to perform one or more of the following: recapping, unloading, disposing, and archiving of the biological sample.

14. The analytical laboratory (1) according to any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein said sample transport system (50) comprises an identifier reader unit (52) configured to identify said sample rack (40) and/or any one of said sample containers (30) therein, said identifier reader unit (52) being communicatively connected to said control unit (20).

15. A computer program product comprising instructions which, when executed by a control unit (20) of an analytical laboratory (1), cause the analytical laboratory (1) to carry out the steps of any of the methods according to claims 1 to 10.

Technical Field

The present application relates to a computer-implemented method of operating an analytical laboratory, in particular an in vitro diagnostic laboratory. The present application also relates to an analytical laboratory configured to perform the disclosed methods. The present application also relates to a computer program product comprising instructions which, when executed by a control unit of an analytical laboratory, cause it to perform the disclosed method.

Background

In vitro diagnostic tests provide critical information to physicians and have important implications for clinical decision making. In analytical laboratories, particularly in vitro diagnostic laboratories, a large number of biological samples are analyzed by laboratory instruments to determine the physiological and biochemical state of a patient, which may be indicative of disease, nutritional habits, drug availability, organ function, etc.

According to established laboratory procedures in complex analytical laboratories, a plurality of instruments process a biological sample according to test orders, each test order defining one or more processing steps to be performed on the biological sample. After the biological sample has been received and identified by the pre-analysis laboratory instrument, the control unit retrieves the corresponding test order and determines which instruments (hereinafter referred to as target instruments) are required to process the biological sample according to the test order. And after the target instrument is identified, the control unit determines the sample workflow of each sample according to the test command. The sample workflow includes a transport route indicating a list and/or sequence of laboratory instruments required to complete one or more test commands. Thereafter, the control unit commands the sample transport system to transport the biological sample to the target laboratory instruments and commands these laboratory instruments to process the biological sample according to the test commands.

However, it has been observed that at some point the process of receiving from a biological sample by an analytical laboratory is significantly delayed. This delay greatly affects the turnaround time of the biological sample, i.e., the time from the receipt of the biological sample to the completion of the corresponding test command. Furthermore, it has been observed that the capacity (throughput) of some laboratory instruments of an analytical laboratory is sometimes underutilized, while other laboratory instruments are overloaded.

Applicants have recognized that the delay between the receipt and processing of a biological sample by an analytical laboratory is sometimes caused by sub-optimal transport of the biological sample within the analytical laboratory (i.e., between various laboratory instruments). One particular reason for sub-optimal transport of biological samples has been identified to analyze changes in laboratory status during transport of the biological sample (i.e., between the determination of the sample workflow and the actual processing of the biological sample by various laboratory instruments).

Finding an optimal sample transport route in an analysis laboratory where biological samples are transported by a transport system in sample racks for transporting a plurality of sample holding devices (test tubes) at a time is an even more complex task. In this case, the transport route of the sample holders must take into account the test orders of all biological samples in the same sample holder.

In known analytical laboratories, the path of a complete sample holder is determined at some point before the sample holder enters the transport system. Thus, the sample holder cannot be rerouted to account for changes in the route in response to changes in laboratory conditions (e.g., instruments becoming unavailable) or individual sample events (e.g., measurements triggering additional tests). Furthermore, some analysis laboratories include a limited number of transport routes for sample transport system configurations (configurable). The limited number of transport routes may be due to physical or logical limitations of the specimen transport system, and limits the flexibility of transporting specimens since the number of optimal routes covering a wide range of situations may be higher than the number of routes configurable on the transport system.

The consequence of this limitation is a longer sample turnaround time and a reduced test throughput of the analytical instrument (since the sample may have access to an analytical instrument that does not require an analytical process). This indicates that scalability of the analytical laboratory is severely limited.

The status of the analytical laboratory includes (but is not limited to):

availability of laboratory instruments (including availability of consumables and validity of quality control values);

current workload of laboratory instruments (including final backlog or even overload/rack jam);

command demographics and sample history (e.g. previous results);

-a processing state of the sample on the laboratory instrument when the biological sample holding device has been returned to the sample transport system;

open and unprocessed test commands for each sample on the sample holder, and where these requests can be processed.

Therefore, there is a need for a method of operating an analysis laboratory and/or an analysis laboratory system to provide a reduced and/or predictable turnaround time TAT for processing biological samples transported in sample racks and to optimally utilize the resources of the laboratory instruments.

Disclosure of Invention

Embodiments disclosed herein address this need by employing a dynamic approach that (re) determines an optimal transport route as globally optimal for all samples in a sample rack during processing of biological samples by a plurality of laboratory instruments.

Disclosed herein is a method of operating an analytical laboratory, comprising the steps of:

a) receiving and identifying a plurality of biological samples held in sample containers and sorting the plurality of sample containers into sample racks by a pre-analysis laboratory instrument of the analysis laboratory;

b) retrieving from a storage unit a command list a comprising a plurality of test commands corresponding to the sample containers within respective sample racks, each test command defining at least one processing step to be performed on the biological sample held in a respective sample container;

c) determining, by a control unit, an optimal transport route for the sample rack based on the command list a, a set of constraints, and an objective function, the optimal transport route indicating a list and/or sequence of laboratory instruments required to complete one or more of the test commands of the command list a;

d) re-determining, by the control unit, the optimal transportation route upon a change in one or more constraints of the set of constraints and/or a change in the objective function;

e) transporting, by a sample transport system, the sample rack to one or more of the plurality of laboratory instruments according to the optimal transport route;

f) processing, by the target laboratory instrument, the biological sample according to the corresponding test order.

According to embodiments disclosed herein, if the complete command list a cannot be processed within a single transit route, steps d) through f) are repeated.

The embodiments disclosed herein are advantageous for several reasons. On the one hand, the optimal transport route is dynamically (re-) determined and can therefore adapt to any changes in the analysis laboratory-as reflected by the e.g. about beam set.

On the other hand, since the optimal transport route is determined as global optimal for all sample containers of the sample rack, an overall optimization is achieved compared to the set of individual optimal routes for each sample container. The individual optimal path (for each sample container) risks the sample rack being transported back and forth between the instruments. Thus, the overall consideration of all sample containers of a sample holder is highly advantageous.

A globally optimal transport route is determined considering the target laboratory instruments for each sample container, and the list of potential workflows is narrowed down by eliminating routes that conflict with one or more sets of constraints. The term "conflict" is understood herein to mean that the respective haul route does not satisfy one or more constraints.

And finally, determining the optimal transportation route reaching the highest value of the objective function. In this way, the optimal transport route is not only dynamic, as it can adapt to any changes in the analysis laboratory, but is determined according to an objective function that can be tailored to the laboratory requirements. More importantly, when these goals change, the optimal transportation route is also (re-) determined.

For example, at certain times of the day (e.g., daytime), the main goal of an analytical laboratory is to complete all test orders in as short a time as possible. However, at certain times of the day (e.g., nighttime), the main goal of an analytical laboratory is to complete all test orders with minimal consumables or minimal instruments so that some instruments can be shut down (or switched to a low power mode). In this case, the processing time is less important.

Further embodiments disclosed herein address the limitations of analysis laboratories where certain included sample transport systems are configured (configurable) in a limited number of transport routes. The limited number of transport routes may be due to physical or logical limitations of the sample transport system. However, in order to achieve the analytical laboratory goals defined by the objective function, the step of determining the optimal transportation route comprises the steps of:

i) retrieving (from a storage unit or memory of the transport system) a route list B of all available transport routes of the sample transport system;

ii) determining for each transit route of said list of routes B a list of route instruments C comprising laboratory instruments reachable by the respective transit route;

iii) determining from the order list A an instrument list D of all laboratory instruments required to process all sample containers in the respective sample rack;

iv) discarding from the route list B any transportation route that does not contain any laboratory instruments in the instrument list D;

v) determining the optimal transportation route from route list B by means of the objective function.

Drawings

Further features and advantages of the disclosed method/apparatus/system will be described in detail below by way of description and with reference to the following drawings:

FIG. 1 is a flow chart illustrating a first embodiment of a method of operating an analytical laboratory as disclosed herein;

FIG. 2 is a flow chart illustrating another embodiment of the method disclosed herein;

FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating yet another embodiment of the method disclosed herein;

FIG. 4 is a highly schematic block diagram of an embodiment of the analytical laboratory disclosed;

FIG. 5 is a highly schematic block diagram of another embodiment of the analytical laboratory disclosed herein;

FIG. 6 is a highly schematic block diagram of an embodiment of a pre-analytical laboratory instrument of the laboratory system disclosed;

FIG. 7 is a highly schematic block diagram of another embodiment of a pre-analytical laboratory instrument of the laboratory system disclosed;

FIG. 8 is a highly schematic block diagram of an embodiment of an analytical laboratory instrument of the laboratory system disclosed;

fig. 9 is a highly schematic block diagram of an embodiment of a post-analysis laboratory instrument of the disclosed laboratory system.

Detailed Description

Certain terms will be used in this patent application, and its expression should not be construed as limited to the specific term selected, but rather as referring to the general concept behind the specific term.

The terms "sample," "patient sample," and "biological sample" refer to a material that may potentially contain an analyte of interest. Patient samples may be derived from any biological source, such as physiological fluids, including blood, saliva, lens fluid, cerebrospinal fluid, sweat, urine, feces, semen, milk, ascites, mucus, synovial fluid, peritoneal fluid, amniotic fluid, tissue, cultured cells, and the like. Patient samples may be pre-treated prior to use, such as preparing plasma from blood, diluting viscous fluids, lysing, etc. The treatment method may involve filtration, distillation, concentration, inactivation of interfering components, and addition of reagents. Patient samples obtained from sources can be used directly or after pretreatment (which changes the characteristics of the sample). In some embodiments, the initial solid or semi-solid biological material can be made liquid by dissolving or suspending with a suitable liquid medium. In some embodiments, a sample may be suspected of containing an antigen or nucleic acid.

The term "analyte" is a component of a sample to be analyzed, such as molecules of various sizes, ions, proteins, metabolites, and the like. The information collected on the analyte can be used to assess the effect of the administration of the drug on the organism or a particular tissue, or to make a diagnosis. Thus, "analyte" is a general term for a substance used to indicate information about the presence, absence, and/or concentration of the substance. Examples of analytes are e.g. glucose, coagulation parameters, endogenous proteins (e.g. proteins released from the heart muscle), metabolites, nucleic acids etc.

The term "assay" or "analytical test" as used herein includes laboratory procedures for characterizing parameters of a biological sample for qualitative assessment or quantitative measurement of the presence or quantity or functional activity of an analyte.

The term "reagent" as used herein refers to materials necessary to perform an analyte analysis, including reagents for sample preparation, control reagents, reagents for reacting with the analyte to obtain a detectable signal, and/or reagents necessary to detect the analyte. Such reagents may include reagents for separating the analyte and/or reagents for processing the sample and/or reagents for reacting with the analyte to obtain a detectable signal and/or washing reagents and/or diluents.

The terms "sample container," "sample holding device," and "sample tube" refer to any individual container used for storing, transporting, and/or processing a sample. In particular, the term refers, without limitation, to a piece of laboratory glass or plastic ware, optionally including a lid at its upper end. The container comprises openings for dispensing and/or aspirating liquid into and/or out of the container, respectively. The opening may be closed by a lid, a breakable seal or similar suitable means for closing the opening in a fluid-tight manner. Sample tubes, such as those used for collecting blood, often contain additional substances that have an effect on the sample processing, such as clot activators or anticoagulant substances. Thus, different types of tubes are generally suitable for pre-analysis and analysis requirements of a particular assay, such as a clinical chemistry assay, a hematology assay, or a coagulation assay. Confusion about the type of sample tube may render the (blood) sample unusable for analysis. To prevent errors in sample collection and handling, many tube manufacturers' sample caps are coded according to a fixed and uniform color scheme. Additionally or alternatively, some sample tube types are characterized by a particular tube size, cap size, and/or tube color. The dimensions of the cuvette include, for example, its height, size, and/or other characteristic shape attributes. The specimen container is identified using an identification tag attached thereto. The term "identification tag" as used herein refers to an optical and/or radio frequency based identifier that allows the identifier tag to be uniquely identified by a corresponding identification tag reader.

"identification tag" shall include, but is not limited to, a bar code, a QR code, or an RFID tag.

The term "sample carrier" as used herein refers to any kind of holding device configured to receive one or more sample tubes and configured for transporting the sample tubes. The sample carrier may be of two main types, a single holding device and a sample holder.

A "single holding device" is a sample carrier configured to receive and transport a single sample tube. Typically, the single holding means is provided as a disc, i.e. a flat cylindrical object with an opening to receive and hold a single sample tube.

A "sample holder" is a sample carrier, typically made of plastic and/or metal, adapted to receive, hold and transport a plurality of sample tubes, e.g. 5 or more sample tubes, e.g. arranged in one or more rows. There may be holes, windows or slits to enable visual or optical inspection or reading of the sample tube or a sample therein or a label (e.g. a bar code) on the sample tube in the sample holder.

The term "laboratory instrument" as used herein includes any device or device component operable to perform one or more process steps/workflow steps on one or more biological samples and/or one or more reagents. The term "processing step" thus refers to a physically performed processing step, such as centrifugation, aliquoting, sample analysis, etc. The term "instrument" includes pre-analytical instruments, post-analytical instruments, and analytical instruments.

The term "analyzer"/"analytical instrument" as used herein includes any device or device component configured to obtain a measurement. The analyzer is operable to determine parameter values of the sample or components thereof via various chemical, biological, physical, optical or other technical processes. The analyzer is operable to measure said parameter of the sample or at least one analyte and return the obtained measurement. The list of possible analysis results returned by the analyzer includes, but is not limited to, the concentration of the analyte in the sample, a numerical (yes or no) result (corresponding to a concentration above the detection level) indicative of the presence of the analyte in the sample, an optical parameter, a DNA or RNA sequence, data obtained from mass spectrometric analysis of the protein or metabolite, and various types of physical or chemical parameters. The analysis instrument may comprise units for assisting pipetting, dosing and mixing of samples and/or reagents. The analyzer may include a reagent holding unit for holding a reagent to perform an assay. The reagents may be arranged, for example, in the form of containers or cassettes containing individual reagents or groups of reagents, placed in appropriate receptacles or locations within the storage chamber or conveyor. Which may include a consumable supply unit. The analyzer may include a process and detection system whose workflow is optimized for certain types of analysis. Examples of such analyzers are clinical chemistry analyzers, coagulation chemistry analyzers, immunochemical analyzers, urine analyzers, nucleic acid analyzers for detecting the results of or monitoring the progress of chemical or biological reactions.

The term "pre-analytical instrument" as used herein includes any device or device component configured to perform one or more pre-analytical processing/workflow steps, including but not limited to centrifugation, resuspension (e.g., by mixing or vortexing), capping, decapping, recapping, sorting, tube type identification, sample quality determination, and/or aliquoting steps. The processing step may also include adding chemicals or buffers to the sample, concentrating the sample, incubating the sample, and the like.

The term "post-analytical instrument" as used herein includes any device or device component configured to perform one or more post-analytical processing steps/workflow steps, including but not limited to sample unloading, transport, recapping, uncapping, temporary storage/buffering, archiving (refrigerated or non-refrigerated), retrieval, and/or disposal.

The term "sample transport system" as used herein includes any device or device component configured to transport sample carriers (each carrier holding one or more sample containers) between laboratory instruments. In particular, the sample transport system is a conveyor belt based one-dimensional system, a two-dimensional transport system (e.g. a magnetic sample carrier transport system) or a combination thereof.

The term "control unit" as used herein includes any physical or virtual processing device that is configurable to control a laboratory instrument and/or a system including one or more laboratory instruments in such a way that the laboratory instrument/system performs workflows and workflow steps. The control unit may, for example, instruct the laboratory instrument/system to perform pre-analysis, post-analysis and analysis workflow/workflow steps. The control unit may receive information from the data management unit about which steps need to be performed on a certain sample. In some embodiments, the control unit may be integrated with the data management unit, may be comprised by a server computer and/or be part of one laboratory instrument, or even distributed over multiple instruments of an analytical laboratory. The control unit may, for example, be implemented as a programmable logic controller running a computer readable program provided with instructions for performing operations.

A "storage unit" or "database" is a computing unit, such as a memory, hard disk, or cloud storage, for storing and managing data. This may involve data relating to the biological sample to be processed by the automated system. The data management unit may be connected to an LIS (laboratory information system) and/or a HIS (hospital information system). The data management unit may be a unit in the laboratory instrument or may be co-located with the laboratory instrument. It may be part of the control unit. Alternatively, the database may be a remote unit. For example, it may be contained in a computer connected through a communication network.

The term "communication network" as used herein encompasses any type of wireless network, such as WiFi^TM、GSM^TMUMTS or other wireless digital network, or cable-based network, e.g. Ethernet^TMAnd the like. In particular, the communication network may implement the Internet Protocol (IP). For example, the communication network includes a combination of wired and wireless based networks.

As used herein, an "analytical laboratory" includes a control unit operatively coupled to one or more pre-analytical and post-analytical work units, wherein the control unit is operable to control an instrument. Furthermore, the control unit may be operable for evaluating and/or processing collected analysis data, controlling the loading, storing and/or unloading of samples to and/or from any one analyzer, initiating analysis or hardware or software operations of an analysis system for preparing samples, sample tubes or reagents etc. for said analysis. In particular, the instruments and control units of the analytical laboratory are interconnected by a communication network.

As used herein, "test command" includes any data object, computer-loadable data structure, modulated data representing such data, which represents one or more process steps to be performed on a particular biological sample. For example, the test command may be a file or entry in a database. The test command may indicate an analytical test, for example, if the test command includes or is stored in association with an identifier of the analytical test to be performed on the particular sample.

A "STAT sample" is a sample that needs to be handled and analyzed very urgently, as the results of the analysis may be critical to the life of the patient.

Embodiments of the disclosed method/apparatus will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a flow chart illustrating a first embodiment of the method of operating an analytical laboratory disclosed herein; according to the method disclosed herein, in a first step 120, a sample container holding a biological sample is received and identified by a pre-analysis laboratory instrument of an analysis laboratory. The identification is in particular performed by an identifier tag reader reading an identification tag attached to a sample container holding the biological sample. Once identified, the sample containers are sorted into sample racks, particularly by a robotic arm. A typical sample holder may hold 5 or more sample tubes. The sample tubes sorted into the sample holders are associated with the respective sample holder, for example in the form of a look-up table of a database. This allows the control unit to determine which sample containers are in the sample rack simply by identifying the sample rack (e.g., by reading a sample rack identifier, such as a sample rack barcode), without having to repeatedly identify each sample container. Nevertheless, the instrument (in particular the analysis instrument) can still identify each biological sample container according to applicable regulations and is not dependent on the association of the sample container with the sample holder.

In a subsequent step 140, a command list a is retrieved from the database, the command list a comprising one or more test commands defining at least one processing step to be performed on each biological sample in the sample holder.

Once command list a has been retrieved, the control unit determines an optimal transportation route based on command list a, the set of constraints and the objective function in step 160. The term "transport route" as used herein refers to a list and/or sequence of laboratory instruments to which the sample racks are transported. The transport route represents a physical and/or logical route of the sample transport system that connects two or more laboratory instruments. According to embodiments disclosed herein, a laboratory route includes a list and/or sequence of laboratory instruments to which the route is connected. The term "connected" in this context should be understood as a sample transport system configured to transport the sample racks according to a transport route to a location near the laboratory instrument that enables the laboratory instrument to process the biological samples in the respective sample racks. According to embodiments disclosed herein, the sample racks are transported directly into the laboratory instrument and/or to a sample rack loading unit that transfers the sample racks into the laboratory instrument and/or to the vicinity of the laboratory instrument that is capable of manipulating biological samples directly from the sample racks located on the transport system.

The physical route defines the transport route in 1, 2 or 3 spatial dimensions, while the logical route defines the route by a sequence of logical positions of the sample transport system, e.g. sample rack loading position nr.x, sample rack carousel nr.x, conveyor nr.x.

According to embodiments disclosed herein, the optimal transport route includes, in addition to the order in which the sample racks are transported to the laboratory instruments, a time setting according to which the sample racks are transported to the respective instruments. For example, time setting is very important if a biological sample first needs to be prepared with a pre-analytical instrument and then has to be processed immediately with the analytical instrument. Another example is when a biological sample needs to spend a very specific amount of time in a pre-analysis instrument such as an incubator or centrifuge to ensure proper sample preparation by the analysis instrument. Furthermore, given that sample degradation is often associated with its processing time, the time setting of the processing is also relevant, especially when the sample is outside the temperature controlled zone, in which case the sample should be transferred to a post-analysis instrument, such as a temperature controlled archive device, after a certain time. Another example is when certain process steps, particularly certain rarely performed analytical tests, are performed relatively infrequently in an analytical laboratory. In such a case, embodiments of the disclosed method/system align the time setting at which the sample rack is transported to the instrument with the test schedule performed by the analytical laboratory to avoid that the corresponding analytical test cannot be performed over an extended period of time. The timing of processing targets is also important in view of the effectiveness of quality control and/or calibration of certain laboratory instruments, particularly analytical instruments.

The optimal haul route is re-determined upon any change in one or more constraints of the set of constraints and/or a change in the objective function.

In a next step 180, the sample transport system transports the sample rack to one or more of the plurality of laboratory instruments according to the optimal transport route. The sample transport system either requests the control unit for an optimal transport route when a sample rack is placed on the transport system (pull mode) and/or the control unit commands the sample transport system (push mode). According to further embodiments disclosed herein, the sample transport system requests the optimal transport route from the control unit when the sample rack is identified by the identifier reader unit of the transport system.

In step 200, the target laboratory instrument processes the biological sample according to the corresponding test order. The target laboratory instrument processes the biological sample as the sample holder is transported thereto. The laboratory instrument requests a test command corresponding to the sample holder upon receipt of the sample holder from the control device (pull mode) and/or is commanded by the control unit to process the biological sample according to the respective test command of the command list a (push mode).

According to embodiments disclosed herein, the step of processing the biological sample by the target laboratory instrument according to the test order comprises determining the presence, absence and/or concentration of one or more analytes in said biological sample, in particular by the analytical laboratory instrument.

Different embodiments of (re) determining the optimal transportation route will now be described in connection with fig. 2, 3 and 4.

Fig. 2 illustrates a flow diagram according to embodiments disclosed herein that is particularly advantageous for an analytical laboratory that includes a sample transport system having a defined set of available transport routes. Side pouring: in fig. 2 and 3, the step 160 of determining and/or re-determining the optimal transportation route is defined by a rounded rectangle drawn with dashed lines.

As shown in fig. 3, the step of determining and/or re-determining by the control unit the optimal transportation route comprises the steps of:

in step 162, the control unit retrieves a route list B comprising all available transport routes of the sample transport system 50.

In this context, the terms that are available refer to the transport route along which the sample transport system 50 can currently transport the sample racks. Any transportation route that contains parts/target equipment that are blocked, taken off-line, shielded, contaminated, and/or being serviced is deemed unavailable.

In a subsequent step 164, the control unit determines, for each transport route of route list B, one or more route instrument lists C comprising laboratory instruments reachable by the respective transport route. In this step, the laboratory instruments that can be provided for each route are extracted.

In a subsequent step 166, the control unit determines from the command list a an instrument list D of all laboratory instruments required for processing all sample containers in the respective sample rack. Step 166 includes two substeps. In a first sub-step, a target laboratory instrument is determined for each test command configured to perform at least one processing step according to the test command. This step is performed on currently available analytical laboratory instruments. In the context of the present application, the term "available" should be understood to include one or more of the following:

o the analytical instrument is started up and not in low power mode;

o all modules of the analysis instrument required for executing the corresponding test command can be operated;

o all consumables required to execute the corresponding test command are available;

all quality control and/or calibration steps required before the corresponding test command is executed are available, up-to-date and efficient.

In summary, an instrument is considered to be available if it is able to complete the corresponding test command.

In a second sub-step of step 166, the list of instruments required to process the biological sample in each sample tube of the sample holder is incorporated into the instrument list D. As a result of this merging, the instrument list D includes all instruments required for any test order for any tube in the sample holder, and duplicate entries are omitted since the sample holder need only be transported to the instrument once for each sample holder (multiple times per sample tube are not required).

In a subsequent step 168, any transport route of any laboratory instrument in route list B that does not contain instrument list D is discarded. In other words, the transport route of any instrument that does not reach at least one test command of any sample tube that can process the sample rack is "useless" in this respect and is therefore discarded.

In step 170, the optimal transportation route from the route list B is determined by the objective function.

If no route is found, then in step 171 an empty or default route is determined as the globally optimal transport route. The default route may, for example, comprise a transport route directly to the post-analysis instrument where the biological sample is stored until a change occurs that results in a new globally optimal transport route being determined. The so-called empty route indicates that the sample transport system holds the sample rack in its current position, for example in a temporary buffer. Alternatively or additionally, a manually configured transportation route may be selected.

Fig. 3 illustrates another embodiment of the step of determining and/or re-determining an optimal transportation route, wherein the objective function determines the transportation route of the laboratory instruments from route list B that include the most instruments list D as the optimal transportation route.

According to further embodiments disclosed herein, if more than one route is found in step 170 with the same highest number of laboratory instruments of instrument list D, then in a subsequent step 172, the fastest route is determined to be the globally optimal transit route. The term "fastest" means that the sample transport system has the shortest transport time for the sample rack or the shortest estimated processing time for all biological samples for all laboratory instruments on the respective transport route. For example, both routes 1 and 2 include three instruments from instrument D. Route 1 includes instruments a, b, and c, while route 2 includes instruments a, b, and d. Both instruments c and d may execute the same test command on the biological sample, but instrument c may execute the test command faster (e.g., because it is a faster instrument or because it has a lower workload). In this case, transport route 1 is selected as the globally optimal transport route, since the estimated total processing time of all test commands for all sample tubes of its sample rack is the shortest. In further embodiments, the term "fastest" refers only to the lowest total number of instruments for a particular transportation route.

According to further embodiments disclosed herein, if in step 172, more than one route is determined to be the fastest (i.e., having the same estimated processing time), then in a subsequent step 174, the transportation with the highest priority is determined to be the globally optimal transportation route. Depending on the usage of the analysis laboratory, certain transportation routes are better/more recommended than other equally optimal transportation routes.

An optimal transport route is determined and re-determined based on the order list a, the set of constraints, and the objective function associated with all samples in the sample rack, the optimal transport route indicating a list and/or sequence of all laboratory instruments and/or transport routes required to complete the order list a. Completion of the test order list a refers to all processing steps to complete all test orders associated with all sample tubes of the sample rack.

According to embodiments disclosed herein, the set of constraints considered for determining the optimal transportation route by the control unit comprises one or more of the following constraints:

-availability and/or priority of said laboratory instruments for completing any of said processing steps according to the test commands of said command list a.

The availability of laboratory instruments is a criterion for exclusion, i.e. when choosing the best transportation route, instruments that are not available are not considered.

The availability of laboratory instruments includes several aspects:

o determining that the target laboratory instrument is powered on and not in the low power mode;

o determining whether all modules of the target laboratory instrument required to execute the corresponding test command are operable;

o determining whether all consumables required for executing the corresponding test command are available;

o determining whether all quality control and/or calibration values for the target laboratory instrument are up to date and valid.

The priority of a laboratory instrument is a constraint that prioritizes one instrument over another instrument when both instruments are eligible to complete a test command.

-the workload of the laboratory instruments;

workload is a constraint similar to priority, but not fixed. Rather, the workload of the instrument may vary over time. Depending on the workload of the laboratory instruments, the (re-) determination method selects the instrument with the lower workload and the corresponding transport route.

-the processing status of the biological sample in the sample container in the respective sample rack

The processing state of one of said biological samples in the sample holder is a limiting constraint, i.e. according to the configuration of the specific embodiment, the optimal transport route is determined without regard to the laboratory instrument if the test order corresponding to one of the samples in the rack is and/or has been processed by the respective laboratory instrument.

Position of sample holder in sample transport system

According to the configuration of the particular embodiment, the current position of the sample rack in the sample transport system is limiting for the availability of the transport route. Thus, as part of (re) determining the optimal transportation route, the control unit determines which transportation routes are available from the location. In addition to the availability of the transport route, the transport time of the sample rack on the sample transport system also depends on the current position of the sample rack.

Command demographics of the test commands of command list A

In some use cases, demographics (gender, age, race, etc.) have an impact on the choice or priority of laboratory instruments, affecting the choice or priority of one transportation route over another. For example, the reference values for certain analytical tests depend on the demographics of the order, such as adult versus child, male versus female patients.

Availability and/or priority of each transport route of a sample transport system for transporting sample racks to a plurality of laboratory instruments

Any transportation route that contains parts/target equipment that are blocked, taken off-line, shielded, contaminated, and/or being serviced is deemed unavailable and is a limiting constraint for determining an optimal transportation route.

-urgency/priority of one or more of the test commands in the command list a

Certain samples need to be processed and analyzed very urgently, as the results of the analysis may be critical to the life of the patient. Thus, the method of determining and/or re-determining an optimal transport route prioritizes a transport route comprising laboratory instruments that can execute emergency test orders related to any biological samples in the respective sample racks.

Rules for resolving conflicts between equal optimal transportation routes

For the case of finding several equally optimal transportation routes, embodiments disclosed herein include a set of rules to select one of the equally optimal routes. Such rules may include default routes, or include workload balancing rules configured to ensure balanced workload of laboratory instruments by alternating selection of each equally optimal transport route.

Additional test commands after completion of any test command in the command list a, including repeat, rerun or reflect test commands.

In addition to the order list a, the method for determining and/or re-determining an optimal transport route takes into account additional test orders related to any biological samples in the sample holder.

According to embodiments disclosed herein, instead of a single criterion (e.g. fastest route, most instruments on the route), a scoring function, in particular a weighted scoring function of one or more of the following criteria, is used to determine the optimal transportation route (based on command list a, constraint set and objective function):

-the completed test orders of the order list a associated with each of the plurality of sample containers within the sample rack are the most;

-the aggregate processing time of the test commands of the command list a is shortest;

-the processing time of the emergency test command of the command list a is shortest;

-the total amount of consumables used by the target laboratory instruments needed to complete the order list a is minimal;

-the most efficient and/or balanced utilization of the laboratory instruments;

-the shortest and/or fastest transport route of the sample racks on the sample transport system;

-the overall risk of contamination of any one of the biological samples held in each of the plurality of sample containers within the sample holder is minimal.

For example, each of the above criteria is assigned a score of 1 or 0, with a score of 1 being attributed to routes that meet the criteria and a score of 0 being attributed to routes that do not meet the criteria. In the scoring function, the scores of each criterion for all routes are summed, and the route with the highest score is selected as the best transportation route. According to further embodiments disclosed herein, a weighted scoring function is used, wherein certain criteria are considered more important (higher weight) than other criteria.

According to further embodiments disclosed herein, the step of determining and/or re-determining by the control unit the optimal transport route further comprises the step of removing from route list B a transport route comprising at least one laboratory instrument in the list of not allowed instruments E. In certain use cases, an instrument is not allowed to be used for a particular biological sample because the same sample has been processed by the same instrument and no additional tests (repeat, rerun, or reflectance tests) should be performed on the same instrument.

According to further embodiments disclosed herein, the step of determining and/or re-determining by the control unit the optimal transportation route further comprises the step of removing from route list B a transportation route that does not include all laboratory instruments in mandatory instruments list F. In certain use cases, an instrument is mandatory for a particular biological sample, for example, because the same sample must be processed by a particular instrument for regulatory and/or operational reasons.

Fig. 4 shows a highly schematic block diagram of an embodiment of the disclosed analytical laboratory 1. As shown in the block diagram of fig. 6, the disclosed embodiment of an analytical laboratory 1 for processing biological samples comprises a plurality of laboratory instruments 10 and a control unit 20 communicatively connected via a communication network. The plurality of laboratory instruments 10 are configured to perform processing steps on biological samples according to instructions from control unit 20. In the present application, reference numeral 10 is used to generically refer to all laboratory instruments, including PRE-analysis laboratory instrument 10PRE, analysis laboratory instrument 10AI, and/or POST-analysis laboratory instrument 10 POST.

The PRE-analysis instrument 10PRE comprised by the analysis laboratory 1 may be one or more of the list comprising: an apparatus for centrifugation of a sample, a capping, decapping or recapping apparatus, an aliquot sample machine, a buffer device for temporary storage of a biological sample or an aliquot thereof.

POST-analysis instrument 10POST included in analytical laboratory 1 may be one or more of the list including: a capper, an unloader for unloading samples from the analysis system and/or transporting samples to a storage unit or a unit for collecting biological waste.

According to various embodiments of the disclosed analytical laboratory 1, the plurality of laboratory instruments 10 may be the same or different instruments, such as clinical and immunochemical analyzers, coagulation chemical analyzers, immunochemical analyzers, urine analyzers, nucleic acid analyzers, hematology instruments, and the like.

The control unit 20 is configured to control the laboratory system 1 to perform the steps of one or more methods disclosed herein, and is communicatively connected to the storage unit 22.

As shown in fig. 4, the analytical laboratory 1 further comprises a sample transport system 50 interconnecting the plurality of laboratory instruments 10. According to embodiments disclosed herein, the sample transport system 50 is a one-dimensional conveyor-based system. According to a further disclosed embodiment (but not shown), the sample transport system 50 is a two-dimensional transport system (e.g., a magnetic sample carrier transport system).

Fig. 5 shows another embodiment of the analytical laboratory 1, which further comprises a plurality of identifier reader units 52 of the sample transport system 50, which are strategically placed at locations in the sample transport system 50 where the sample racks 40 should preferably be identified, to request a re-determination of the optimal transport route.

The identifier reader unit 52 of the sample transport system 50 is also referred to as an address extension unit or smart box.

According to an embodiment comprising an identifier reader unit 52, a route list B of all available transport routes of the sample transport system 50 is determined in view of the current location of the respective sample rack 40, wherein the current location of the respective sample rack 40 indicates one of the laboratory instrument 10, the sample transport system 50 and/or the identifier reader unit 52 of the sample transport system 50. As is apparent from fig. 5, different transport routes are available depending on the position of the sample holder 40 (relative to one of the identifier reader units 52).

In a first use case, the identifier reader unit 52.1 is arranged behind the PRE-analysis laboratory instrument 10PRE, so that the optimal transport route is (re-) determined after the biological sample of the sample holder 40 has been prepared for analysis.

In a second use case, the identifier reader unit 52.2 is arranged after a number of different transport routes in order to overcome the limit on the number Nmax of transport routes configurable on the transport system 50. In this regard, the identifier reader unit 52.2 divides the transport system 50 into a plurality of sections, each identifier reader unit 52.2 enabling a greater number of Nmax transport routes to be transported along the sample holders 40.

In a third use case, the identifier reader unit 52.3 is arranged on the transport route before a plurality of identical or similar analytical laboratory instruments 10AI in order to achieve load balancing by dynamically (re-) determining the optimum transport route just before a sample rack 40 reaches one of the identical or similar analytical laboratory instruments 10 AI.

In a fourth use case, the identifier reader unit 52.4 is arranged in the vicinity of the POST-analysis laboratory instrument 10POST in order to carry out an optimal additional test. Additional tests include repeated testing, rerun testing, and/or reflectance testing of biological samples that have been stored in POST-analysis laboratory instrument 10POST after completion of the respective test order. The term "repeat testing" refers to repeating the same analytical test under identical conditions to confirm the analytical results. The term "rerun test" means running the same analytical test, but under different conditions (e.g., different dilutions of the sample) due to out of range analytical results. The term "reflex test" refers to performing a different analytical test (e.g., an antibody-antigen test) triggered by the results of the analysis.

In the context of the arrangement of the identifier reader device, the terms "after" and "before" should be understood with reference to a general transport sequence on the sample transport system, mainly from the PRE-analysis laboratory instrument 10PRE to the analysis laboratory instrument 10AI, and finally to the POST-analysis laboratory instrument 10 POST.

Turning now to fig. 6-9, particular embodiments of the laboratory instruments 10PRE, 10POST, 10AI are depicted.

Fig. 6 shows a PRE-analysis laboratory instrument 10PRE comprising a sample container sorting unit 14 configured to sort sample containers 30 holding biological samples into sample racks 40, each sample rack 40 being identified by a sample rack identifier attached to a sample rack tag 42 of the sample rack 40, the PRE-analysis laboratory instrument 10PRE being further configured to transmit a signal to the laboratory control unit, the signal associating the sample identifier of the sorted sample container 30 with the sample rack identifier of the respective sample rack 40. For embodiments in which the PRE-analysis laboratory instrument 10PRE sorts the sample containers 30 into sample racks 40, the one or more analysis laboratory instruments are further configured to read the sample Rack identifiers Rack-ID from the sample Rack tags 42 and transmit the Rack identifiers Rack-ID to the laboratory control unit along with the test query.

Fig. 7 shows another embodiment of a PRE-analysis laboratory instrument 10PRE, comprising an aliquoting unit 16 configured to prepare aliquots of a biological sample from sample containers 30 and to provide each of said aliquots with a sample identifier ID on an identifier tag 32 by an identifier tag writer 60.

Fig. 8 illustrates an embodiment of analytical laboratory instrument 10AI that includes an analytical unit 18 configured to perform analytical tests to measure the presence, absence, and/or concentration of at least one analyte in a biological sample. Analytical laboratory instrument 10AI performs analytical testing of the biological sample in response to the test command.

Fig. 9 illustrates an embodiment of POST-analysis laboratory instrument 10POST that includes memory unit 19. POST-analysis laboratory instrument 10POST is configured to store and retrieve sample container 30 into and from storage unit 19. POST-analysis laboratory instrument 10POST queries the laboratory control unit for processing commands including containers to be stored in or retrieved from storage unit 19. Accordingly, when queried by POST-analysis laboratory instrument 10POST, the control unit transmits data indicative of sample container 30 to be retrieved from storage unit 19. POST-analysis laboratory instrument 10POST stores or retrieves sample container 30 into or from storage unit 19 in response to data indicating sample container 30 to be stored or retrieved.

A computer program product comprising computer executable instructions for performing the method disclosed in one or more of the embodiments contained herein when the program is executed on a computer or a computer network is further disclosed and proposed. In particular, the computer program may be stored on a computer readable data carrier or on a server computer. Thus, in particular, one, more than one or even all of the method steps as described above may be performed by using a computer or a network of computers, preferably by using a computer program.

As used herein, a computer program product refers to a program that is a tradable product. The product can generally be in any format, for example in the form of a downloadable file, on a local computer-readable data carrier or at a remote location (cloud). In particular, the computer program product may be distributed over a data network (e.g., a cloud environment). Furthermore, not only the computer program product, but also the execution hardware may be located in a local deployment or cloud environment.

Further disclosed and proposed is a computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a computer system, cause an analytical laboratory to perform a method according to one or more embodiments disclosed herein.

Further disclosed and proposed is a modulated data signal comprising instructions that, when executed by a computer system, cause an analytical laboratory to perform a method according to one or more embodiments disclosed herein.

List of reference numerals:

analytical laboratory 1

Laboratory instruments 10, 10PRE, 10POST, 10AI

Pre-analysis laboratory instrument 10PRE

Analytical laboratory instrument 10AI

POST-analysis laboratory instrument 10POST

Identifier tag reader 12

Sample container sorting unit 14

Aliquoting unit 16

Analysis unit 20

Memory cell 22

Sample container 30

Identifier tag 32

Sample holder 40

Sample holder label 42

Sample transport system 50

Identifier reader unit 52 (of a transportation system)

Receiving, identifying, and sorting samples 120

Retrieve test command step 140

(re) determining an optimal transportation route step 160

Retrieving a route list of available haul routes B step 162

Determining a route instrument list of instruments reachable by each available haul route C step 164

Determine Instrument List D step 166 of instruments required to complete Command List A

Route step 168 of discarding any laboratory instruments not containing list D from route list B

Selecting the best route from list B step 170

Return to empty or default route step 171

Transporting the sample racks according to the optimal transport route step 180

Sample processing by target Instrument step 200