El Paso Pain Center, Texas, US, is using the VOYAGER adjustable tip spacing pipette from INTEGRA Biosciences to streamline its pharmacogenomics (PGx) testing of saliva samples. These results are used to identify genetic variations that are known to affect the metabolism of certain medications, causing them to become ineffective in managing pain, or to have unwelcome side effects.

El Paso Pain Center carries out approximately 45 PGx tests each week on patient samples from its multiple clinics across the states of Texas and New Mexico. Maria Esquivel, Clinical Laboratory Manager at El Paso Pain Center, explained: “Our main goal is to maintain quick turnaround times for our patients, so that they can receive the answers and care they need as soon as possible. We perform DNA extraction in 96 well plates, but carry out analysis using 384 well plates. The VOYAGER pipette’s automatic tip spacing adjustment makes it very convenient for us to rapidly transfer samples between these different labware formats, speeding up this repetitive task and improving our turnaround times. It has also demonstrated high precision – which reassures us that our results are accurate and reliable – and enables tasks to be performed one handed, reducing the likelihood of pipetting errors and repetitive strain injuries.” 

“We are very satisfied with the VOYAGER, and we’re looking forward to continuing our relationship with INTEGRA in the future. We plan to open several new clinics to reach more patients, so we’ll need to take on more pipetting platforms to cope with the increasing demand and sustain our rapid turnaround times,” Maria concluded.