Automated NAT Assay System

SNBTS wishes to contract for the provision of an automated NAT assay system, incorporating all equipment, test kits, reagents, relevant controls and calibrators, I.T peripherals, delivery, installation, training and fully comprehensive systems maintenance. The SNBTS NMRU (National Microbiological Reference Unit) provides confirmatory and screening services for blood borne infections that can be acquired through transfusion and transplantation, in addition the NMRU perform look-back investigations on confirmed positive donors and suspected transfusion transmitted infections (TTIs). NMRU currently use in-house assimilated assays for HCV, HIV and HBV NAT testing. These are fully validated and have been used within SNBTS for many years. The assays involve two stages; nucleic acid extraction and polymerase chain amplification (PCR). In addition to the need to replace the current PCR platform (which will involve replacement of current assays) used for HCV, HIV & HBV NAT in NMRU, it is anticipated that the number of HBV NAT assays performed will increase significantly after SaBTO recommend anti-HBc screening for blood donors. Anti-HBc screening will generate a significant number of confirmatory HBV NAT tests and HBV NAT tests associated with lookback investigation on donors confirmed to be anti-HBc reactive. This will increase the NMRU annual workload for HBV NAT tests significantly (100 test cf. 2000-3000 in year 1 of anti-HBc screening, 1000 in year 2 and 500 in subsequent years). Therefore, a small scale automated platform will be essential for NMRU to cope with the increased volume of HBV NAT testing due to the implementation of anti-HBc screening testing