Project number
27028
Organization
Roche Tissue Diagnostics
Offering
ENGR498-F2026-S2027
Cancer and many other diseases rely on histopathology for diagnosis. This process typically involves taking a tissue biopsy, processing it, staining it, and viewing the cells under a microscope. The staining step is critical because most cells are transparent at visible wavelengths. Applying stains that bind to different cellular components makes these cells visible under a microscope, thus allowing pathologists to differentiate between normal and diseased cells.
Roche Diagnostic Solutions (RDS), develops and manufactures various automated instruments to aid in the diagnostic process ranging from advanced staining systems to high quality antibodies to digital imaging and AI assisted diagnosis. Roche’s automated staining instruments help standardize and optimize the staining process, ensuring accurate and reproducible results. Meanwhile Roche’s immunohistochemistry (IHC) reagents offer disease- and/or therapeutic drug-specific staining.
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The BenchMark Ultra Plus system collects both aqueous and oil liquid waste during the staining process. The current design includes two waste carts each with a 20L aqueous container and a 5L oil container. Users must be able to empty the liquid waste without disrupting the continuous slide staining operation.
The waste system is based on design elements developed long ago. Several areas exist where a new design could help improve the customer experience and take advantage of advancements made since the initial development.
Example of areas for potential improvement (not comprehensive list)
1) Human Factors Design - 20L containers are very heavy and difficult for users to handle during waste removal.
2) Design Integration - Waste carts are separate from the system which leads to variability
3) Design for Reliability - Waste sensing variation caused by bubbles, foam, or surface imperfections
4) Design for Safety - Spigots on 20L waste containers create slip and fall risks.
The goal for this project would be to design a new waste collection subsystem to improve the usability while maintaining continuous fluid waste collection and providing removal of full waste bottles. The exact scope of this is flexible and should be defined by the UofA design team based on Roche feedback regarding potential areas of improvement. This should operate in a standalone fashion collecting up to 40L of aqueous waste and 10L of oil, but it must also interface into the Ultra Plus control system to enable it to replace the existing Ultra Plus waste collection system. The new system should provide separate interfaces for displaying and logging of waste levels and controls.
Roche Diagnostic Solutions (RDS), develops and manufactures various automated instruments to aid in the diagnostic process ranging from advanced staining systems to high quality antibodies to digital imaging and AI assisted diagnosis. Roche’s automated staining instruments help standardize and optimize the staining process, ensuring accurate and reproducible results. Meanwhile Roche’s immunohistochemistry (IHC) reagents offer disease- and/or therapeutic drug-specific staining.
===
The BenchMark Ultra Plus system collects both aqueous and oil liquid waste during the staining process. The current design includes two waste carts each with a 20L aqueous container and a 5L oil container. Users must be able to empty the liquid waste without disrupting the continuous slide staining operation.
The waste system is based on design elements developed long ago. Several areas exist where a new design could help improve the customer experience and take advantage of advancements made since the initial development.
Example of areas for potential improvement (not comprehensive list)
1) Human Factors Design - 20L containers are very heavy and difficult for users to handle during waste removal.
2) Design Integration - Waste carts are separate from the system which leads to variability
3) Design for Reliability - Waste sensing variation caused by bubbles, foam, or surface imperfections
4) Design for Safety - Spigots on 20L waste containers create slip and fall risks.
The goal for this project would be to design a new waste collection subsystem to improve the usability while maintaining continuous fluid waste collection and providing removal of full waste bottles. The exact scope of this is flexible and should be defined by the UofA design team based on Roche feedback regarding potential areas of improvement. This should operate in a standalone fashion collecting up to 40L of aqueous waste and 10L of oil, but it must also interface into the Ultra Plus control system to enable it to replace the existing Ultra Plus waste collection system. The new system should provide separate interfaces for displaying and logging of waste levels and controls.