19 May 2021 STRIP-1 test robot receives prestigious Prix Galien Excellence COVID-19 Award Back to news The STRIP-1 test robot, developed by the Hubrecht Institute and biotechnology company Genmab, received the prestigious Excellence COVID-19 Award during the online ceremony of the Prix Galien Awards on 18 May. The test robot processes up to 20.000 samples per 24 hours for testing for SARS-CoV-2 and was officially put into operation in January 2021. “The scale-up turned out to be able to share knowledge openly and also complete the necessary technical validation and qualification in record time,” said the jury. Marvin Tanenbaum receives the Prix Galien Excellence COVID-19 Award. Every year, Prix Galien The Netherlands presents various awards for pioneering research and the development of innovative products. This year also saw the launch of the Prix Galien Excellence COVID-19 Award, intended for an initiative that has made efforts to combat the corona virus. During an online ceremony on 18 May, the award was presented to the Hubrecht Institute and Genmab for the development of the STRIP-1 test robot. Marvin Tanenbaum – one of the initiators, together with colleague Wouter de Laat and with Martijn Bosch and Rob Ruijtenbeek from Genmab – received the award. “It is wonderful recognition for our joint and selfless initiative to use our knowledge to help society in the battle against the corona virus,” said Wouter de Laat on behalf of the four initiators. COVID-19 testing innovation The STRIP-1 test robot processes up to 20.000 samples per 24 hours according to the standard for testing for SARS-CoV-2. The robot therefore processes many more tests than any other machine known to date. Additionally, all samples receive a barcode so that they can be tracked precisely during the entire process. This also enables automatic online return of test results to the tested persons. Because STRIP-1 works with very small volumes, it uses less of the materials that are currently very scarce across the world. The costs per test are also much lower and due to the robotization, the laboratory personnel is relieved from a work overload. Special collaboration The Hubrecht Institute and Genmab developed the STRIP-1 robot together with many other parties including diagnostic laboratories, academic hospitals and the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport. It is therefore a remarkable not-for-profit collaboration between the public and the private sector. The robot remains valuable after the current pandemic is over; due to its modular construction, STRIP-1 can also be used for future pandemics. Marvin Tanenbaum is group leader at the Hubrecht Institute and Oncode Investigator. Wouter de Laat is group leader at the Hubrecht Institute, professor of Biomedical Genomics at the UMC Utrecht and Oncode Investigator. Martijn Bosch is Associate Director Lab Automation at Genmab. Partnership Many institutions worked together on this project, including Bodegro, Genmab, Hubrecht Institute (KNAW), Health Holland, PAMM, Oncode Institute, Sanquin, the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy. Note for the press If you would like to interview the researchers you can contact the communications department of the Hubrecht Institute via communication@hubrecht.eu or +31 683596548 or Genmab via jvee@genmab.com or +31 683192018.
