Implementation

Getting started

What it takes to run DNA-based quality assurance in your own laboratory, and the order things happen in.

QAID is set up in your laboratory, not ours. That means a short implementation project rather than a purchase order: we confirm your equipment, agree the right products, train your team, and stay available once you are running. Here is what that involves.

The journey, end to end

You can start from a QA problem or from a product. Either way the path is the same, and QAID scientists are available at every step.

  1. 1

    QA problem

    A claim to verify, a supplier to check, a defect to explain

  2. 2

    Choose a QAID product

    The microarray built for that question

  3. 3

    Run the microarray

    Prepared and run in your own laboratory

  4. 4

    Scan

    On a compatible microarray scanner

  5. 5

    QAID App

    Analysis and interpretation, with assay controls

  6. 6

    QA decision

    Release, hold or investigate — your call

QAID Training & Consulting available across the whole journey

What you need

Four things, and we help you confirm all four before you order anything.

A working molecular bench

A laboratory area set up for DNA extraction and handling, with the usual separation of pre- and post-amplification work. Most labs already running molecular methods have what is required. We review your setup with you rather than asking you to guess.

A compatible microarray scanner

QAID slides are read on a compatible microarray scanner in your own laboratory. If you already have one, we confirm compatibility and the export settings the QAID App expects. If you do not, we advise on what is suitable before you commit.

QAID microarray slides

The QAID product built for your QA question — Botanical-ID or Spoilage-ID today, with Microbe-ID, Meat-ID and Fish-ID to follow. Slides are ordered by lot, and each lot is traceable to its product and panel version.

A QAID App subscription

Access to the QAID App is by subscription and is designed for use with QAID microarray products. Your team gets accounts under your organization, and your results stay private to it. About the QAID App.

Step by step

  1. Talk to a QAID scientistTell us your products, your matrices and the QA question you need answered. We will tell you honestly whether a QAID product fits, and which one.
  2. Confirm your setupWe review your laboratory, your scanner and your sample types together, and agree what, if anything, needs to change before the first run.
  3. Evaluate, if you want toWhere it is useful, QAID can run a small number of your samples so you can see real results for your material before you set the platform up.
  4. Order slides and start a subscriptionYou order the microarray slides you need and set up QAID App access for your team.
  5. Implementation and trainingQAID scientists work through the laboratory workflow, the microarray procedure, the scanner integration, the QAID App and how to read a result.
  6. Run, scan, analyzeYour team runs the slide, scans it and uploads the data. The App checks the controls, then reports what was identified with confidence metrics behind each call.
  7. Ongoing supportTroubleshooting, workflow optimization and interpretation support once you are established, plus consulting when your QA program grows.

Ordering

Microarray products are ordered directly from QAID. There is no online checkout yet: you tell us the product, the number of slides and the delivery address, and we confirm pricing, lead time and shipping for your location.

Because implementation and the QAID App subscription usually go together, a first order is normally arranged in the same conversation as your setup review. Repeat orders are quicker.

Request product pricing or ask us anything about ordering.

Handling and storing slides

Microarray slides are consumables with a defined shelf life, and how they are handled affects the run.

  • Store slides as stated for the product and lot, and keep them in their packaging until use.
  • Handle slides by the edges in a clean, low-dust area; dust and fingerprints show up as signal artefacts on the scan.
  • Use slides within the shelf life stated for the lot, and record the lot with the run so a result can be traced back to it.
  • Follow the product instructions supplied with each shipment. They are specific to the product and take precedence over anything general on this page.

Slide handling is covered in laboratory training, with your own team, on your own bench.

Your training pathway

Training is part of implementation, not an optional extra. A typical pathway runs from a workflow walkthrough, through hands-on runs with your own materials, to interpreting results in the QAID App and writing the result into your own QA procedures.

After that, support continues: troubleshooting when a run does not behave, interpretation help on an unusual result, and consulting when you extend the program to new products or suppliers. Training & Consulting.

Still deciding whether the method fits? How QAID works and validation & quality cover the science side.

Plan your implementation

Tell us about your products, your laboratory and your QA goals. We’ll come back with the products that fit, what your setup needs, and what implementation would look like.

Plan Your Implementation Talk to a QAID Scientist