Manchester, UK – Whatman plc., a global leader in separations technology, today announced that the UK Biobank, as part of an extensive scientific study aimed at validating their laboratory processes, has completed a series of experiments with several products, including Whatman FTA Elute, to validate their suitability for the long term archiving of dried blood samples. As they enter the final stages of refining their protocol for the collection and storage of biological samples, the UK Biobank has been pleased with the results achieved using FTA Elute. The organization will present their full findings and conclusions at today’s conference, “Laboratory Aspects of Biobanking.”

“By storing dried blood, we will achieve significant savings in terms of both cost and storage space,” said Dr. Tim Peakman, Executive Director of the UK Biobank. “But the savings would have been irrelevant if we did not have confidence in the long-term integrity of our samples. For example, by providing for room temperature storage, FTA and FTA Elute eliminate the freeze/thaw sample degradation of stored cellular fractions inherent in traditional ultra low temperature storage approaches.”

“A broad network of academic collaborators, who have used a wide variety of matrices, steered us toward Whatman FTA and FTA Elute,” added Dr. Peakman. “Both products proved their ability to provide stable and cost-effective storage of samples, but FTA Elute seems more conducive to the purposes of the UK Biobank. Through a simple heat and water elution step, FTA Elute releases the DNA, reducing contamination from the matrix and allowing us to perform fewer PCR amplification cycles to reach a saturation endpoint.”

FTA Elute, the newest extension of the Whatman FTA product line, binds proteins, hemoglobin and other PCR inhibitors to create an extremely stable environment that allows DNA to be stored at room temperature. The unique benefit of FTA Elute is its ability to ultimately release the stored DNA into liquid, the ideal scenario for organizations that need to perform multiple amplification reactions from a single DNA sample.

About The UK Biobank
Founded in 2003, the UK Biobank is a long-term national project dedicated to building the world’s largest information resource for medical researchers. By following the health of 500,000 volunteers aged 40-69 in the UK for up to 20 years, the project is intended to help approved researchers develop new and better ways of preventing, diagnosing and treating common illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease.

About Whatman
Whatman is a global leader in separations technology and is known in the scientific community for providing innovative life science products and solutions. With the acquisition of Schleicher & Schuell, Whatman offers a more comprehensive product range to its customers worldwide and enters the proteomics market with Schleicher & Schuell’s core competency in protein chip technologies.

FTA® and FTA® Elute are registered trademarks of the Whatman Group.

Enquiries:
Whatman plc
Phil Greenhalgh, CFO / Bob Thian, Chairman	Tel:	+ 44 (0)7768 925325
Financial Dynamics
David Yates / Sarah MacLeod	Tel:	+44 (0)20 7831 3113
UK Biobank
Tim Peakman, Executive Director	Tel:	+44 (0)161 603 7602