Lab service investing £3m to ramp up capacity as COVID-19 testing soars

Warrington-based AlphaBiolabs is investing £3m in its operations to increase capacity to meet demand for PCR testing round the clock.

It is one of the first UK laboratories to be successfully audited by UKAS for COVID-19 testing and has also recently invested in the latest genome sequencing technology, making it one of only a handful of labs in the UK to offer this crucial service.

The company has ramped up its operations to meet the increased demand for COVId-19 testing, employing an additional 68 people since the start of the year across laboratory, logistics and customer service roles.

The firm provides rapid COVID-19 PCR testing for members of the public and third party companies that are providing PCR testing to their own customers.

It also provides comprehensive workplace testing programmes for businesses, helping to keep the workplace safe and also supporting with essential travel requirements.

Director, Rachel Davenport, said that reporting results quickly and accurately has been key to the firm’s recent success.

“All testing is performed in AlphaBiolabs’ purpose-designed UK laboratory. In addition, the business has invested in its own next generation genome sequencing service to identify any new variants.

“As well as enabling rapid sample turnaround and same-day results, this is vital for detecting and isolating new variants of the SARS CoV 2 virus as it mutates.”

PCR testing is classed as the gold standard in COVID-19 testing. It involves taking swab samples from the nose and throat, which are then returned to the laboratory for analysis.

Casey Randall, head of COVID-19 testing at AlphaBiolabs, said: “As one of the Government’s listed testing providers, we’re held to the very highest of standards.

“A recently successful UKAS audit highlights the accuracy and reliability across our laboratory testing services and we expect our UKAS accreditation schedule to be updated before the end of June.”

Rachel added that combining the successful audit with competitive pricing, genome sequencing and 24-hour results puts AlphaBiolabs in an especially strong position to support businesses with their COVID-19 testing requirements.

“As we gradually move out of lockdown and more people start to return to work, we have seen a significant increase in the demand for our workplace testing services.

“There is clearly a real commitment among employers to keep COVID-19 out of the workplace as businesses across the UK try to navigate and manage their operations in a proactive manner. Employers are, understandably, looking at effective testing programmes to protect both their business and their workforce.”