TH IRD ISSUE
BioChek: A household name for 20 years in veterinary diagnostics.
“Show me that your test is better!” Paul Cornelissen, owner of poultry practice Pluimveepraktijk Noord & Oost
Anna O’Connor, St Davids Laboratory
“You can really trust and rely on BioChek.”
VISIT BIOCHEK.COM FOR MORE INFORMATION
Preface This year it is 20 years ago that Bart van Leerdam and I decided to set up BioChek. Since then, we have worked hard with considerable pleasure and commitment on the development and improvement of veterinary diagnostic tools. The result: high quality, reliable ELISA and qPCR tests which, today, are used on a global basis to optimally monitor the health of poultry and pigs. In this edition of BioChek Bulletin, we are delighted to look back together with you on the foundation of our company. How did it all begin? Who was our very first customer? We are very happy that poultry veterinarian Paul Cornelissen contributed to this anniversary edition because, without him, - but certainly also without you - BioChek could never have made such a contribution to the health of poultry and pigs. Thank you for your confidence in us! Without you we would not be where we are today. And that is something we are proud of! We are also very proud of our new production facility in Ascot. Our editors went to Ascot where John Martin, our General Manager UK, tells us more about the work that he carries out each day with much enthusiasm for our customers, such as St David’s Laboratory Services Ltd in Dungannon in Northern Ireland. Laboratory/ Quality Manager Jennifer O’Brien and PCR Manager Anna O’Connor tell more about why they chose our MgMs qPCR kit and their experiences with the BioChek II software, making their work and that of their customers much easier. You can read all about this and more in this special anniversary edition. On behalf of Bart van Leerdam and all our colleagues, happy reading to you all!
Barend van Dam Director of BioChek
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Contents An household name for over 20 years
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Ready for the future
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Column
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St David’s Laboratory Services Ltd
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Show me that your test is better
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BioChek’s lab trainings are a great initiative
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Editors: Nora Sinnema, Femke de Lint Contributing Editor: Nijst Communicatie Graphic Design: Commplot
Barend van Dam en Bart van Leerdam
BioChek, a global name for over 20 years in veterinary diagnostics. This year, BioChek celebrates its 20th anniversary. From humble beginnings in 1997, today the complete BioChek package for veterinary diagnostics of poultry and pig diseases is used virtually all over the world. At the head office in the Netherlands, we meet the founders of the company: Barend van Dam and Bart van Leerdam. Two entrepreneurs in heart and soul with a shared passion: lifting animal health to a higher level together with poultry veterinarians, pig veterinarians and veterinary laboratories. A passion which, 20 years later, is still fuelled by their work, which they carry out with considerable pleasure and enthusiasm.
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efore Barend van Dam and Bart van Leerdam even thought of starting up their own business they were colleagues at IDEXX Laboratories in Bilthoven. Colleagues purely by coincidence. Van Leerdam still remembers it as if it were only yesterday. “I was working for Solvay Animal Health as regional manager
and was a customer of IDEXX. Barend was manager at IDEXX Benelux at the time. Following a meeting he asked if I perhaps knew of someone who would be suitable as regional manager for Eastern Europe. It actually appealed to me. One thing led to another and not long after that we were colleagues.” That was in 1992, four years before the
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first plans were forged leading up to the later BioChek. “IDEXX was a fantastic company and I really enjoyed my work”, says van Dam. “But what’s bred in the bone will come out in the flesh and over the years I began to find my work less interesting and wanted to start something of my own. Be my own boss! I then left IDEXX in order to give myself time to think about my future career. After some aimless pursuits in, among other things, disinfectants, I finally looked to see if there were any opportunities in veterinary diagnostics. That was where my passion lay!”
that they were perfect before we connected the name BioChek to them. Intervet (now MSD Animal Health, ed.)
Chromotech
Not long afterwards van Leerdam also left IDEXX. Coincidence brought him once again to van Dam, but for a much longer period this time. I also wanted to start working for myself in the veterinary diagnostics branch. We were both convinced that the expertise of Barend as a poultry vet
“Chromotech thought it was a smart plan, and so did we. BioChek was born“
and me as a vaccine technologist could have a synergetic effect on the development of serological tests. Eventually we came in contact with Chromotech in Hounslow, a borough of London. They manufactured ELISA kits which they sold to one of the world’s largest poultry breeding companies: Ross Breeders, the current Aviagen. Chromotech did not have many other customers at the time. The management board told us that they were looking for sales people for their diagnostic kits. And that was something we really enjoyed doing at IDEXX, but as a salaried employee... and that was not what we wanted. We then asked whether Chromotech would be willing to manufacture ELISA kits for us under contract. We would then market and sell them globally. Chromotech thought it was a smart plan, and so did we. BioChek was born”, says Van Leerdam.
The start
The emphasis during the first six months lay on testing the existing ELISA kits. Van Dam: “Chromotech made good kits, that much we knew. But we wanted 100% certainty
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helped us enormously at the time. Coincidentally, Intervet was also busy at that time with the development of a vaccine against Ornithobacterium rhinotracheale infections in poultry. For this, they needed a test kit. So, together with Chromotech, we made one for Intervet. This ORT kit was therefore the first new product that we launched as BioChek, which we are still selling in great numbers today.”
Support
In addition to the production of various kits, a start was made with the development of monitoring software. Software which today is being used worldwide by veterinarians and laboratory technicians as BioChek II software to interpret test results quickly, easily and correctly. “This is one of the aspects that distinguishes BioChek from other companies”, says Van Leerdam. “We are not really unique in the development of ELISA and qPCR diagnostic tests for pigs and poultry. Other companies can and are doing that, with the exception of our Mycoplasma tests. But that does not apply to the diagnostic support that we provide. We are unique in that respect.” Van Dam and Van Leerdam indicate that, since the founding of BioChek, they find it important to offer customers broad support. “Investing in support is extremely important to us and we provide that in various ways. This could include our monitoring software and data management systems, the reference checks for test results, our guidelines that our customers use when interpreting the test results or our lab training sessions. We
So not just for poultry and pigs, but for all animals that can be used as a source of protein for humans. In short, state-of-the-art partner in complete veterinary diagnostics, whereby software development will play an important role. We still see very many opportunities here. Certainly when it concerns custom solutions for customers.”
Introduction to customers
After a period of testing, testing and testing again, BioChek was ready to present itself to its potential customers. This took place in Budapest during the World Veterinary Poultry Association congress. “We had a whopper of a stand, a logo and a company slogan: Better diagnostics for better results”, Van Dam remembers with a smile. “The reactions from the market were extremely positive. Business contacts we knew from the past were very enthusiastic. So it did not take long before we were able to greet our first customers from Russia and Germany and, not forgetting, Paul Cornelissen’s Pluimveepraktijk Noord & Oost, a veterinary practice specialising in poultry, based in Slagharen, the Netherlands. Because our customers from Russia and Germany were operating worldwide, mainly in the USA, the demand for USDA licences arose. One of the first kits that was USDA approved was the Newcastle Disease Virus Antibody test kit. But that took a while. Due to interim changes in American legislation and the BSE outbreak in the U.K. it took us almost five years (!) to get USDA approval. That was quite a setback for us. But in the end we got it and nothing stood in the way as far as the USA was concerned.”
licence in the USA and numerous distributors, BioChek is able to assist the poultry and pig industry in perfecting the health of the animals. If it were up to Van Dam and Van Leerdam it will not stop there. “We hope in the coming years to really make our name as the knowledge centre and supplier of veterinary diagnostics for utility animals.
Highlights of 20 years
believe it is important to facilitate customers as much as possible in the use of our products and everything related to that. Our test kits will then give optimum results! That is the added value of BioChek and it is appreciated by customers!”
Looking to the future
Now, twenty years after its foundation, the BioChek package for veterinary diagnostics is used all over the world. With its head office in the Netherlands, a new product facility including an R&D department which recently opened in the United Kingdom, a facility with a USDA
Looking back at twenty years of BioChek, the question ‘What was the number one highlight during twenty years of BioChek?’ is very legitimate. Van Leerdam: “For me, the merger with Chromotech in 2003 was the ultimate highlight. Since our foundation, we have had an excellent cooperation with them. But we were totally dependent as far as production was concerned. The merger gave us security and was a significant step forward for us. From then on we had the production under our own management and could also use the knowledge and expertise of the people in Hounslow. That was indeed a milestone”, says Van Dam. “For me, our very first invoice was also a highlight. We had received our first order and, along with that, the confidence in our capability. I found and still find it to be truly great!! Sending an invoice to a customer is a very satisfying experience for every entrepreneur!”
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from Dusseldorf where I have looked at plate coating and dispensing machines. The plate coating machine that I have in mind can process up to as much as 6,000 plates a day. It would enable us to increase the production capacity significantly. And that is really necessary because our global sales are increasing substantially. And the end is not yet in sight.”
Working conditions
John tells us that not only was a great deal of attention paid to the production workflow during the furnishing of the new building but also to safety and working conditions. “Fire prevention and the other safety measures have been addressed. These include climate control, exhaust ventilation and control measures to prevent exposure to undesirable substances.” In addition, the ergonomics of the workstations of the employees were taken into account. “Working ergonomically is very important for BioChek”, John emphasises. “That’s why the workstations are designed so that an employee can work safely, comfortably, healthily John Martin
Ready for the future. A few months ago, BioChek’s production facility in Hounslow moved 20 miles west to Ascot. The ELISA and qPCR kits are produced in this new building - comprising 1,400 m2 - and virtually all R&D activities take place here. John Martin has been the general manager of BioChek UK since 2015. We meet him in his new premises in Ascot.
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he first plans to search for new premises date from March 2015. “Due to the rapidly increasing demand for our ELISA and qPCR kits we were literally bursting at the seams in Hounslow”, says John Martin. “It was too small and we could hardly produce sufficient quantities. Even the laboratories in which our R&D people worked were far too small so they could not do their jobs properly. We just needed more space. At first I looked to see if there was a possibility to expand on our own premises or on our neighbour’s. But that wasn’t an option.” Finally, the decision was taken to search for something else; a building that BioChek could fully adapt to its requirements and growth expectations. “We quickly stumbled upon the premises where we are now. A nice
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building with enough room, a fine location and close to Heathrow. So, as far as that goes, it is ideal for customers visiting us.”
Higher production capacity
Compared with the old location in Hounslow, the production and working conditions have considerably improved in Ascot. This did take some time and effort. “It was a considerable job! With the exception of the exterior, the entire building was stripped and then renovated and furnished according to the requirements that we demand of an ideal production environment. Everything now meets our needs. We also took the new machines into account that we are going to buy. I have just returned
USDA approval
The move from Hounslow to Ascot involved a lot more than the renovation and refurnishing of the building. BioChek also sells its kits in America, the factory and the production process had to be approved by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). John: “Without USDA approval we were not allowed to manufacture kits in Ascot for the American market. That’s why, shortly after the move, we worked for a while with split manufacturing. Kits for America were manufactured in Hounslow as this was the only USDA approved site. Kits for the rest of the world were made in Ascot. Only when the USDA had audited and approved the manufacturing site in Ascot could we finally move all manufacturing to Ascot and Hounslow could be shut down. The transfer process cost a lot of time, money and energy but was worth it in the end.”
ISO 9001: 2015
In addition to all the activities around the USDA, a great deal of hard work was put into transitioning to the latest version of the ISO9001 standard, ISO9001: 2015. “BioChek has been certified to the ISO 9001 standard since 2005”, John explains. “Since 2005 we have continued to successfully meet the requirements of this quality management system standard. With the introduction of ISO 9001:2015, all ISO 9001: 2008 certificates will expire in 2018. Organisations will have to be recertified with the new version of the standard, the major changes are showing quality comes from the top and a greater use of risk analysis. Having successfully transitioned other companies can be assured that the quality management system that runs BioChek will provide products and services that meet the highest standards.”
BioChek worthy! and efficiently. Most of our work is done sitting down. Not only in the office but also in the laboratories. The new office and laboratory furniture has been tailored to the individual requirements of the employees. I have a number of colleagues with back problems. We took this into account when buying chairs, which is obvious when you look around. You will see many different chairs. It was a substantial investment but it will pay off in the end.
In the meantime, John has worked from the new location in Ascot for almost a year now. As general manager, he is proud of the new location. “Hounslow was a great place to work and allowed us to make quality products. However we out grew the facility and in order to maintain high standards it was essential we moved to a bigger facility with improved facilities and an idyllic locate. This has been achieved in Ascot and we look forward to another 20 years of providing our customers with high quality veterinary diagnostic kits”, the proud General Manager concludes.
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Column
Barend van Dam MSc, Director of BioChek
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s with every invention, there is also controversy about who the first person was to invent the computer. Some historians say that it was the American Howard Aiken in 1944 with his ‘Mark 1’. Others are convinced that the ‘Z3’ of the German Ernst Otto Zuse was ready three years earlier. And then there are those who say we must go even further back in time to the British mathematician Charles Babbage. He is said to have invented an automatic calculator at the beginning of the 19th century which was far ahead of its time, but he was not successful in building this ‘analytical machine’.
opportunities here. Recently he made a remarkable statement: “Give Google the electronic medical records of all the inhabitants of America and we can save hundreds if not thousands of human lives. How? By carrying out analyses on those medical data. By using the computing power of our huge data centres and servers to search for cross links that could not be found before due to a lack of technology. Make use of the clinical view of the computer. That’s where the opportunities lie today and in the future.”
He is undoubtedly only thinking of human diagnostics. Because within veterinary diagnostics, digital “Within veterinary Whoever deserves the honour, from information technology has developed 1945 the computer began to gain very rapidly in recent years. This diagnostics, digital ground. And around 25 years ago the development is particularly stimulated information technology has revolution began. Also in medical by the needs of veterinarians and science, including animal medicine. laboratory technicians to have developed very rapidly From cards to discs, from paper to diagnostic tests performed more monitor, from Tippex to ‘delete’. intelligently, faster, more effectively and in recent years” The first personal computers were more efficiently. BioChek contributes introduced and carefully made their actively to that. We do that through way into practices. It was a resounding innovative software. This software success with, as a logical consequence, an enormous flow enables veterinarians and laboratory technicians to have of software applications that make life easier and boost all the information they need for monitoring the health of our capabilities. Computers and software which, today, are pigs or poultry with just one press of the button. Success widely used to support and improve veterinary and human guaranteed! The use of ELISA and qPCR tests is daily health care. routine for many veterinarians and laboratory technicians. It is certainly no longer science fiction. To Larry Page I would Developments are taking place so quickly that some therefore like to say: “Google ‘veterinary diagnostics’ and scientists are already asking themselves: Do we need doctors you will be amazed.” Whether Google equally provides a or algorithms?. Or: Is it possible that smart algorithms will clear answer to the question concerning who invented the take over part of the work of veterinarians and doctors? computer is something you will have to find out for yourself. Technology instead of human hands, or rather, doctors’ But the fact remains that it would not have been possible hands? Larry Page, the co-founder of Google, sees great without Howard Aiken, Otto Zuse or Charles Babbage.
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“Just like the products, the service and support are first rate!” St David’s Laboratory Services Ltd in Dungannon, Northern Ireland is a relatively new laboratory specialising in poultry veterinary diagnostics. Since its foundation in 2011, St David’s has been a regular customer at BioChek. Laboratory/Quality Manager Jennifer O’Brien and PCR Manager Anna O’Connor tell more about their work and their cooperation with BioChek.
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n 2011 St David’s Laboratory Services Ltd in Dungannon started with four employees. With approximately 200,000 laboratory tests in the first year it became a valuable support service for many poultry farms, poultry producers and veterinarians in the United Kingdom and Ireland. A year after its foundation, St David’s was accredited by UKAS Accreditation Service with ISO/IEC 17025: 2005. This formally confirmed the competence of the laboratory to perform serological tests on poultry; tests that have been carried out with tools from
The team of St. David’s
BioChek (not unfamiliar to Jennifer O’Brien) since its foundation. “I have been working many years with BioChek in the government laboratories and my experience with their ELISA kits has always been positive. The kits are reliable, accurate and user friendly. Most of the reagents have been prepared by BioChek in advance leaving less room for error for the user. In short, more than one reason for me and the laboratory to work with BioChek.” “This cooperation has literally been characterised from the start by our cooperating together. BioChek has helped us
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Anna (left) and Jennifer (right)
enormously through providing advice on how to set up our laboratory, which means we can now carry out our tests there efficiently. So also in that area we are grateful for their knowledge and experience.”
Excellent kit
“In 2015 St David’s opened its PCR laboratory and BioChek was busy with the development of the Mycoplasma gallisepticum-synoviae DNA Test Kit (BioChek MgMs qPCR kit). Based on our good experiences with BioChek, we decided to start using this test at our laboratory.” Anna O’Connor is entirely satisfied with BioChek’s MgMs qPCR kit. “The kit is very user friendly. The main advantage is that the reagents have already been prepared by BioChek, thus minimising the risk of contamination. In addition, the packaging of the test is convenient because the outer box is made up of two packages containing all the test materials. The room 1 box contents can therefore be restricted to the DNA-free area of our lab and are kept separate from the room 2 box materials used during PCR setup. We can quickly unpack the boxes and immediately place each package in the appropriate freezers. The risk of them reaching room temperature is thus very small. And because the components are immediately split up the risk of any contamination is also much smaller.” In addition to the fact that gallisepticum and synoviae can be tested quickly and reliably with BioChek’s Mg-Ms qPCR kit, BioChek’s technical support is also an important reason for Anna to choose this qPCR test. “The service and support are just excellent. If we have a question or a problem there is prompt effective feedback. You can really trust and rely on BioChek!”
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PCR is the future
Since its foundation in 2011, the number of laboratory tests of St David’s has risen from 200,000 to 500,000. PCR is an essential part of that. Jennifer expects that the number of PCR tests will increase in future. “Currently we are working on the introduction of BioChek’s PCR test for Infectious Laryngotracheitis. In addition, there are other PCR tests that we are seriously interested in. PCR is after all a quick method of detecting pathogens at an early stage, even with extremely low quantities! We would therefore very much like to expand the use of qPCR as a test method.”
Software
The BioChek II software is greatly appreciated by St David’s for efficient diagnostic work. Jennifer: “We use the software
“The service and support are just excellent. If we have a question or
so that we promptly know whether the results report Mg/Ms positive, negative or suspected samples. If the qPCR controls are not valid, the software will detect this immediately to avoid any wrong results from reaching the customer. Another advantage is that there is less risk of mistakes. BioChek’s software, for example, calculates the amount of qPCR reagents needed for a test. The indicated quantity however is still manually checked by us. But the risk of mistakes is evidently lower because the laboratory technician now checks the work of the computer and not his own work. In addition, the test results are reported in an organised manner so that veterinarians can quickly interpret the results and translate this to the farmer. This means significant time savings for veterinarians and quicker treatment to the poultry farms. They know in an instant exactly what they want and need to know! Our customers are therefore very happy with the software that we use, both for the MgMs qPCR test and the ELISA tests.”
Customer satisfaction
Just like Anna, Jennifer emphasises that not only is she satisfied with the products, but certainly also with the service and support that she receives from the BioChek team. “If there are any questions they respond immediately. And the technical support that we receive can be summed up in one word: excellent. Hans Smit (BioChek’s molecular diagnostics specialist, ed.) and Tiede Bijlsma (BioChek’s technical support manager, ed.) are always there for us if we have a technical problem or a request. They have just one goal in mind: provide a solution as quickly as possible so that we can continue with our work. That is not something we encounter very often at other companies”, says the laboratory manager.
Easy to use and reliable detection of Mg and Ms antigen in Poultry
a problem there is prompt effective feedback. You can really trust and rely on BioChek.”
during our ELISA and qPCR tests because it is user friendly. The speed at which the test results are analysed is very high. Before we had this software we analysed all qPCR and ELISA results by hand. The software now supports us in this work
The Multiplex DNA test kit allows for the simultaneous detection of Mycoplasma gallisepticum and/or Mycoplasma synoviae.
Ask for our salessheet, mail info@biochek.com
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really reliable. It missed every scientific justification and we had the impression that the test gave a completely incorrect vaccination moment. The Animal Health Service (veterinary laboratory for animals in Deventer, the Netherlands, ed.) came up with an alternative. We were not really satisfied with that either. Even with this test we had the idea that some things were not quite right. I no longer remember how I then came into contact with the newly founded BioChek. But what I do remember is that Barend said he had a Gumboro test that was better than
poultry rearing farms must take place at an independent laboratory. Our PCR research is outsourced to the vaccine industry or the Animal Health Service. However, we are researching whether or not to do that ourselves, certainly also because we hear from BioChek that they are currently doing a lot of PCR research to enable poultry vets to use fast diagnostics.” And Cornelissen finds that an important issue; a perfect, fast diagnosis so that he and his colleagues quickly know what the prognosis is and what they can do to help.
“A rapid, correct diagnosis is very
“It is a good thing that investments are being made - also by BioChek - in PCR research”, Cornelissen continues. “The impact of disease is becoming greater. Look at Germany. Recently, Infectious Laryngotracheitis (ILT) was detected near the German-Dutch border. This virus is becoming more virulent. It can therefore lead to major - international economic damage. Many of my customers are based in that region so it is imperative that you know as quickly as possible what the situation is and take samples to exclude an ILT infection. A rapid, correct diagnosis is very important, because random vaccination is very expensive. You have to vaccinate all broilers individually, which makes vaccination very labour
important, because random vaccination is very expensive“
Paul Cornelissen
“Show me that your test is better!” Paul Cornelissen is the owner and practicing poultry vet of one of the oldest poultry practices in Europe. He has been a customer of BioChek since its founding in 1997. And not just any customer, but very important customer. Every reason for BioChek Bulletin to travel to the north of the Netherlands to meet Paul Cornelissen.
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aul Cornelissen’s poultry practice Pluimveepraktijk Noord & Oost is a modern veterinary practice specialising in farmed poultry, with locations in Slagharen and Leek. The practice has dozens of years of experience in poultry medicine and is active for rearing farms, breeding farms and broiler farms. About 15 to 20% of the Dutch poultry farms is a customer at Pluimveepraktijk Noord & Oost, making it one of the largest poultry veterinarian practices in the Netherlands. In figures, this means the care of about 1 million breeding animals, 1 million mother animals and about 70 million broilers.
Fellow students Cornelissen and the CEO of BioChek, Barend van Dam, are no strangers to each other. They knew each other long before they entered into a working relationship in 1997.
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“I know Barend from my time as a student when we studied veterinary medicine at the Utrecht University. He was a few years ahead of me. We lived together in a fraternity house of the HSD debating society on the Hugo de Grootstraat in Utrecht. That was a fantastic time! After graduation we went our separate ways, but we kept in touch now and then. At a later stage also on a professional basis when Barend was still manager at IDEXX Benelux.”
Gumboro
Cornelissen can still remember how the cooperation with BioChek came about. “The immediate reason for our cooperation was the Gumboro disease. (Infectious Bursal Disease, IBD). For this disease we used an AGP test (Agar Gel Precipitation Test). This was a very crude test to determine when the best time was to vaccinate against Gumboro. In our opinion, this AGP test was not
any other available test; also better than that of IDEXX of which my practice was a customer. My reaction was very clinical: ‘Fine Barend, so show me that your test is better!’ We then carried out a huge simultaneous test here at the practice with both BioChek’s ELISA and that of IDEXX. When we saw the results, the decision was easy: the results of BioChek were much better. The difference was significant! We switched to BioChek and Barend was finally allowed in”, he says with a smile. “Regardless of the fact that we once shared a house together, the decision was purely based on quality.” It was a decision that Cornelissen has never regretted. “This was the start of a good working relationship with great products and - what I had noticed right from the start - excellent service. If I asked Barend or his partner Bart (Van Leerdam, ed.) a question or confronted them with a problem, they were not satisfied until it was resolved. That was the case then and it is no different today.”
Speed is becoming increasingly important
ELISA and PCR
Twenty years later Cornelissen’s practice still uses BioChek’s ELISA kits. “The difference is that we no longer have a laboratory at the practice. Since a couple of years we are sending our samples to Veterinair Centrum Someren, the support lab for Aviagen in the Netherlands, which also works with the BioChek test kits. That is where we test poultry for diseases like Gumboro, Infectious Bronchitis (IB) and Reo tenosynovitis. In addition to the laboratory at Someren, we also use the diagnostic services of the Animal Health Service, because in the Netherlands diagnostics at
intensive and relatively expensive. The introduction by BioChek of a PCR test for ILT can therefore make a valuable contribution to rapid and effective prevention in every respect. There is therefore every chance that we will use this ILT PCR. And it will probably happen within a slightly faster time frame that we needed years ago to be convinced of the quality of the Gumboro test. Meanwhile, Barend and his team have certainly earned their spurs in veterinary diagnostics”, he says with a smile.
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“BioChek’s lab trainings are a great initiative” On the 4th and 5th of April BioChek held an ELISA and PCR training in the laboratories at its head office in Reeuwijk for its European customers. Various lab trainings are also being organised this year outside Europe and there is already huge interest.
Assessing practical skills
One of the customers is Geraldine Bornholdt, Veterinarian and Product Manager for Poultry at Noack & Co. GmbH in Vienna, Austria. “We are a technical marketing and sales company that sells, among other things, BioChek’s ELISA and PCR test kits to the animal producing industry. As a Veterinarian and Product Manager, I want to know all the ins and outs of this product. This training is ideal for that purpose. In addition, it’s a great refresher course as far as new developments are concerned. And there are many of those. Take, for example, the PCR-related software developments or the BEAR for running fully automated ELISA assays. I have learnt a lot so far. So, for me, the training is already a success. I would recommend this training for everyone who is involved in veterinary diagnostics and uses ELISA and/or PCR test kits.”
Great initiative
“That is certainly true!”, says Boštjan Flajnik. He is a laboratory technician at the veterinary faculty of the
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Global lab trainings for customers
Brahim Bozia, Chief Operational Officer, tells us why BioChek organises these trainings: “We believe it is
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Join our Lab Trainings and learn more about ELISA and PCR!
Tiede Bijlsma training customers
he laboratories of BioChek are buzzing with activity. Eight or so customers are enthusiastically following the qPCR training given by Hans Smit, Molecular Diagnostics Specialist and Ramelia Bisquera, Molecular Support Manager. Further along in the ELISA lab, Technical Support Manager Tiede Bijlsma is acquainting participants with the BEAR (BioChek ELISA Assay Robot, ed.). Technical skills, such as manual pipetting and evaluating results are being thoroughly examined by Bijlsma. The participants receive many practical tips to avoid pitfalls or to resolve any problems. Good quality and reliable performance of the ELISA and PCR test take precedence above everything.
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important to inform customers in a practical manner about our products and the technical developments at BioChek. Take, for example, new test methods or software developments such as the BioChek II software. In addition, BioChek attaches importance to keeping the practical skills of customers up to date so that they carry out our tests correctly and are ensured of reliable results.” The lab training in Reeuwijk is the first of a series that BioChek is organising on a global scale this year. Trainings will soon be given in the Middle East and Russia, and later this year in North and South America and Asia, including China and Thailand. “I am often asked when and where the next lab training will take place. There is a need for this kind of practical training. I don’t just hear that from customers but also see this in practice. When we open the registration for a training, the maximum number of participants is reached in no time. Customers appreciate this BioChek initiative very much”, says Bozia.very reliable monitoring of the chicken flocks.”
University Ljubljana in Slovenia and has been following BioChek’s laboratory trainings for several years. “This is now the third time that I am following a training and I learn something new each time. Today I learnt about the qPCR technique. PCR developments are accelerating fast and thanks to the training by Hans and Ramelia I am fully up to date within one day. Tomorrow I will attend the ELISA training. I have carried out ELISA diagnostics research for over 20 years but I continue to find it important to test myself: am I still doing it right and are my ELISA results accurate and reliable? That’s what I want to know! But my biggest challenge is to try to be better than the BEAR, but that is a massive challenge”, he says with a laugh and a wink. Flajnik thinks the lab training is a fantastic way to test his knowledge and share experiences with his fellow laboratory technicians. “The interaction between the participants is fun. Both during the training and in the evening after the training. It is a great initiative of BioChek that I am very happy with. I am already looking forward to the next time!”
BioChek organises open Lab Trainings for ELISA and/or PCR all over the world. The BioChek Lab training is meant for laboratory technicians using BioChek ELISA and/or qPCR kits. Contact us for further details on the training and the next available dates and locations.
Scan the QR-code or mail us: info@biochek.com
What you’ll focus on during a BioChek Lab Training: • Pipetting technique • Accuracy of results • Equipment maintenance • The use of the BioChek II software (both ELISA and PCR) • Interpretation of BioChek ELISA/qPCR results
BioChek, SMART Veterinary Diagnostics
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Welcome to the World of BioChek The complete BioChek package for veterinary diagnostics of poultry and swine diseases is used virtually all over the world. With its head office in the Netherlands, an R&D department and production facility in the United Kingdom, a USDA licensed facility in America and numerous distributors, BioChek is able to assist the poultry and swine industries in perfecting health and improving welfare and productivity of animals.
Would you like more information on BioChek or to work together on animal health? Then please contact us. After all, reliable veterinary diagnostics start with BioChek! For more information, please visit our website:
www.biochek.com