What is the role of automated maintenance in carryover minimization?

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Carryover happens when residues from a previous sample stay on automated parts such as probes or cuvettes and affect the next measurement. Automated maintenance that includes thorough cleaning of the probe and cuvettes directly removes these residues, preventing cross-contamination between samples. Regular, effective wash cycles, using appropriate buffers and proper rinsing, ensure surfaces are clean before each measurement, which maintains assay accuracy and precision. If cleaning is neglected, even small amounts of carryover can skew results for subsequent samples.

Maintenance that isn’t frequent or thorough won’t reliably remove residues, so carryover can persist. Software updates can optimize instrument performance, but they don’t substitute for physical cleaning of hardware. And maintenance should be routine, not just annual, because carryover risk exists with every run and requires ongoing cleaning and validation.