In the wake of recent challenges with the supply of lateral flow tests, we understand the critical need for a trustworthy and precise marine biotoxin testing service. As such Biobest are excited to relaunch our marine biotoxin ELISA testing service for ASP, DSP and PSP, a cutting-edge solution that ensures the safety of your products with unparalleled accuracy.

Key Features:

1. Advanced Technology: Our toxin testing service utilizes state-of-the-art ELISA testing methodologies, surpassing the limitations of traditional lateral flow tests. The ELISA technology we use ensures precise detection of toxins, providing you with reliable results every time.
2. Expert Team: Our team of experienced scientists and technicians are dedicated to delivering results you can trust. With a commitment to excellence, we strive to exceed industry standards, providing you with the confidence to make informed decisions.
3. Quick Turnaround: Time is of the essence in toxin testing. Our service is designed for efficiency, delivering swift results without compromising accuracy. Our streamlined process ensures you get the information you need promptly, allowing you to take immediate action.

By choosing our ELISA toxin testing service you will elevate your toxin testing standards. In a world where safety is paramount, our service stands as a beacon of reliability, ensuring your peace of mind and the well-being of your consumers.

Our dedicated team would be delighted to hear from any potential customers who are interested in using our services. Please contact Stuart Marshall or Paul Burr to discuss your requirements.

**Update**

Our routine maintenance is nearing completion. Unfortunately some of the maintenance overran which has delayed us slightly. We now hope to resume testing on the 19th of September and will begin working through the backlog of samples. Please contact our office team if you would like to use our rabies express testing to prioritise your samples.

Our rabies laboratory will be closed to allow routine annual maintenance from Friday the 18^th of August. This is our main maintenance shutdown and we expect the laboratory to return to operational status on Friday 15^th September.

Unfortunately, in the run up to this shutdown we have experienced a significant issue with a safety critical piece of plant in our high containment facility. This has prevented us from accessing the unit over the past 10 days and has caused a significant testing backlog. We are pleased to report that our specialist engineering team have worked tirelessly to fix the issue and we are currently setting up tests to clear the backlog of samples prior to our shutdown. The last opportunity for us to set up tests is th 16th of August and we will ensure that as many samples as possible are included on these tests. Any samples not tested will be prioritised when we resume testing on the 15^th of September.

We would like to apologise to any customers who have experienced delays due to these recent issues, unfortunately these were due to factors beyond our control. The FAVN test uses infectious rabies virus and as such this work requires the highest levels of containment. Our highly specialist facility is very complex and the containment requirements make it very difficult and time-consuming to perform even the most basic repairs. Naturally containment of virus and safety have to remain our top priority.

Our dedicated admin team remain available to answers any questions you may have and any further updates will be posted on our website and social media channels.

**UPDATE 03Mar23**

We are pleased to report that our maintenance will be completed earlier than expected and we now intend to resume rabies testing on the 10th of March. As usual the backlog of samples will be tested in order of receipt but our express service will be available for any urgent samples.

We will shortly be shutting down our high containment rabies testing laboratory temporarily in order to complete routine maintenance. This shutdown is required to enable our engineers to gain access to the laboratory for routine servicing of equipment and facilities. This ensures that the laboratory and equipment are maintained to the highest standard. All other areas of our business will operate as normal during this period.

The work will start in February 23, with a timetable as follows:

• 22 Feb 23 (Wed) Last tests will be set up
• 24 Feb 23 (Fri) Tests from 22 Feb 23 will be read and reported.
• Week commencing 20 Mar 23 Normal testing resumes (Exact date subject to engineer service sign off).

This means that for a period of approximately 17 working days, no rabies testing will be available.

We will naturally use our best endeavours to ensure the works are completed as quickly as possible to minimise the downtime and service disruptions to our customers. During the shutdown we will post updates on our social media channels to confirm exact re-start dates.

As with previous shutdowns we will clear the testing backlog as quickly as possible to enable your results to get back to you within our usual normal published timescales. Once the facility returns to normal operations our express service will be available for any urgent samples, all other samples will be processed in order of receipt.

Express Testing will not be available during the shutdown as the unit is closed and no tests can be set up.

If you are aware of any clients that may require certificates before 24 Feb 23 we would encourage you to send in samples as soon as possible in order to avoid any disappointment. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you require any further information regarding the shutdown.