Member Article

University of Sheffield collaborates with Quality Context

Quality Context, a Sheffield based quality assurance and analytical testing company, has recently worked with the University of Sheffield to bring their laboratories to top UK standards.

Quality Context were appointed by the University to produce a gap analysis of its Biological Mass Spectrometry Facility in order to align it to the national Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) standard required in order to test samples from clinical trials.

Quality Context’s own state-of-the-art laboratory opened in 2013 at the Sheffield Bioincubator to provide analytical services to the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry and, from this, stemmed the collaboration.

The University of Sheffield is listed as one of the world’s top 100 universities and is in the top ten percent of all UK universities for its research excellence. The University’s Faculty of Science houses around 3,864 students per year.

Two of Quality Context’s industry experts visited the University for two days and worked with the mass spec team to find gaps and suggest improvements in line with MHRA guidelines. The purpose of this project was ultimately to advise them on how to bring the University’s laboratories up to national standards to enable them to test samples in clinical trials.

Quality Context’s Director of Technical Services, Helen Gray who led on this project said: “Working with staff at the University of Sheffield has been extremely educational and rewarding for us; the work they do is truly inspiring. The laboratories and the biological mass spectrometry department itself are doing amazing work.

“I truly believe the work we are doing with the University will make their laboratories a world-class testing facility. By working with us, it will better prepare its students for the world of work in commercial laboratories where Quality Systems are vital. We want to make improvements, improve quality processes and overall leave a lasting impact and drive science forward in Sheffield and the Yorkshire region.”

Professor Carl Smythe, Director of the Biological Mass Spectrometry Facility said of the collaboration, “At the University of Sheffield we are always working to ensure our facilities are state-of-the-art and managed to the highest specification. The collaboration with Quality Context has been a valuable mechanism for establishing the highest standards of research and clinical evaluation.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Becky Wilsdon .