Grifols’ oncology treatment robot arrives at St. James’s Hospital in Dublin
Regner® Editorial Team
Aiguaviva -
22/08/2024
Automating oncology treatment preparation
KIRO Oncology, part of Grifols, has been introduced at the Trinity St. James’s Cancer Institute in Dublin to support the automated preparation of oncology medicines. The system helps improve precision, traceability and safety in a process that places significant demands on hospital pharmacy teams.
Preparing chemotherapy treatments requires rigorous control of every medicine, dose and final container. Automation can reduce repetitive manual tasks, help protect staff from exposure to hazardous medicines and provide a complete record of each preparation.
Kiro Oncology and its automated solution
KIRO Oncology is an automated compounding solution for sterile medicines in hospital pharmacy environments. The system is designed to work with different vial formats and final containers, including syringes, intravenous bags, cassettes and elastomeric pumps.
Barcode readers and cameras verify the identity of medicines and containers throughout the preparation process. This supports the traceability of each dose and helps reduce the risk of errors associated with manual handling.
The system also uses gravimetric control to verify weight at different stages of sterile medicine preparation. This validation helps maintain dosing accuracy and reinforces safety for both patients and healthcare professionals.
Implementation at St. James’s Hospital in Dublin
The Trinity St. James’s Cancer Institute, based at St. James’s Hospital in Dublin, introduced KIRO Oncology to automate the preparation of oncology treatments. The implementation placed the centre among the first hospitals in Ireland and the United Kingdom to use a compounding robot in this setting.
The project began with the automated preparation of thirteen cytotoxic medicines. Its phased implementation allows the hospital to expand the range of treatments managed through automation while maintaining its established clinical and pharmacy protocols.
In addition to improving the consistency of preparation, this technology can reduce the physical burden on pharmacy staff and help limit their exposure when handling hazardous medicines.
Linear micro-actuators for pharmaceutical dosing equipment
Automated pharmaceutical preparation systems require controlled motion to actuate valves, position components, regulate fluids and perform repeatable sequences. In these applications, linear micro-actuators convert motor motion into precise linear displacement within compact equipment.
Actuator selection must take into account force, stroke, speed, duty cycle, power consumption, position feedback and mechanical and electronic integration. REGNER develops custom linear actuators and motion control solutions for OEM equipment manufacturers that require reliability, precision and traceability in medical, pharmaceutical and analytical applications.
Where a dose, volume or position must be repeated consistently, linear motion is not an isolated component. It is part of the system architecture that supports a safe and controlled process.
