A tertiary hospital in Istanbul faced false-positive PCR results from lab contamination. It deployed the ROZOR Disinfection Robot through Robot-as-a-Service and ran an autonomous 254 nm UVC cycle, chosen over hydrogen peroxide vapour for speed. The lab was validated and back in routine testing the same afternoon, in under 120 minutes.
When surface and airborne contamination began skewing PCR results in a hospital's molecular pathology lab, the team faced a full diagnostic shutdown. An autonomous, chemical-free UVC cycle restored the lab in under 120 minutes, with testing back the same afternoon.
The problem: contamination that put PCR accuracy at risk
A high-volume tertiary hospital in Istanbul found a breach in the environmental controls of its third-floor molecular pathology and microbiology laboratories.
- The problem: Persistent aerosolised and surface-bound contamination drove a spike in false-positive PCR results, rendering testing unreliable.
- The impact: Potential misdiagnosis, and a looming threat to the hospital's clinical accreditation. The infection control and microbiology teams needed a "Day 0" solution to prevent a full facility closure.
- The barrier: Traditional procurement for high-end medical equipment runs on lengthy tender cycles. To bypass that, the hospital used ROZOR's Robot-as-a-Service (RAAS) model, deploying the robot immediately as an operational service rather than a delayed capital purchase.
The decision: why UVC over hydrogen peroxide vapour (HPV)
The hospital's technical committee, including its microbiology and procurement leads, evaluated hydrogen peroxide vapour (HPV), the traditional gold standard, but selected the ROZOR Disinfection Robot for three clinical and operational reasons.
| Feature | Hydrogen peroxide vapour (HPV) | ROZOR Disinfection Robot (UVC) |
|---|---|---|
| Turnaround time | 6–10 hours (sealing, gassing, aeration) | ~60 minutes (immediate room re-entry) |
| Material safety | Oxidising agent; can degrade sensitive optics | Non-corrosive; safe for high-end PCR & NGS machines |
| Residue | Leaves a chemical film requiring manual wipe-down | Zero residue; lab-ready immediately after the cycle |
| Workflow | Requires HVAC isolation and room sealing | Autonomous navigation; no specialised room prep needed |
Microbiology insight: HPV is an effective sporicide, but its long aeration times would have paralysed the diagnostic workflow. ROZOR's UVC delivered the high-log reduction needed against the amplicon nucleic acids behind PCR contamination, without the chemical footprint or the risk of damaging expensive sequencing equipment.
The solution: an autonomous 254 nm UVC cycle
The robot was deployed to the third floor to run a targeted decontamination cycle. Moving autonomously through the space, it delivered 254 nm UVC to every exposed surface, reducing the "shadowing" that limits fixed, single-point UVC lamps.
Technical highlights
- Vision and LiDAR mapping: The robot mapped the complex lab layout in minutes, planning 360-degree coverage around delicate centrifuges and workstations.
- Validated cycles: Pre-programmed protocols calibrated for DNA/RNA amplicon decontamination and multi-drug resistant organisms (MDROs).
- Digital audit trail: Each run generated a "Certificate of Disinfection", giving the infection control committee the documented evidence to authorise reopening.
The outcome: precision and safety restored
Within two hours of arrival, the ROZOR system completed its protocols and the lab was restored in under 120 minutes.
- Zero downtime: Laboratory operations resumed the same afternoon; a projected 48-hour manual deep-clean and gassing shutdown was avoided.
- Validation: Post-disinfection environmental swabbing confirmed the contaminant had been cleared, restoring 100% confidence in PCR results.
- Financial impact: The hospital avoided the revenue loss and logistical burden of redirecting thousands of samples to external laboratories.
Strategic value
Delivered through a service-based model, the deployment gave the hospital three advantages:
- Immediate access: No waiting on capital-budget approval during an active crisis.
- Operational excellence: Less labour tied to manual terminal cleaning, and trained staff freed for higher-value work.
- Future-proofing: Access to the latest autonomous-navigation and UVC-dosage software.
“Significant air and surface contamination affected the accuracy of PCR test results, leading to the temporary closure of the third floor. By utilizing ROZOR's autonomous UVC technology, we achieved a level of decontamination that manual cleaning simply couldn't reach. We eliminated the threat in two hours and secured our diagnostic integrity.”