Scientist who studies hundreds of Covid samples a day for a living speaks out about her job in Milton Keynes

Madison Exter found herself thrust into a key role when the UK Biocentre on Tilbrook became one of the country's first major testing laboratories shortly after the first lockdown began last year.

Her workday involves studying dozens of swab samples, repeatedly for 12 hours, looking for signs that the virus is present.

And her 'assistants' are often robots, built to handles liquids and allow testing capacity to increase significantly. While it takes a well-trained human an hour to process around 100 samples, a robot can process four times that number in the same time.

"It’s a busy station and a pretty labour-intensive process – which is why we use automated robots to increase capacity. We recognise how important it is to test each swab sample carefully, accurately and quickly so people can self-isolate in time if found positive," said Madison, who is speaking out to mark today's Women in Science Day.

She said the work is hard, physically demanding and repetitive. But sometimes an unexpected human touch lightens the day for the workers.

"Some of the samples we receive include messages from the individual being tested. We love these – it reminds us why we’re doing what we’re doing. We see 96 samples on a well plate repeatedly for 12 hours, so the human touch from outside really puts a spring in our step.

"We post all the supportive notes on a wall in the lab. On.e of the notes we received was from a lady who had struggled to do the test due to her Parkinson’s disease. It brought me to tears.

"I hope people realise how much these notes are appreciated."

The MK lab, tucked away on an industrial estate between Browns Woods and Caldecote, has the capacity to test tens of thousands of swab samples every day. But when Madison started work there, fresh from gaining her degree in Human Biology, things were very different.

"I joined UK Biocentre as a lab technician at the end of 2019, before we’d even heard of Covid-19. It feels a lifetime ago now, but back then we focused on blood sample tests.It was the perfect job for me after finishing my degree..I could apply my skills in a practical and meaningful way, whilst gaining experience for my career."

"With Covid-19 the job transformed in March. I can remember vividly when we were told we were going to play a central role in the country’s national testing effort. The labs expanded overnight and four days later we had the equipment and samples to begin testing for Covid-19 as part of the NHS Test and Trace network."

Madison, who was swiftly promoted to a lab supervisor, describes the sudden transformation was a "crazy and exciting" time.

"The labs and personnel all changed. We had some of the country’s leading diagnostics scientists on site, helping us scale up and ensuring protocols and processes were in place, from health and safety to safe sample handling. This helped us work efficiently across our different stations."

The Army were also on site to help us prepare for receiving samples, she said.

"Testing samples in a global pandemic is crucial. It’s what the whole country is talking about. It gives us a great sense of purpose, but it’s not always easy.

"My role has developed from being hands-on to one that’s now more focused on people management than science. I never thought I’d be interested in this aspect, but I’m really enjoying it."

Madison works in the lab's 'manual hood' section, which is any potential Covid virus is deactivated any potential from the swab samples. All the work takes places in secure hoods to protect the staff and robots are used where possible.

Working on the touchline has bred a sense of camaraderie among the workers - the human ones, at least.

"So many amazing volunteers have put their lives on hold to help here. I’ve worked so closely with many of them right from the beginning and they have become good friends. I work with a fantastic group of people, who all have extensive scientific knowledge and experience. We work together to solve problems. It’s a real

privilege to be part of – and the teams have struck up such a strong bond," said Madison.

"The work is physically draining and you have to concentrate for long hours, but everyone here has a great attitude and serious willpower. Some of the work might be repetitive, but everyone works with a smile on their face.

"We are all scientists keen to help people. We all recognise the importance of the work and that every stage of the testing process is crucial."