Lombard investment helps drug test firm launch new in-house service

DNA paternity & drug testing specialist Alpha Biolaboratories has invested £75k to provide an in-house hair alcohol testing service at its Warrington base, after securing funding from Lombard, the asset finance arm of NatWest. End Quote

(1888PressRelease) January 06, 2012 - The company has purchased a TSQ Quantum testing machine, a piece of kit which is used to provide hair alcohol tests. Alpha already offer this service through an outsourced provider. The investment will provide the company with considerable cost savings and shorten the length of time taken to obtain the final results.

Hair alcohol testing is used to detect long term patterns of alcohol consumption. Unlike traditional methods such as blood testing which can only detect alcohol consumed a few days prior to the test, the use of hair analysis can give a record of consumption over the previous three to six months.

This method is becoming increasingly common in both the judicial and corporate sectors. One of its key uses is in child custody cased to protect the child from parents or guardians that may have an alcohol problem. It is also widely used in the maritime, rail and aviation industries.

Formed in 2004, by biochemist Dave Thomas, Alpha Biolabs undertakes Drug and DNA analysis on behalf of law firms, civil courts, local authorities, public and private sector organisations.

The results can be used to determine a wide range of issues from resolving DNA Paternity disputes to establishing if a person is abstaining or abusing illicit drugs. Last year the company, which employs 19 staff, relocated to new office and laboratory facilities at Carina Park in Warrington.

Dave Thomas, Managing Director of Alpha Biolaboratories, said: "The use of hair testing to determine patterns of alcohol consumption is becoming increasingly common, particularly as the benefits of this type of testing become more widely known. By bringing this service in house we can provider a quicker response to our clients and are confident of further growth in this field."

Alex Bodie, Lombard Relationship Director, said: "This is a sound investment in financial terms and also enhances Alpha's reputation in this niche market. We are very happy to provide the financial backing for this project."

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