CORONAVIRUS NEWS

Stago has developed Asserachrom HPIA-IgG, a highly sensitive and specific ELISA for detecting anti-heparin-PF4 IgG antibodies, which has recently found application in the diagnosis of VITT.

The University of Lincoln in the UK, alongside five other British universities, will work on potentially ground-breaking research commissioned by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) to understand and tackle Long Covid.

Biotage is one of the few companies offering a complete solution and ready-to-go off-the-shelf products for the purification of large-scale lipids, used in mRNA vaccine development and production.

BD and CerTest Biotec have announced the CE mark for a molecular test that can detect and distinguish between the Alpha (B.1.1.7), Beta (B.1.351) and Gamma (P.1) SARS-CoV-2 variants.

South Korea’s response to the pandemic has been praised, achieving success through rigorous preparation and rapid response, attributed to decisive government action, aggressive track-and-trace policies and almost immediate access to PCR tests.

Owlstone Medical has announced the publication of a study in Nature Scientific Reports that investigates the performance of filters in face masks for supporting the detection of SARS-CoV-2 as an alternative to nasopharyngeal swabs (NPS).

Bio-Rad Laboratories has launched its PREvalence ddPCR SARS-CoV-2 Wastewater Quantification Kit, a sensitive, accurate and cost-effective tool used to detect SARS-CoV-2 in a community’s wastewater.

PhoenixSoft has developed a series of COVID-19 dashboards for Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (HHFT), which runs Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital, Royal Hampshire County Hospital, in Winchester, and Andover War Memorial Hospital.

A study has shown that the Avacta Group AffiDX antigen lateral-flow test detects the Delta variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in clinical samples, and outperformed two lateral-flow antigen tests that are commercially available in Europe.

Research published in the Journal of General Virology has identified missed cases of SARS-CoV-2 by retrospective testing of throat swabs.

The Native Antigen Company, part of LGC Clinical Diagnostics, has won ‘The Best COVID-19 Responder’ at OBN 2020 Awards, recognising the company’s outstanding contribution to the fight against COVID-19.

Avacta Group has received notice of registration of its AffiDX SARS-CoV-2 antigen lateral-flow test in the EU, allowing the company to place the product on the market in all 27 countries of the EU for professional use.

Roche has received CE marking for its SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Self Test Nasal for at-home testing. The test will be available in countries accepting the CE mark through pharmacies and other locations, in packs of five tests.

Avacta Group has announced that the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has confirmed registration of the AffiDX SARS-CoV-2 antigen lateral-flow test, so it can place the product on the market in the UK for professional use.

A team of international scientists from the universities of Glasgow and Oxford and the Rosalind Franklin Institute have identified key cellular factors that are crucial for the infection of SARS-CoV-2.

Bio-Rad’s Coronavirus Ag Rapid Test, an antigen test used to detect the nucleocapsid protein antigen in SARS-CoV-2, offers new flexibility in detecting SARS-CoV-2 and now includes a quality control (QC) swab kit.

The British Society for Microbial Technology (BSMT) webinar series of lectures proved a huge success. The four-day virtual conference was recorded, and can now be viewed via the article on page 15 of the May digital issue of Pathology in Practice.

The British Society for Microbial Technology (BSMT) free-to-attend four-day webinar attracted over 700 international registrants, with each day's programme proving an outstanding success.

The British Society for Microbial Technology (BSMT) webinar series of lectures proved a huge success. The four-day virtual conference was recorded, so registrants can still view the lectures after the event when convenient to do so.

EU-OSHA has joined forces with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) to explore the use of rapid antigen diagnostic tests for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in occupational settings.