CORONAVIRUS NEWS

Avacta Group, the developer of Affimer biotherapeutics and reagents, has entered an agreement with Abingdon Health for the manufacture of its saliva-based rapid SARS-CoV-2 antigen test as part of an ongoing expansion of manufacturing capacity.

Avero Diagnostics, a physician-owned US laboratory, has announced the expansion of its COVID-19 testing portfolio with the addition of the Roche Elecsys anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody test.

Edinburgh-based biotechnology company Ingenza has made a significant breakthrough in the race to develop and manufacture a cost-effective vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the current pandemic and COVID-19 disease.

Hercules Pharmaceuticals has announced the publication of promising preclinical in vivo trial results showing efficacy of its aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) inhibitor HP163 against Zika virus infection and potentially against coronavirus.

Remarkable things are happening as laboratories and anatomical pathology groups answer the challenges of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and the need for greater numbers of virus tests. Despite shortages, laboratories are adding SARS-CoV-2 test capacity.

PrimeStore MTM is a molecular transport medium that provides a ‘snapshot’ in time of a sample by preserving and stabilising DNA and RNA. This means that samples can be collected, transported, and processed safely and efficiently.

ViroStat has released a set of new monoclonal antibodies to the nucleocapsid of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. These five antibodies were selected from a group of 60 based on highest binding affinity and best ELISA pairing to detect native viral antigen.

Pro-Lab Diagnostics has announced that final-stage clinical trials are underway on the VIASURE Winter Multiplex CFR kit, which is expected to achieve CE certification by the end of August. Preliminary data show excellent performance characteristics.

Avacta Group, the developer of Affimer biotherapeutics and reagents, has begun work with the UK government’s CONDOR programme to evaluate and validate the high-throughput COVID-19 bead-assisted mass spectrometry (BAMS) assay developed with Adeptrix.

EKF Diagnostics has added a novel viral transport media for the safe sample handling and testing of multiple infectious diseases from a single swab to its product range. PrimeStore MTM is a collection device that deactivates viruses.

Bio-Rad Laboratories is accelerating production of its Platelia SARS-CoV-2 Total Ab test, a blood-based immunoassay kit to help determine if an individual has developed antibodies to SARS-CoV-2, the virus associated with COVID-19 disease.

The UK must prepare now for a potential new wave of coronavirus infections this winter that could be more serious than the first, says a new report from the Academy of Medical Sciences.

Avacta Group, the developer of Affimer biotherapeutics and reagents, is collaborating with Integumen to evaluate recently generated Affimer reagents that bind the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein for the detection of the coronavirus in waste water.

Xebios Diagnostics manufactures high-quality, ready-to-use culture media for microbiological diagnostic applications, and is using DOSE IT to aliquot viral transport medium (VTM) into sterile screw-capped tubes to meet market demand.

Randox Laboratories has installed an RX modena in a COVID-19 hospital in India, at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Medical College in Madhya Pradesh state.

Significant efforts are being made to protect public health and prevent local, regional or national spikes in SARS-CoV-2 cases. Antibody testing can determine population seroconversion and aid epidemiological and public health decisions.

Scientists from PrecisionLife have found 68 genes associated with risk of developing severe COVID-19 by using its proprietary AI-enabled precision medicine platform to analyse the genomes of 929 patients who had a severe response to SARS-CoV-2.

A free webinar on COVID-19 and the impact on the non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) patient will be held on Wednesday, 8 July at 5.00 pm. Click on this news item for registration details.

Una Health, a distributor of in vitro diagnostics (IVDs), and Fortress Diagnostics, a provider of IVDs, are partnering with the Department of Health & Social Care in the Real Time Assessment of Community Transmission (REACT) study into COVID-19.

Hamamatsu Photonics invites you to join a panel discussion with pathologist Dr Matthew Hanna and IT Manager Nikolas Stathonikos on Thursday 9 July 2020 (4.00 pm BST, 11.00 am EDT, 5.00 pm CET). Click on this item for the link to register.