RECENT NEWS

Researchers at the University of Zurich (UZH) have used artificial intelligence (AI) to help identify antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The team led by Adrian Egli, UZH professor at the Institute of Medical Microbiology, is the first to investigate how GPT-4, a powerful AI model developed by OpenAI, can be used to analyse antibiotic resistance.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting has called on NHS staff and experts – as well as the entire nation - to help shape the government’s plans to overhaul the NHS.

MedTech Europe – with the backing of 39 national associations, including BIVDA – is urging the EU to take action on the medical technology regulations (IVDR and MDR) to ensure the availability and competitiveness of medical devices.

Our Future Health is now the largest longitudinal cohort study in the world that uses blood samples, with over a million people from across the UK having joined. The health research programme was set up with funding from UK Research and Innovation’s Accelerating Detection of Disease Challenge, delivered by Innovate UK.

Molecular diagnostics firm Yourgene Health (part of the Novacyt group of companies), has received accreditation under the new EU requirements of IVDR for its Yourgene Cystic Fibrosis Base assay.

AI-powered cancer diagnostics firm Ibex Medical Analytics has announced the publication of a clinical study in the peer-reviewed journal JCO Precision Oncology, reporting that pathologists supported by Ibex Breast HER2 show improvement in HER2 scoring accuracy and consistency.

The October issue of PiP has now been published and is available to read online.

BD has announced the commercial launch of the first in a family of high-throughput, robotics-compatible reagent kits that will enable automation to ensure greater consistency and increased efficiency of large-scale, single-cell discovery studies.

For the third year in a row the challenges facing the UK’s HealthTech industry have continued to grow, the latest sector-wide study has revealed. It shows that whilst the sector continues to provide critical life-enhancing technologies and significant employment across the country, it faces persistent regulatory challenges and NHS barriers that hinder innovation.

Researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have created a CRISPR-based rapid molecular diagnostic for two forms of leukaemia that are driven by mutations that involve gene fusions. The technology accurately detects the presence of these gene fusions in acute promyelocytic leukaemia (APL) and chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) in patient samples.

Genomic sequencing company PacBio has agreed a new Research Collaboration Agreement (RCA) with the National Cancer Centre of Singapore (NCCS). This collaboration aims to accelerate cancer research by leveraging PacBio’s advanced sequencing technologies, including the Onso short-read sequencing platform, to profile the genomic landscape of prevalent cancers in Asia.

South Korean molecular diagnostics firm Seegene has announced the completion of a partnership agreement with diagnostic company Werfen, for a new technology sharing initiative. Under the agreement, Seegene and Werfen will establish a NewCo in Spain, Werfen-Seegene.

CPI, a leading technology innovation centre, and the Office for Life Sciences (OLS) have joined forces to deliver the MedTech Accelerator: Rapid Regulatory Support Fund (MARRS) a £5 million programme funded by UK Government aimed at supporting and enabling growth in the vital UK MedTech industry.

Clinical trials firm Clario has entered into a new strategic partnership with PathAI, to offer a single-vendor solution for efficient anatomical pathology services and next-generation video endoscopy analysis.

A team of researchers from UCLA has introduced a deep learning-enhanced, paper-based vertical flow assay (VFA) capable of detecting cardiac troponin I (cTnI) with high sensitivity. The innovative assay holds the potential to democratise access to rapid and reliable cardiac diagnostics, particularly in resource-limited settings.

A nationwide team of universities, hospitals and industry led by the Francis Crick Institute and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, have launched a new platform to understand immunotherapy response and side effects in cancer, with the National Pathology Imaging Co-operative playing a critical role.

Proteotype Diagnostics Ltd, in collaboration with the University of Southampton, has been awarded £1.5 million in funding from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and the Office for Life Sciences (OLS). The grant will support clinical validation of Proteotype's novel Enlighten multi-cancer early detection test, a revolutionary approach to detecting early-stage cancers by focusing on the body's response to tumour development.

A new partnership between Roche Diagnostics UK and Ireland, Newcastle University and The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, will play a key role in developing cutting-edge medical diagnostics.

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) has announced almost £11 million of new funding for projects which aim to help increase the early detection and diagnosis of cancer.

The Royal College of Pathologists (RCPath) is marking International Pathology Day this year on Wednesday 6 November with a day-long virtual conference looking at the issue of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).