RECENT NEWS

The issue of measurement uncertainty and its assessment has been a continuing theme across the past six issues of Pathology in Practice, and coverage of this topic concluded in the June issue. The series of articles has proved to be of considerable value to all those facing assessment by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) against the standards that comprise ISO 15189:2012 Medical laboratories – Requirements for quality and competence. However, uncertainty in its various other forms frequently emerges in this publication. The June cover topic is pre-eclampsia testing, and the latest National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance that aims to limit the uncertainty around the possible development of this form of gestational hypertension (pictured) in late pregnancy.

Since the approval of methotrexate (MTX) for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) 30 years ago, there have been a number of new findings about this drug. As a result, the mode of action is increasingly better understood, new indications are identified and the relevant aspects of patient adherence are defined. In practice, this leads to continued therapy optimisation, especially with regard to the dose and route of administration, which was emphasised at the recent Medac Symposium.

In May over 1200 scientists, technicians, speakers and exhibitors descended on the East Midlands Conference Centre at the University of Nottingham for the fifth Scientific Laboratory Show and Conference. Organised by Scientific Laboratory Supplies (SLS), the day brought together delegates from across the community, offering opportunities to meet like-minded people, learn new things and discover the very best scientific technology and equipment for the laboratory.

The Olympus Image of the Year European Life Science Light Microscopy Award 2018 recognises the very best in life science imaging. Participants can win a CX23 microscope with EP50 WiFi camera and iPad, an OM-D E-M5 Mark II camera, or a PEN E-PL8 camera.

Research commissioned by Innovate UK and the British In Vitro Diagnostics Association (BIVDA) reveals that the NHS could save over £6.9 billion in five years through the quick adoption of new diagnostic tests as they come to the market. In turn, these savings could help tackle the annual NHS shortfall, widely expected to reach £20 billion by 2022. Patients would benefit from three new tests, for heart attack, pre-eclampsia and inflammatory bowel disease, by reducing unnecessary procedures and medication while delivering significant NHS savings.

Following on from a very successful Annual Scientific Meeting held in May, later in the year (Friday 19 October) the British Society for Microbial Technology (BSMT) will hold its Autumn Symposium at the Merseyside Maritime Museum in Liverpool, entitled: Going Overboard with Microbiology – Women and Children First.

In the June issue of Pathology in Practice, the seventh article by Stephen MacDonald brings the series on individual aspects of the assessment of uncertainty of measurement to a close. It provides an example of how to set, assess and review measurement uncertainty in any situation in the laboratory.

For the right reasons and in the right settings, point-of-care testing (POCT) is a great use of technology and could really improve efficiency for the NHS and convenience for the population. The big caveat is that it needs to be done when it is clinically appropriate and not just because technology makes it possible.

The 33rd Annual Scientific Meeting of the British Society for Microbial Technology (BSMT), held recently at PHE, Colindale, proved to be yet another resounding success. The focus of the meeting was Rapid Diagnostics – Time is Relative. Later in the year (Friday 19 October 2018), the BSMT will hold its Autumn Symposium at the Merseyside Maritime Museum in Liverpool, the theme being Going Overboard with Microbiology – Women and Children First.

Medicines Discovery Catapult, the Medical Research Council (MRC) Centre for Drug Safety Science (CDSS), based at the University of Liverpool, and the National Centre for the Replacement Refinement & Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs), combined forces recently to bring together experts from the field of organ-on-a-chip technology (OOAC) at the Sensor City in Liverpool.

The seventh and final article in the Pathology in Practice series by Stephen MacDonald on individual aspects of the assessment of uncertainty of measurement will provide an example of how to set, assess and review measurement uncertainty (MU) in any situation in the laboratory.

Lab Innovations returns to the NEC, Birmingham, on 31 October – 1 November 2018. Free-to-attend and supported by some of the UK’s top scientific institutions, Lab Innovations is the nation’s largest gathering of laboratory professionals, with almost a third more attendees in 2017. As well as an exhibition of products and services, visitors can also benefit from learning and business opportunities, with 98% recommending Lab Innovations as a ‘must attend’ event.

Mortuary staff in Sheffield are using a new fingertip-based drug screening system to carry out a simple, non-invasive drug test on the deceased at the city’s Medico-Legal Centre, when pathologists indicate it may be helpful. The test works by analysing sweat deposits that remain on the fingertips after death.

ProteoMediX has announced the results from a retrospective study that showed the correlation of its prostate cancer diagnosis test with cancer aggressiveness in patients scheduled for prostate biopsies. The study findings presented at the 2018 European Association of Urology (EAU) Congress in Copenhagen, Denmark, showed that the test has the potential to avoid a large number of biopsies.

Qiagen has received US regulatory approval for PartoSure, a novel test for assessing the risk of spontaneous preterm birth in patients with symptoms of preterm labour. Approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) follows successful uptake of the rapid test in more than 35 countries across Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Latin America.

Synthetic biologists at the University of Bristol have succeeded in generating laboratory-made red blood cells with rare blood group types that could one day be used to help patients who cannot be matched with donor blood.

Oxford Gene Technology (OGT) announced recently that Dr John Anson (pictured) has taken over as CEO from Dr Mike Evans, who has become a non-executive director of OGT’s board. In addition, as part of the company’s increasing focus on diagnostics following its acquisition by Sysmex, OGT has appointed Paul Kenny in a new regulatory position—EVP of Regulatory and Medical Affairs. This new appointment will equip the company to navigate the ever-evolving IVD regulatory landscape.

United Kingdom-based test developer Mologic and US-based PATH have entered an agreement to advance a new rapid diagnostic test to support treatment and elimination of Plasmodium vivax, or relapsing, malaria. More than 2.5 billion people worldwide are at risk of infection with P. vivax malaria, mainly in South East Asia and Latin America. P. vivax is especially difficult to eliminate because the parasite can lie dormant in the liver and re-emerge, causing periods of relapsing illness. With each relapse, patients become progressively sicker, and can continue to spread the disease through mosquitoes to other members of the community.

The British Society for Microbial Technology (BSMT) has an excellent programme for its annual scientific conference, to be held on Friday, 18 May at PHE Colindale. The focus will be on Rapid Diagnostics – Time is Relative, and the meeting is relevant for senior biomedical and clinical scientists, other scientists and medical microbiologists.

A year after becoming the first site in the UK to benefit from the latest development in diagnostic testing from Roche Diagnostics, a pathology service in South Wales has seen turnaround times and overall efficiency of its laboratory transformed.