RECENT NEWS

TalkingPoint for Pathology, GHG Software’s specialist pathology VR workflow system, has been implemented in the pathology department at Blackpool Victoria NHS Hospital, to meet the immediate needs of the healthcare environment and help to improve the efficiency of the reporting system.

The Royal Hampshire County Hospital (RHCH), Winchester, has six Radiometer blood gas analysers, including 810, 820, 825M and 835M systems, and relies on the company’s QA Portal to help meet EQA requirements and simplify regulatory compliance.

Phenomenex has announced the publication of its updated product guide for 2012/2013. Covering the company’s comprehensive lines of HPLC/UHPLC, GC and sample preparation products, the year new catalogue is available in a full-colour print version as well as online in an easy-to-use, interactive digital format. New this year are dedicated sections on UHPLC and bioseparations. Multiple country-specific print versions have been published this year for the convenience of customers in key geographic areas, and these can be requested at the website below.

Worthington Biochemical's updated 2012 Tissue Dissociation Guide is now available to assist researchers with selecting enzymes, developing and optimising protocols and better understanding the process of enzymatic primary cell isolation and tissue dissociation. The guide also discusses the enzymes most commonly used, their handling and specificity, and includes hundreds of new detailed cell- and species-specific primary cell isolation references.

Reinnervate, an expert in 3D cell culture, has announced the release of information to help scientists make the switch from traditional 2D cell culture to 3D cell growth. Entitled ‘Review of Imaging Techniques Compatible with 3D Culture of Cells’, the document covers many different approaches for the visualisation of cells growing in three dimensions, such as that achieved using the company’s alvetex 3D scaffold.

Astech Projects, a leading systems integrator, exhibited recently at the Society of Laboratory Automation and Screening (SLAS) conference and exhibition. On show was the company’s new turnkey approach to automation, which involves four steps – consultation and proposal, concept design study, proof of concept, and detailed design, manufacture and testing.

Horizon Diagnostics (HorizonDx) has signed a strategic partnership agreement with UK NEQAS following HorizonDx’s launch of a suite of genetically-defined formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) cell line standards in September 2011. The partnership will focus on the development of genetically defined reference standards for new lung cancer biomarkers. HorizonDx is the first company to provide human genomic reference standards containing defined allelic ratios, offering an unprecedented level of control to the diagnostics industry.

Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics has entered into a global licensing agreement with Nephromics to develop two assays to be used as an aid in the diagnosis of pre-eclampsia, a condition that is potentially life-threatening and occurs during pregnancy affecting both the mother and the unborn child. The assays are being developed for the detection of two biomarkers, soluble fms-like tyrosine-kinase-1 (SFLT-1) and placental growth factor (PLGF), which clinical studies have shown to provide early identification of patients with pre-eclampsia.

The NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) Advanced Therapy Unit in Liverpool has been granted a Manufacturers' Authorisation for the production of cell and tissue-based Investigational Medicinal Products (IMP) for clinical trials. This authorisation, granted by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Authority (MHRA), opens the way for NHSBT to work with the regenerative medicine industry to take innovative cell and tissue therapies to the clinic. NHSBT's specialist production facilities include 32 clean rooms, staffed by trained and experienced scientists.

Source BioScience, the international diagnostics and genetic analysis business, has extended the reach of its superfast DNA sequencing and data analysis service in the UK with the launch of its Overnight Service in Oxford. This will be available to research teams in and around Oxford, with customers receiving their sequencing results by 9.00 am the next day, including Saturdays, at no extra cost.

Scientific imaging will be given a boost by a new company spun out from the University of Oxford. Oxford Imaging Detectors, which is developing high-performance scientific imaging detectors capable of studying structures and processes at the atomic level, has been set up by the university’s technology transfer company, Isis Innovation.

Following the 2009 contract agreement with Spire Healthcare, where 17 ABX Pentra 80 haematology analysers were installed within six weeks of signing, Horiba Medical continues its strong support of Spire’s UK pathology network. With 37 hospitals, Spire is the UK’s second largest private hospital group and has recently expanded its laboratory network to 18 with the opening of Spire Washington. Owing to its ongoing successful relationship with Horiba Medical, Spire has now installed a further ABX Pentra 80 haematology analyser in this new laboratory, as well as two ABX Micros ES 60 point-of-care (POC) haematology analysers in its Harpenden and Macclesfield Wellness Clinics.

Thermo Fisher Scientific has acquired TREK Diagnostic Systems, a provider of microbiology solutions, including blood culture, microorganism identification and antibiotic susceptibility testing products. The addition of VersaTREK platforms to its microbiology portfolio allows Thermo Fisher to offer automated systems for blood culture and the detection of mycobacteria for the first time. VersaTREK complements the company’s manual blood culture systems, to provide the most comprehensive choice of tests and culture media for use in the diagnosis of sepsis and tuberculosis.

Thermo Fisher Scientific has announced that the 2011 Oxoid W H Pierce Memorial Prize, which commemorates the late W H (Bill) Pierce, has been awarded to Dr Brian Jones, senior lecturer at the University of Brighton. The award acknowledges Dr Jones’ research into the human gut mobile metagenome, the mobile genetic elements (such as plasmids) that are associated with intestinal microbiota.

Life sciences and healthcare companies across the UK are being urged to sign up to a brand new service to boost their export success to India, a country where biotechnology alone is predicted to be worth £6 billion by 2015. The new service is being offered by the UK India Business Council (UKIBC), the business-led organisation backed by UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) to boost UK-India bilateral trade. For a fee of £35 per month, UKIBC provides intelligence, events, reports, and creates ‘communities’ linking large and small companies in subsectors including medical equipment and technology, healthcare infrastructure, biotechnology, eHealth, pharmaceuticals, training and R&D in India. Online, the members’ life sciences and healthcare sector page will be updated regularly with new reports and analysis.

Thermo Fisher Scientific has announced that its Thermo Scientific Nicolet iS5 FT-IR spectrometer received a 2011 Scientists’ Choice Award for Best New Spectroscopy Product of 2010.

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ProImmune, a provider of services for immune monitoring, antigen discovery and immunogenicity risk assessment, has been accepted into the UK Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) monitoring programme by Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHR), confirming ProImmune’s compliance with GLP.

GSTS Pathology and Bedford Hospital NHS Trust have gone live with their new £1 million microbiology facility, housing a range of new equipment that will further improve the service GSTS provides to patients at Bedford Hospital. The investment modernises microbiology at Bedford Hospital, allowing staff to process more samples more quickly. It will increase quality and efficiency and ultimately provide an upgraded service both to patients and clinicians in the local area.

In March, The Binding Site Group, a manufacturer of immunodiagnostic products, moved its headquarters to larger, more ecofriendly premises in the centre of Birmingham, UK. Having achieved double-digit growth for many years, well above the industry average, this specialist protein company, has rehoused its 380 UK-based staff in a new six-storey building that will fulfil its need for growth over the foreseeable future. The new site is a reflection of the company’s success and shows its commitment to Birmingham, to its staff and customers, and to its future growth.