RECENT NEWS

Scientific Digital Imaging’s Synoptics Health Division has announced that a major international healthcare training centre, Eastwood Park, will be using ProReveal, a test to detect proteins on surgical instruments. This will complement training given to sterile services professionals on how to assess the validity of decontamination processes.

bioMérieux has been granted CE marking for its new VIDAS 3 automated immunoassay system. The latest addition to the VIDAS range offers increased automation capabilities and greater traceability, particularly for pre-analytical sample handling.

Medical technology developer Atomo Diagnostics and diagnostics company BBI Solutions have entered an agreement to commercialise AtomoRapid, Atomo’s award-winning integrated rapid blood test platform. AtomoRapid is a convenient hand-held rapid blood test device that simplifies procedures, eliminating the need for complex test kits containing multiple items.

West Control Solutions has released a series of informative and explanatory videos, the first of their kind to discuss temperature control technologies. The videos will prove to be a great benefit in helping customers to specify and install the most efficient temperature control solutions.

Recently, GSTS Pathology hosted its first Innovation Academy event in London. This inaugural scientific symposium welcomed over 100 delegates, offering participants great networking opportunities and the chance to hear presentations from a group of GSTS experts.

In 1983, pre-internet and in a year that saw early public access to mobile phones and the first incarnation of Microsoft Word, Dr Graham Rideal set about applying his scientific experience and expertise to the development of glass microsphere standards, the hallmark of which is absolute reliability and traceability.

The newly relaunched LabsAreVital programme was out in full force at the American Association of Clinical Chemistry (AACC), held recently in Houston, Texas, where senior representatives from each of the four global organisations that now make up the Labs Are Vital consortium management board were available to discuss the programme.

Syngene has announced that one of its G:BOXChemi imaging systems is being used at the Wageningen University & Research (UR) Centre in The Netherlands to visualise and analyse bacterial proteins as part of a research programme to understand the molecular mechanisms behind bacterial immune systems.

Histological examination is considered the gold standard for detection, diagnosis and characterisation of many clinical conditions, and producing suitable sections for microscopy examination constitutes one of the primary skills of the histologist.

Scientists at F Cubed have developed a new molecular analyser that relies on Tecan’s Cavro Centris Pump and Cavro Smart Valve to offer straightforward identification of pathogens in a matter of minutes. The NESDEP IU Molecular Diagnostic System is designed to detect a wide range of pathogens, offering femtomolar specificity from ultrasmall sample sizes.

Abbott has announced CE-marking for the ARCHITECT Galectin-3 assay, a test that aids in the assessment of prognosis for patients diagnosed with chronic heart failure. The test was developed in partnership with BG Medicine to run on Abbott’s immunochemistry platform.

Abbott has received CE marking for its new ARCHITECT haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) assay. The new HbA1c test provides clinicians with important information that may help patients take critical steps to manage the progression of their disease. Measurement of HbA1c reflects a person’s average blood glucose level over the previous three months.

Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics is raising awareness of the prevalence of diabetes among adolescents to healthcare professionals with the help of Iron Man, the Marvel Super Hero. The character recently attended the Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics exhibition stand at the Diabetes UK conference in Manchester to promote early diagnosis and treatment to manage diabetes effectively.

For the first time, certain immunosuppressant drug (ISD) assays can now be performed automatically on cobas modular platforms, allowing laboratories to consolidate testing for a wide range of transplant testing/monitoring assays on a single platform.

Researchers in the Department of Molecular Genetics at the University of Toronto, Canada, are using Tecan’s Infinite M200 PRO plate reader and Gas Control Module (GCM) to study host-pathogen interactions for Legionella bacteria.

Tameside Hospital in Ashton-under-Lyne has invested in a Radiometer AQT90 FLEX analyser to allow rapid and convenient testing of NT-proBNP.

Liebherr professional freezers are in use at the Natural History Museum helping to maintain the integrity of genetic and cellular biodiversity samples that include some from the world's endangered species. The Molecular Collections Facility (MCF) at the Natural History Museum uses Liebherr freezers from the Mediline range to store the important samples. The freezers play an essential role in the reliable, safe and secure storage of countless cell samples that contribute to important research.

Microbiology services in East Lancashire have benefited from automated blood culture testing solutions from bioMérieux for many years, and are now enjoying the flexibility offered by the BacT/ALERT 3D microbial detection system. Ian Byrom (pictured with the BacT/ALERT system), operational manager at the Royal Blackburn Hospital, explained: “We have been using bioMérieux’s automated blood culture systems within the hospital for nearly 30 years, and have always had a good relationship with the company.

A recent Medical Devices Directive demands that accessories such as water purification units be treated as medical devices in their own right. This empowers the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) with the right to seize and to remove unsafe products from manufacturers and to retain them as evidence if proceedings are taken.

Recently, Lab Tests Online-UK launched a free mobile application (app) version of its website. The app is written by practising NHS laboratory doctors and scientists to help patients, carers and healthcare professionals understand the many clinical laboratory tests that are used in diagnosis, monitoring and treatment of disease.