RECENT NEWS

Cambridge Research Biochemicals (CRB) has launched a new online shop, thus expanding its offerings to customers worldwide.

A new Health Protection Agency (HPA) Culture Collections website has been launched offering cell lines, bacteria, viruses, fungi, associated services and technical information. This follows the integration of four UK culture collections into one not-for-profit strategic business unit within the Health Protection Agency.

Olympus UK has announced that Northumbria Healthcare NHS Trust, which covers Hexham, Wansbeck and North Tyneside General Hospitals, has awarded a seven-year managed service contract (MSC) to Olympus Diagnostics. The MSC covers Olympus immunoassay, clinical chemistry and automation products, and process improvement analysis consultation and the refurbishment of new laboratory facilities. This MSC is the first order to include the new AU3000i immunoassay system – three of which have gone live at the trust.

Cellzome has been awarded a Medical Research Council Pilot Industry Collaboration Grant with Professor Christopher Buckley and Dr Karim Raza in the Department of Rheumatology and Medical Research Council Centre for Immune Regulation at the University of Birmingham Medical School to profile the expressed kinome in early inflammatory arthritis.

Eppendorf customers in Ireland now have more choice and expertise available for calibration and repair of their manual liquid-handling products from approved service partner Calibration Technology.

The letter ‘Who is a Clinician?’, published in the October issue (page 908), made reference to the Chief Scientific Officer.

An item published in the October issue of The Biomedical Scientist (‘Government Recognition to Boost Cord Blood Usage’ page 848) stated that Virgin Health Bank is “the UK’s only licensed and accredited cord blood bank”.

In vitro diagnostic medical devices (IVDs) are often used in combination with other devices and equipment, and this needs to be planned and managed carefully so that the combination does not impair the performance of any of the individual devices, according to a Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) bulletin issued recently.

Research has shown that prion protein, a form of protein that triggers bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), is associated with other brain diseases in cattle.

Teachers and lecturers across the UK now have new resources to help them inspire and develop the next generation of scientists, engineers and mathematicians.

A recent report by the National Audit Office found that navigating complaints systems is not straightforward, particularly for health service users, and handling some complaints takes too long. There is little sharing of lessons learned from complaints or evidence that services are improving as a result.

Researchers at Aberystwyth University have licensed ground-breaking research to a nonprofit product development partnership working to develop new, more effective vaccines against TB.

The Royal College of Pathologists and other specialist organisations are holding the first National Pathology Week on 3–9 November to promote pathology. Over 150 events – including interactive workshops, laboratory tours, stands in shopping centres, art competitions, quizzes and even a touring pathology bus – are being held in hospitals and communities all around the UK.

An independent study published in the Journal of Hospital Infection (Hernández A et al, 2008) has confirmed the rapid efficacy of Tristel sporicidal wipes against Mycobacterium avium.

The Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS) has chosen the CYCLERtest MTAS validation system from Anachem for its thermal cycler and light cycler validation.

Motic has recently supplied an epi-fluorescence BA 400 microscope to King’s College, London, to assist in research into neurodegenerative diseases. The microscope is being used to identify very small structures in fruit fly brains, which are being tested to show how and why motor neuron diseases occur.

A new website – www.waterpurification.org.uk – has been launched to help health service managers and laboratory staff understand and specify water purification technology. The new site, developed by Purite, a leading European manufacturer of water purification systems, provides the detailed information needed by those in medical and healthcare laboratories.

The National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) issued its Safer Practice Notice: Standardising wristbands improves patient safety to all NHS organisations in England and Wales.

Pall Life Sciences has entered a long-term agreement with the New York Blood Center (NYBC) to support the organisation's transition to a new filtration system that improves efficiency when removing white blood cells from donated blood.

Beckman Coulter has announced that the Borders General Hospital has installed Scotland’s first UniCel DxC 880i Synchron Access clinical system, its integrated work cell designed to consolidate chemistry and immunoassay testing in high-volume laboratories.