RECENT NEWS

The Royal College of Pathologists (RCPath) and The Royal College of Radiologists have published a joint report following a meeting they co-chaired at 10 Downing Street to discuss the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in the NHS.

The NHS Genomic Medicine Service (GMS) has formally announced the launch of the NHS GMS Networks of Excellence, which will help to deliver the ‘Accelerating Genomic Medicine in the NHS’ strategy, focusing on areas of high priority for the NHS and working to support transformation in patient care by enabling earlier and more precise diagnosis, risk stratification and treatment interventions.

Bruker Corporation has announced a definitive agreement for the acquisition of Chemspeed Technologies AG, a Swiss provider of vendor-agnostic automated laboratory R&D and QC workflow solutions. Chemspeed is focused on modular automation and robotics solutions for chemical research, pharma drug formulation, materials research for cleantech and consumer applications.

The Princess Royal has officially opened the Medical Research Council’s new £120m state-of-the-art Laboratory of Medical Sciences (LMS) building on Imperial College London Hammersmith campus.

Greater Manchester has taken the next steps in its digitisation of pathology services, with the go-live of Sectra’s digital pathology solution at Northern Care Alliance NHS Trust. The trust’s Oldham laboratory has completed technical go-live, with its Salford site also set to follow.

The European Commission is proposing an extension to the transition period for the forthcoming In Vitro Diagnostic Medical Devices Regulation (IVDR), with the aim of ensuring patient care via continued availability of essential healthcare products.

A new study funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) has found that vaccination against COVID-19 consistently reduced the risk of long COVID symptoms.

Amadix, a Spanish biotech company, has announced that PreveCol, its colorectal cancer screening blood test, has received Breakthrough Device Designation from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Following an inquiry into Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs), the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Diagnostics has published its first report, highlighting the clear benefits of the programme with each ICS having at least one CDC site, but also concerns over their placement, workforce and funding.

Genotyping technology is able to detect COVID-19 variants more quickly and cheaply than ever before – according to research from the University of East Anglia and the UK Health Security Agency.

Thousands of people with sickle cell disorder and thalassaemia in England will now have access to a world-first ‘blood matching’ genetic test on the NHS to better match their blood transfusions, reducing the risk of side effects and offering more personalised care.

The Association for Clinical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine has changed its name to the Association for Laboratory Medicine and unveiled its new logo and branding.

The Advancing Healthcare Awards recognise and celebrate the work of allied health professionals, healthcare scientists and those who work alongside them in support roles, with IBMS once again sponsoring the Award for Biomedical Scientist of the Year 2024.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has published its latest national influenza and COVID-19 surveillance report, which includes respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) data, showing that COVID-19 activity decreased across most indicators over the Christmas period.

The British Society For Microbial Technology (BSMT) has unveiled details of its annual conference. The 39th Annual Microbiology Conference will take place on Thursday 2 May at the RAF Museum, Hendon, with the title: ‘Rapid Diagnostics - warts and all.'

In the largest study of its kind, a newly published research paper reports how combining health data with whole genome sequence (WGS) data in patients with cancer can help doctors provide more tailored care for their patients.

Don Whitley Scientific (DWS) has launched a new gassing system for the rapid generation of multiple atmospheres (anaerobic, microaerobic and capnophilic) in gas jars.

OraSure Technologies a Pennsylvania, USA-based diagnostic firm and laboratory, has announced it is leading the Series B financing and has entered wide-ranging strategic distribution agreements with Sapphiros, a privately held consumer diagnostics portfolio company based in Boston, and certain of its related entities.

Epredia has launched US sales of SlideMate Laser, the newest addition to the company’s SlideMate portfolio of slide printers, used in pathology laboratories to identify and help track tissue samples.

In vitro diagnostics firm bioMérieux has announced the acquisition of LUMED, a software company that has developed a clinical decision support system to help hospitals optimise antimicrobial prescriptions and monitor healthcare-associated infections.