RECENT NEWS

The NHS will focus on delivering faster treatment for hundreds of thousands of patients – including for planned surgeries and emergency care – as the number of national targets is almost halved under new guidance to reform services.

A major new study aimed at identifying blood tests that could help diagnose dementia more accurately and quickly than current methods has begun recruiting patients from January 2025.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has published an updated antimicrobial stewardship tool to support healthcare professionals across the UK prescribe the most appropriate antibiotics for patients, while protecting against antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has launched a world-first metagenomics initiative to aid in the rapid detection of infectious diseases that could threaten the UK.

The next POCT Innovators event, ‘Clinical Innovations EXPO – Breaking Through the Adoption Barriers’ will take place Thursday 15 May in Nottingham.

A new genomic test can identify which people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have the highest risk of bowel cancer, according to a new study by Cancer Research UK scientists working at the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) in London.

Innovate UK, in partnership with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), Office for Life Sciences and the Medical Research Council (MRC), has announced seven new Centres of Excellence for Regulatory Science and Innovation (CERSIs) to help drive advancements in healthcare.

Beckman Coulter Diagnostics has announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Breakthrough Device Designation to Beckman Coulter's Access p‑Tau217/β-Amyloid 1-42 plasma ratio. This blood test is designed to aid healthcare providers identify patients with amyloid pathology associated with Alzheimer's disease.

Diasorin is pleased to welcome Tom Attride as the new Area Sales Manager for the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

The Royal College of Pathologists (RCPath) has launched its first dedicated Workforce Strategy that advocates for pathology services that are fit for the future.

Hundreds of potential kidney donors of Black African and Black Caribbean heritage can now get a simple blood test through the NHS to help reduce the risk of kidney failure.

Dame Jenny Harries has announced she will step down as UK Health Security Agency’s Chief Executive in early summer.

Leica Biosystems and Molecular Instruments (MI), the inventor of the HCR imaging technology, have announced a partnership to enable fully integrated RNA-ISH using the BOND RX and BOND RXm research staining systems.

Glox Therapeutics, a company pioneering the development of precision antibiotic therapies based on naturally occurring bacteriocins, has announced it has been awarded a share of the £3 million Collaborative Discovery Programme (CDP) launched by the Cystic Fibrosis Antimicrobial Resistance (CF AMR) Syndicate with funding from the medical research charity, LifeArc.

Beckman Coulter Life Sciences and the Indiana University School of Medicine have been awarded a prestigious grant from the National Cancer Institute totalling $2.5 million over a five-year period to increase critical leukaemia and lymphoma testing access in Western Kenya.

The government has confirmed funding and a realistic timetable to put the New Hospital Programme on track to deliver all of its hospital projects. The new timeline for delivery will ensure that staff and patients have access to the facilities they desperately need around the country as soon as possible.

​Arab Health, the Middle East’s largest and most important healthcare event and congress, will return to the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) from 27-30 January 2025. The show will attract an international audience under the theme of ‘Where the world of healthcare meets.'

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) has awarded £49.2 million to Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to continue hosting the NIHR BioResource for four years from 1 April 2025.

The UK government has announced £5.5 million for research into transmission, new vaccines and treatments to tackle the mpox outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighbouring countries.

The Microbiology Society has announced that the ‘Hot Topic’ presentation at its Annual Conference 2025 will be ‘Soil Microbiomes and One Health’, given by Professor Marcel van der Heijden.