RECENT NEWS

The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) has endorsed the use of digital pathology as an alternative option to light microscopy for the review of cancer screening histopathology slides.

Record industrial action this week could see one of the most difficult starts to the year for health services across the country, the NHS has said.

Aiforia has entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with the Mayo Clinic in the United States to globally commercialise an AI model that improves prediction of colorectal cancer recurrence. The AI model - developed in collaboration with the Mayo Clinic - identifies important histological features of colorectal cancer and provides a recurrence prediction estimate useful for colorectal cancer treatment decisions.

Roche has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire select parts of the LumiraDx group, related to LumiraDx’s innovative point-of-care technology. Following closing of the transaction, which is expected by mid-2024, the acquired entities will be fully integrated into Roche Diagnostics.

More people than ever before are getting tested for cancer with almost three million checks over the last 12 months, new analysis shows.

Researchers have identified a previously unrecognised class of antibodies that appear capable of neutralising multiple forms of influenza virus. These findings, which could contribute to development of more broadly protective vaccines, were published 21 December by Holly Simmons of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, US, and colleagues in the open access journal PLOS Biology.

The International Academy of Cytology and the International Collaboration on Cancer Reporting have announced the publication of a new dataset to assist reporting of Tumours of the Lung - Small Diagnostic and Cytopathlogical Specimens.

Tens of thousands of patients at risk of kidney disease will be able to get tested from the comfort of their own homes as part of a £30 million tech and AI innovation fund this winter. The Healthy.io early detection device will initially be sent to 30,000 patients who are considered most at risk for kidney disease.

The Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP), the premier global molecular diagnostic professional society, has published a report that explores specific considerations for a slice testing strategy for diagnostics, including gene selection, analytic performance, coverage, quality, and interpretation.

Owkin, a French-American biotechnology company that applies artificial intelligence (AI) to drug discovery, development, and diagnostics, has entered into a collaboration agreement with MSD (the tradename of Merck & Co) to develop and commercialise AI-powered digital pathology diagnostics for the EU market.

Metrion Biosciences, the specialist ion channel CRO and drug discovery company, has announced that it has secured £3.5m in new equity financing. The new investment will be used to further expand Metrion’s laboratories in Cambridge, UK, invest in specialist equipment and enhance the company’s global marketing activities.

The NHS is expanding home testing for bowel cancer as it aims to detect the disease earlier. Hundreds of thousands more people will be sent a home-testing kit as the lifesaving screening programme is now being made available to individuals aged 54 in England.

CardioRenal and Grenoble Alpes University Hospital have unveiled a major innovation that allows chronically ill patients to measure their blood potassium levels autonomously and accurately. The TENOR device enables patients to measure their blood potassium levels at home, similar to how diabetic patients have conducted blood sugar self-tests for many years.

New links between human activity and its impact on the emergence of viruses within parasites in the rainforests of Peru and Bolivia have been discovered, according to a paper authored by researchers from the Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITM) in Antwerp and the Rega Institute for Medical Research (KU Leuven) who are investigating the spread of tropical diseases.

Two Health and Social Care Trusts in Northern Ireland have gone live with Clinisys WinPath, at the start of a series of deployments from the Core LIMS project. This project, which is being led by the Business Services Organisation (BSO), will see every pathology service in Northern Ireland adopt the laboratory information system to support the modernisation of services.

AstraZeneca has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Icosavax, a US-based clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing differentiated, high-potential vaccines. It will give AstraZenica rights to a vaccine candidate targeting both respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and human metapneumovirus (hMPV), which is currently on its way into Phase III testing.

Tried-and-tested ThinCert cell culture inserts from Greiner Bio-One are now available in a new 96-well HTS option, perfect for high-throughput applications. The new product joins the company’s popular 6-, 12- and 24-well options in the range, which is suitable for sophisticated cell and tissue culture applications.

The global vaccine networks will continue their vital work for a further two years with funding granted by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), from the International Science Partnerships Fund.

Thermo Fisher Scientific has launched its new KingFisher Apex Dx, an automated nucleic acid purification instrument, and Applied Biosystems MagMAX Dx Viral/Pathogen NA Isolation Kit for the isolation and purification of viral and bacterial pathogens from respiratory biological specimens. Together these products provide laboratories with an in vitro diagnostic (IVD) and in vitro diagnostic regulation (IVD-R) approved automated sample preparation solutions for increased confidence in downstream results.

PharmaKure, a clinical stage company developing precision medicine for Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases, has announced a research collaboration agreement with the Faculty of Pharmacy in Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), one of the largest comprehensive universities in Malaysia. The partnership is focused on advancing research initiatives on the use of machine learning tools to predict Alzheimer’s disease using blood via academic-industry partnerships.