FEATURE ARTICLES

Public Health England is to be replaced by the National Institute for Health Protection; this came as a shock to those working in public health, and to observers with long experience of the service. Valerie Bevan provides an individual assessment.

From the laboratory to the layperson, from pathologists to the public, the response to in vitro diagnostic testing has been engaging across all sectors of society during the current pandemic. Chris Hudson provides a view on the reaction from Roche.

Following series on measurement uncertainty and internal quality control, Stephen MacDonald now turns his attention to method comparison, and here provides an introduction to what will be covered in the series in subsequent issues of the magazine.

The Annual Scientific Conference of the BSMT, due to take place last May, was cancelled. In this article, written on behalf of the BSMT, Mark Wilks collaborates with Adela Medina to summarise the presentation she planned to give at the event.

While still over 12 months away, the Biomedical Science Congress is currently exercising the minds and the ingenuity of the organisers of this biennial event, as IBMS Deputy Chief Executive Sarah May explains.

An award-winning NHS partnership – South West London Pathology – recently installed DxH 900 haematology workcells from Beckman Coulter to enable its laboratories to provide a single, integrated pathology service to more than 3.5 million people.

A recent white paper published by Epredia examined the effective use of formalin fixation in the molecular study of tumour biomarkers, and included the results of a case study of three non-small-cell lung carcinomas of adenocarcinoma subtype.

The mortality rate for breast cancer has fallen dramatically. The latest research offers hope for further improvements, not least through the introduction of highly sensitive blood tests and the innovative use of new and existing treatments.

At Infection Prevention and Control 2020, held in February, NHS leaders warned that increased efforts are required to reduce healthcare-associated infections, if we are to conquer the threat posed by antimicrobial resistance. Louise Frampton reports.

Diverse use of next-generation sequencing in histopathology and microbiology feature in the current issue; however, this molecular methodology is becoming ubiquitous across a wide range of clinical and laboratory applications.

Mandy Campbell from HORIBA Medical provides an overview of COVID-19 screening, prognosis and severity assessment, with a particular focus on the role of biomarkers and the value of point-of-care testing in the initial triage of patients.

Safely easing restrictions will require the development of extensive diagnostic capabilities, including rapid tests for use at the point of care. Andy Lane explains the role that diagnostics play and the importance high-quality reagents.

The recent coronavirus pandemic has clearly demonstrated the importance of remote working. This is reflected in the value of Stago’s data-sharing and instrument monitoring systems, highlighted in positive results obtained from a customer survey.

Against the ever-changing landscape of SARS-CoV-2 testing and an emerging need for sample storage, Mark Reed and Charlotte Duncan from Pro-Lab discuss a solution currently being adopted across the UK.

As a result of current restrictions, this year’s UK NEQAS BC annual scientific and scheme participants’ meeting was cancelled. Here, Ian Jennings, Dianne Kitchen and Anna Lowe are able to use Pathology in Practice to report.

Recent press coverage of COVID-19 disease has highlighted a possible role for interleukin-7 in boosting T-cell numbers and aiding recovery. However, the current literature reports on a wide range of other benefits of this important cytokine.

With the NHS currently under huge strain, additional time-consuming and burdensome processes add to an already heavy workload. Gillian Ewers examines the advantages that radio frequency identification offers in tracking samples and consumables.

Response to the current coronavirus pandemic has seen many retired personnel return to the clinical laboratory bench to help facilitate realisation of testing targets. Such altruistic action does reintroduce the returnee to the reality of change.

Valerie Bevan looks at how microbiology testing networks have changed over the past 80 years, and how reflecting on this, and lessons from the current pandemic, might inform our response to future epidemics/pandemics.

One of the two recognised early pathology disciplines, histopathology now combines modern practical laboratory techniques with sophisticated molecular biology methods,both of which facilitate the application of personalised medicine.