RECENT NEWS

Potassium is critical to circadian rhythms in human red blood cells

An innovative study from the University of Surrey and the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge has uncovered the secrets of the circadian rhythms in red blood cells and identified potassium as the key to unravelling the mystery.

News

/ Dec 14, 2017

First steps in cutting child deaths from treatable infections

The UK has more childhood deaths from treatable infections than comparable European countries, and new research will investigate why fatal delays in hospitalisation occurs. Sweden and Italy both have better survival rates from conditions such as pneumonia and sepsis, and the hope is that this project will identify ways to speed up admissions, and ultimately save lives.

News

/ Dec 14, 2017

New therapeutic options for inflammatory bowel conditions

A single protein from a worm parasite may one day offer new therapeutic options for treating inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis (pictured), which avoid the potentially serious side effects of current immunosuppressant medications. The study, published recently in Nature Communications (A structurally distinct TGF-β mimic from an intestinal helminth parasite potently induces regulatory T cells), demonstrates the discovery of a distinct new worm protein that mimics the human cytokine transforming growth factor- β (TGF-β).

News

/ Nov 23, 2017

Shaping the future of medical technology in Leeds

Leeds Beckett University and global research and development company Axxonet Global have announced an official partnership which will see the organisations collaborate on cutting-edge medical diagnostics and technology, forensic science and digital security projects.

News

/ Nov 23, 2017

Determining measurement uncertainty using IQC

In the fourth in the series of Pathology in Practice articles on aspects of determining measurement uncertainty (see page 19 of the November issue), Stephen MacDonald considers internal quality control (IQC), the most commonly used method to determine MU, and focuses on imprecision.

News

/ Nov 23, 2017

Harvey’s Gang: out of the mouths of babes

Harvey’s Gang invites youngsters with cancer and other serious illnesses to become trainee biomedical scientists for a day, and tour pathology laboratories with their families. Now taking place in a number of NHS hospitals around the country, Harvey’s Gang laboratory tours were launched at Worthing Hospital when leukaemia sufferer Harvey Baldwin asked what happened to his blood samples.

News

/ Nov 04, 2017

Personalised cellular immunotherapies using regulatory T cells

TxCell recently announced new preclinical data in a presentation at the 18th Congress of the European Society for Organ Transplantation (ESOT), held in Barcelona last September. An oral presentation on alloantigen-specific regulatory T-cells (Treg) generated with a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) reported on development of a CAR-Treg-based cellular immunotherapy for the prevention of graft rejection in the context of solid organ transplantation.

News

/ Nov 04, 2017

Ratio test and risk assessment of pre-eclampsia

A recently completed randomised controlled trial evaluated the real life performance and clinical utility of the Roche Elecsys sFlt-1/PlGF ratio test in the guidance of admission of patients with suspicion of pre-eclampsia (PE), a life-threatening condition in pregnant women.

News

/ Nov 04, 2017

Programming cells to fight disease

New research has shown that ribonucleic acid (RNA) can be genetically engineered to allow scientists to programme the actions of a cell. As well as fighting disease and injury in humans, this technique could also be used to control plant cells and reverse environmental and agricultural issues, making plants more resilient to disease and pests. In this research, undertaken at the University of Warwick, Professor Alfonso Jaramillo and his team have shown that these molecules can be produced and organised into tailor-made sequences of commands, similar to codes for computer software.

News

/ Nov 04, 2017

High standards of practice recognised in Sheffield

A biomedical scientist based at the Northern General Hospital has won a prestigious award from the Science Council for continuing to meet high professional standards in her practice. Daisy Shale, who has a background in clinical chemistry, received the award in recognition of the exemplary standards she has set as a senior medical examiner’s officer.

News

/ Nov 04, 2017

Coagulation services supplied to largest pathology group in the NHS

As part of an overall managed service contract to support the largest pathology group in the UK, North West London Pathology (NWLP), announced recently by Abbott, Stago UK is to be the third-party supplier providing haemostasis solutions.

News

/ Oct 25, 2017

Autoclave manufacturer wins prestigious US contract

The largest and most recent export contract won by Priorclave is for shipment to the USA of nine research-grade autoclaves destined for the campus of California State University, Fullerton, and will be used by the faculty and students in the Department of Biological Science and Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.

News

/ Oct 25, 2017

Multiplex test for chickenpox, herpes and syphilis receives recognition

SpeeDx has received the CE-IVD mark for its PlexPCR VHS multiplex quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) test. The test offers a single-well solution to cover the detection and differentiation of the main causes of genital and oral lesions: herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2 (HSV-1, HSV-2), Treponema pallidum (syphilis) and varicella zoster virus (VZV).

News

/ Oct 25, 2017

Limiting the use of antibiotics: the Public Health England campaign

Public Health England has launched a new campaign designed to rein in inappropriate use of antibiotics, as estimates show that around 5000 people in England alone die every year because of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

News

/ Oct 25, 2017

Determining measurement uncertainty by Internal Quality Control

In the November issue of Pathology in Practice, the next in Stephen MacDonald’s series of articles on measurement uncertainty (MU) will approach the most commonly used method to determine MU in pathology laboratories, focusing on imprecision as the determinant of MU. So far in this series the measurand has been defined, the assay modelled, assay variance, as captured by IQC, shown to be the most significant contributor to what was being quantified, and the only contributor required to be considered.

News

/ Oct 05, 2017

Harvey’s Gang: an update

News

/ Oct 05, 2017

Flow cytometry educational programme

Beckman Coulter will give a keynote industry presentation on the diagnosis of haematolymphoid malignancies at this year’s European Society for Clinical Cell Analysis (ESCCA) meeting, which takes place in the Porto Palace Conference Centre & Hotel, Thessaloniki, Greece, on 24– 27 September 2017. The role of flow cytometry in 24/7 immune monitoring of trauma patients, analysis of rare abnormal leucocytes and assessment of immune deficiencies will be demonstrated and discussed in a range of educational programmes organised by the company.

News

/ Sep 21, 2017

New genetic test for cancer recurrence

Researchers have discovered a new genetic test which could help predict cancer recurrence, paving the way for more precise, personalised treatments. Mitochondrial genes can be checked routinely in biopsies of patients diagnosed with various tumour types, including breast, lung, ovarian or gastric cancers. And they prove more accurate than current methods of predicting a patient’s response to treatment.

News

/ Sep 21, 2017

Kidney research using a single-cell RNA-Seq system

Scientists at the Epigenetics in Human Health and Disease Laboratory, Monash University, Australia, have adopted Dolomite Bio’s Single Cell RNA-Seq system to further their research into animal models of diabetic nephropathy (pictured). Mark Ziemann, research fellow and next-generation sequencing specialist, explained: “Previously, we’ve run bulk RNA sequencing on these animal models, and discovered a lot of variability coming from different cell types in the kidney. Single cell RNA-Seq will help us disentangle the major cell types involved in the disease from those which are not, and determine which cells interact with the immune system.

News

/ Sep 21, 2017

Pathology on display and in practice

In just a few days (24–27 September) the biennial Biomedical Science Congress event will return to the International Convention Centre in Birmingham. A superb, diverse scientific programme will be supported by perhaps one of the largest gatherings of diagnostics, technological and support companies and organisations in pathology and laboratory medicine. Among this eclectic mix of commercial interest and expertise will be found members of the team responsible for Pathology in Practice (Stand F19). They will be keen to hear your views on the magazine’s current content. If you are not already a registered reader, they will also provide encouragement for you to sign up to receive this free quarterly publication, which reflects advances to be found across the full spectrum of biomedical science disciplines, from both a commercial and scientific perspective. Registration is quick and straightforward, and can be effected online at www.pathologyinpractice.com/register

News

/ Sep 21, 2017

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Early disease detection: a collaborative approach

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