RECENT NEWS

The February issue of Pathology in Practice will see publication of the ninth and final article in Dr Stephen MacDonald’s series on internal quality control (IQC). Here, he looks at the actions needed when processes deviate beyond expected variation, and the troubleshooting of IQC failure, which concludes the series on statistical quality control (SQC).

The NHS in England is providing a new form of DNA test capable of rapidly diagnosing rare diseases for critically ill babies and children, as part of its Long Term Plan to use world-leading technologies to improve care for the sickest infants.

The National Collection of Type Cultures (NCTC) is one of the longest established collections of microorganisms in the world; its cultures reflect the history of clinical bacterial infections from the end of the 19th century to the present day. Set up in 1920 to “provide a trustworthy source of authentic bacteria for use in scientific studies”, the remit for NCTC has remained essentially unchanged.

Health research faces a crisis that could impact on patient care, says a new report led by 10 prominent figures in the NHS and academia. The Academy of Medical Sciences’ report raises the alarm about the number of research-active NHS staff who are finding it increasingly difficult to find time for research. Support for research is not helped by the widening gap between universities and the NHS.

Lipoprotein(a) (Lp[a]) is a modified atherogenic low-density lipoprotein particle containing apolipoprotein(a) (apo[a]). Although Lp(a) is considered to be a causal risk factor and independent genetic marker of cardiovascular disease (CVD), there is little consensus between the different national guidelines on how to use the information provided to estimate this risk accurately.

MediSieve is the medical device company developing ‘magnetic blood filtration’. Its technology can potentially transform the treatment of bloodborne diseases including sepsis, leukaemia and malaria in a process that is similar to dialysis.  Dr George Frodsham, CEO and founder of MediSieve, has been selected as one of MIT Technology Review’s Innovators Under 35 Europe 2019.

Beckman Coulter has announced that South West London Pathology (SWLP) has implemented DxH 900 haematology analysers and the Early Sepsis Indicator across the SWLP network. SWLP is an award-winning NHS pathology partnership set up by St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Croydon Health Services NHS Trust and Kingston Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. The installation enables SWLP laboratories to provide a single, integrated pathology service to more than 3.5 million people across South West London via three hospitals, 200 GP practices and 30 community healthcare sites.

Syngene is now supplying the AirClean AC600 Series of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) workstations. Some of the workstations include high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtration and all use ultraviolet (UV) irradiation to minimise the risk of airborne DNA contamination, saving scientists time by producing consistent quality DNA from their PCR.

Oxford Gene Technology (OGT), a Sysmex Group company, has developed a breakthrough targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) panel for constitutional cytogenetics research. The new CytoSure NGS panel – to be launched early in 2020 – will combine the strengths of microarrays and NGS to deliver a comprehensive all-in-one assay.

Mast Group has announced the expansion of its molecular product portfolio with the launch of the new MAST ISOPLEX CRE-ART kit for the rapid molecular detection of carbapenemase-producing organisms (CPOs).

The Process Analytics unit of Hamilton Bonaduz has enjoyed a successful anniversary year. Not only did measurement experts participate in various events but also introduced three new products to the market. The long-awaited Incyte Arc sensor for measuring viable cell density was introduced at the ESACT conference in Copenhagen.

Cherwell Laboratories, a specialist in cleanroom microbiology solutions, has appointed Thomas Parkhill as Microbiology Sales Specialist. Thomas will work closely with new and existing customers across the UK to understand and help Cherwell satisfy its customers’ future environmental monitoring and process validation needs.

Pinpoint Scientific has secured investment to aid the development of its ImpactAir range of environmental monitoring solutions. Cherwell Laboratories and Development Bank of Wales (DBW) have both invested in Pinpoint and taken a minority share in the business. The investment not only secures jobs in South Wales, a key objective of DBW, but also allows the business to bring to the market some exciting new products within the ImpactAir range. Cherwell is an existing distributor of ImpactAir products in the UK, and, has also taken a seat on the Pinpoint board to help with business strategy and planning.

Beckman Coulter Life Sciences and IncellDx have announced a partnership which combines the latest in molecular testing with the precision of high-throughput flow cytometry. IncellDx has four new cancer detection reagents which were developed on Beckman Coulter’s instruments. The two companies will work in partnership to create awareness of the assays on the cytometry platform for customers in Europe.

Cirdan has been awarded a contract by Eurofins Pathology for a new-generation laboratory information system (LIS). Eurofins Pathology is part of the wider Eurofins Scientific Group, a global leader in life sciences testing, with a presence in 47 countries, providing a unique range of analytical testing services.

Now in its sixth year, the Practical and Clinical Microbiology of Anaerobes course will be held again in 2020 – on 18–19 June in Cardiff. It is a two-day residential course delivered by the UK Anaerobe Reference Unit, Public Health Wales. The course provides a refresher in culturing, isolating and identifying clinically important anaerobes, and a look at the latest technologies and techniques.

Until recently, visitors to the Science Museum in London’s South Kensington would have struggled to find very much about the science of medicine. This all changed on 16 November 2019 when Medicine: The Wellcome Galleries opened to the public. The culmination of eight years of planning and development, they are the world’s largest medicine galleries, occupying 3000 square metres, an area large enough to take 1500 hospital beds.

The latest edition of The Biomedical Science Industry Handbook is now available, both in print and digital format (see link at the end of this feature), providing concise yet comprehensive information on the full range of products and services across the in vitro diagnostics (IVD) industry spectrum, from point -of-care testing (POCT) to the very latest advances in molecular biology.

Mobidiag, a molecular diagnostics company with complementary platforms that address antimicrobial resistance and other areas of unmet diagnostic need, has announced exclusive agreements with international partners for the distribution of its Amplidiag and Novodiag products in Europe and the Middle East.

Nonacus, a UK-based precision medicine company and manufacturer of ultra-sensitive next-generation sequencing (NGS) products, has announced the launch of ExomeCG, a new product to simplify the generation and interpretation of molecular and cytogenomic data.