RECENT NEWS

The Healthcare Employment Consortium (HEC) has been appointed master vendor for the provision of temporary allied health professionals (AHPs) and healthcare science services (HSS) staff to the East of England NHS Collaborative Procurement Hub, which covers NHS trusts in Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk. Implementation has already begun and managers have been asked to make all placements in these staff categories through HEC.

Abbott Diagnostics has announced the appointment of Trevor Nichols (pictured) as UK general manager. Trevor has been with the company since 1990, having previously held the post of UK commercial director. Prior to joining Abbott, Trevor worked as a microbiologist in the National Health Service.

GE Healthcare has announced completion of the contract to supply Centricity Ultra Laboratory to NHS Highland’s pathology department at Raigmore Hospital, Inverness.

Randox Laboratories was awarded the prestigious title of International Company of the Year 2007 at the Growing Business Awards last November. Hosted by Real Business magazine and the Confederation of British Industry, the Growing Business Awards recognise entrepreneurial achievement in the UK.

Delta Consultants, a specialist in scientific and medical devices recruitment, has been providing recruitment to ensure the perfect job match between client and candidate since 1988. The company, which is an IBMS Company Member and regular supporter of the Biomedical Science Congress, attributes its success and longevity to listening to the needs of its candidates and clients, and keeping close to the industry.

Applied Biosystems and scientific IT specialist Integromics SL have launched a solution for analysing real-time PCR data, which integrates advanced bioinformatics software with highthroughput real-time PCR instrument systems. The solution incorporates IntegromicsÆ Real- Time StatMiner software with any of Applied BiosystemsÆ line of real-time PCR systems.

Microbiology culture media specialist Lab M has appointed Colin LeGood (pictured) to the role of export sales manager, as the company continues the development of its worldwide business.

Soon after installation of new Horiba ABX Pentra DX 120 and DF 120 haematology analysers at Bronglais District General Hospital in Aberystwyth, the reliability of these highthroughput analysers was highlighted. Following heavy snow in the largely rural catchment area supported by the hospital, many blood samples taken at remote surgeries took up to five days to reach the laboratory. However, despite these extended storage periods, automatic differentials were obtained on the new analysers.

Beckman Coulter and Dako Denmark have announced that Beckman Coulter will acquire DakoÆs research flow cytometry instrumentation business, which is based in Fort Collins, Colorado.

A new blood sciences laboratory has opened at Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. Bringing together clinical chemistry, haematology, immunoassay and serology, the laboratoryÆs total automated solution from Siemens Medical Solutions Diagnostics has streamlined and improved the service provided.

Poole Hospital NHS Trust has introduced a new cervical screening system from Cytyc. The NHS South West Strategic Health Authority oversees the largest region in England, covering a geographical area stretching west from Cheltenham, Swindon and Bournemouth to the Isles of Scilly, and serves 1.3 million women in the screening age range.

Installation of QSIÆs WinLIMS has brought major efficiency improvements to a contract laboratory. MicroCheck Technical Services has laboratories in Trowbridge and Coventry and offers testing and consultancy services to the food and beverage, pharmaceutical and allied industries.

The QIAGEN Product Guide 2008 is now available, providing access to the most advanced sample and assay technologies. From convenient sample preparation to accurate and reliable assays, QIAGENÆs wide range of high-quality products is used in more than 40,000 laboratories around the world.

Aperio Technologies has received clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market the HER2 image analysis application available through its patented ScanScope slide scanning system. The FDA-cleared immunohistochemistry (IHC) image analysis application is intended for use as an aid in detecting and quantifying HER2 protein expression from digital slide images created by AperioÆs slide scanning systems.

Tecan has announced that it will collaborate with GE Healthcare in the area of protein handling and screening. With recognised expertise in their respective fields of laboratory automation and protein detection, analysis and purification, the two companies will work together to optimise the combination of TecanÆs automated instrumentation with GE HealthcareÆs prepacked chromatography media, specifically in the area of high-throughput protein applications.

Software designed to speed up tumour, AIDS and vaccine research is being released by Carl Zeiss. The new KS ELISpot application combines with Zeiss microscope systems to make ELISpot (enzyme-linked immunosorbent spot) reading faster, more sensitive and more convenient, and also enables fluorescence ELISpot evaluation.

As the incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) rises, it is becoming more important to assess risk factors for CVD, to reduce the incidence and mortality of the disease. Apolipoproteins are the main structural components of lipoproteins and have been linked to CVD risk. Randox can offer a full lipoprotein profile û including HDL, LDL, small dense LDL and apolipoproteins û for CVD risk assessment.

Scientists at the Universitat Aut≥noma de Barcelona, Spain, have developed and validated an identity test that can be used to confirm the breed and origin of meat from farm animals. The test was developed in collaboration with Applied Biosystems and used several specific genetic markers to identify individual animals. The findings were published in December in the scientific journal Animal Genetics (2007; 6 [38]).

Oxoid has acknowledged the excellent work of a young microbiologist at the University of Brighton. The inaugural Oxoid Prize for the best project in microbiology at the University of Brighton School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences was awarded to Sandra Clark for her work on the survival of hospital-acquired pathogens in a desiccated state.

Beckman Coulter has introduced the next analyser in its series of in vitro diagnostic offerings, the UniCel DxI 600 Access immunoassay system, designed for mid-volume laboratories.