News • Finding solutions
$ 1.8 million to stop AMR
Experts predict that without intervention, the problem of multidrug-resistant bacterial infections could be catastrophic by 2050, killing nearly 10 million people each year.
News • Lesions
'Virtual histology' may reduce need for skin biopsies
A 'new technology shows promise by analyzing images of suspicious-looking lesions and quickly producing a detailed, microscopic image of the skin, bypassing several standard steps typically used for diagnosis - including skin biopsy, tissue fixation, processing, sectioning and histochemical staining.
Article • Cancer research
Prostate cancer: Blood tests predict chemotherapy resistance
Researchers have found that regular blood tests can help detect whether prostate cancer patients have resistance to drugs treating the condition. The findings were presented at the National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) virtual Festival.
Article • Laboratory productivity
Outlook: Lab automation in 2021
Innovations in technology continue to improve clinical laboratory productivity. Total lab automation systems are responding to dramatic growth in internet-driven streamlined processes.
Sponsored • Coronavirus antigen detection
An innovative test for the early diagnosis of Covid-19
Compared to previous SARS and MERS, SARS-CoV-2 became a pandemic due to the high infectivity and different mode of contagion. SARS-CoV-2 spreads more because it is contagious also before symptoms, during incubation phase. No tests to date have been able to find the virus during the pre-symptomatic stage. Stark has developed a new, rapid, non-invasive method "Stark Portable Covid-19 Antigen…
Article • An estimated 800,000 deaths in 2030
Warning of looming global liver disease pandemic
Professor Dina Tiniakos, from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, predicts that NASH (Non-alcohol related steatohepatitis) cases will soar worldwide by 2030, with 800,000 liver deaths, costing health economies billions of dollars.
Article • WSI, AI and more
New digital frontiers for nephrology
Digital technology solutions create new opportunities in diagnosis and assessment of renal conditions. With whole slide imaging (WSI), improved workflow and better visualization, such technology already yields a ROI for hospitals and laboratories.
Article • Over-detection and biopsies
New procedures for prostate cancer screening
Organised screening enabling early detection and treatment of prostate cancer can reduce death by an impressive 20%, based on 16 years of findings of over 160,000 men participating in the landmark European Randomised Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer (ERSPC).
Article • NGS solution
Using liquid biopsy to detect recurrent breast cancer earlier
An innovative collaboration has been formed in the UK between academic researchers and industry to develop a rapid integrated liquid biopsy platform for early detection of recurrent breast cancer. Breast cancer specialists Professor Charles Coombes, who is Professor of Medical Oncology at Imperial College London (ICL), and Professor Jacqui Shaw, Head of the Department of Genetics and Genome…
Article • Medicine technology
Medite – Lab equipment
Distributor wanted for Anatomic Pathology Laboratory Devices – Made in Germany! Become Part of the successful international network of Medite Medical GmbH, www.medite.de, info@medite.de, or meet us at booth No. 3H33 in Hall 3!
Article • Accelerating the pace of development
Fighting the pandemic with microfluidic
The Corona pandemic has a major impact on all areas of life. Nearly everyone is affected in some way – in their health, in their jobs, in their entire lives. But there are also notable bright spots. Chief among these effects is the rapid development of vaccines, test kits and, in the future, medicines that are making a significant contribution to overcoming the crisis. Microfluidic components…
Article • Point-of-care testing
Emerging technologies in POCT
Considerable advances in point-of-care testing (POCT) devices are emerging from lab-on-a-chip platforms, innovations in smartphone-based technology and wearable technology. Cloud-based deep learning systems herald a future revolution.
Article • New EU regulation
Lab tests: Watch out! Conflict ahead
In May 2022 a shortage of several lab tests may come as many manufacturers struggle to comply with EU regulation requirements covering in vitro diagnostic medical devices (IVDR, Regulation (EU) 2017/746). Even modified tests and laboratory-developed tests will present a problem for hospitals and labs as explained by Dr Thomas Streichert.
Sponsored • Lab equipment / grossing table
Kugel Medical – UCS-2000-D-E
Digitisation offers great opportunities in pathology to work more efficiently and faster. Used correctly, it reduces the workload for both pathologists and laboratory staff.
News • Whole genome sequencing
Rare disease diagnosis: the huge impact of WGS
Whole genome sequencing (WGS) from a single blood test picks up 31% more cases of rare genetic disorders than standard tests, shortening the ‘diagnostic odyssey’ that affected families experience, and providing huge opportunities for future research.
News • The 'PodoSighter'
AI identifies key indicator of early kidney disease
Researchers have leveraged the power of digital pathology and computational modeling to detect and quantify podocytes, a specialized type of cell in the kidney that undergoes damaging changes during early-stage kidney disease.
News • NGS-based diagnostics
Collaboration on early detection of recurrent breast cancer
Together with Imperial College London (‘Imperial’), molecular diagnostics company DNAe has been awarded a UK Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) by Innovate UK to support development of its next generation sequencing (NGS)-based diagnostic platform for use in cancer monitoring. The KTP program connects innovative businesses with academic experts who can help them deliver their ideas. This…
News • AI-powered solutions
Digital Pathology: Roche and PathAI team up
Roche announced that it has entered an agreement with PathAI, a global leader in artificial intelligence (AI)-powered technology for pathology. Under the development and distribution agreement, the companies will jointly develop an embedded image analysis workflow for pathologists. This workflow will allow PathAI image analysis algorithms to be accessed within Navify Digital Pathology, the cloud…
News • Rapid detection
Molecular diagnostic test for Covid-19, Flu, RSV receives CE mark
A new rapid molecular diagnostic test from Cepheid has received the CE mark for distribution in the European market. The test, called Xpert Xpress CoV-2/Flu/RSV plus, is designed for qualitative detection of the viruses causing Covid-19, Flu A, Flu B, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections from a single patient sample. The new plus version of the test provides a third gene target for…
News • Rare liver disease
New test improves diagnosis of autoimmune hepatitis
Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is a chronic liver inflammation that is triggered by an immunological malfunction. In this case, the immune system falsely recognises the patient's own liver cells as "foreign to the body". The symptoms of this rare liver disease are unspecific, and the exact cause is not yet known. If left untreated, AIH can lead to abnormal scarring (fibrosis) of the liver,…
News • microRNAs hint at cognitive decline
Researchers find warning signs for dementia in the blood
Researchers at the DZNE and the University Medical Center Göttingen (UMG) have identified molecules in the blood that can indicate impending dementia. Their findings, which are presented in the scientific journal “EMBO Molecular Medicine”, are based on human studies and laboratory experiments. Various university hospitals across Germany were also involved in the investigations.
Article • Mass spectrometry goes handheld
A pen to pin down the fringes of cancer
Mass spectrometry – a powerful tool for analysing the molecular composition of a tissue sample – is invaluable during cancer surgery. However, mass spectrometers are complex and unwieldy, and certainly a poor fit for an operating room (OR). To create a bridge between the lab and OR, Professor Livia S Eberlin, from Baylor College of Medicine, has developed a very special ‘pen’.
Article • Covid-19 and pathology
Lung cancer care across Europe affected by coronavirus pandemic
The impact of the coronavirus pandemic on lung cancer patient care across Europe, and the contribution lung pathologists, have led to a better understanding of Covid-19, as outlined during the 33rd European Congress of Pathology, Within ‘The lung pathologist in the Covid-19 pandemic’ session, speakers detailed how the pandemic has affected patients, diagnosis and clinical trials, yet also…
Sponsored • Customer reference
Benefits of Digital Pathology and the importance of slide preparation
In recent years, digital pathology has become increasingly recognised as a clinical diagnostic tool and has taken a crucial role in pathology laboratories. One of the early adopters of digital pathology is the Department of Clinical Genetics and Pathology, Office for Medical Services, Region Skåne, a multisite Swedish laboratory which produces over 800,000 histopathology slides per year. The…
News • Colorectal cancer study
Covid-19 pandemic slashes CRC diagnoses by over 40%
The number of colorectal cancer (CRC) cases diagnosed fell dramatically by 40% in a year during the Covid-19 pandemic, new research presented at United European Gastroenterology (UEG) Week Virtual 2021 has shown. The research, which was conducted across multiple hospitals in Spain, compared data from the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic with data from the previous year. Of 1,385 cases of CRC…
