Diagnostics

News • Coronavirus assay receives CE Mark

Quantitative Covid-19 test to measure neutralizing antibodies

Siemens Healthineers announced its SARS-CoV-2 IgG Antibody Test (sCOVG) has proven to measure neutralizing antibodies and has achieved CE Mark. The test is an enhanced version of the assay which became available globally this summer. It demonstrates the ability to detect neutralizing antibodies and reports quantitative results measuring the amount of neutralizing antibodies present in a patient's…

Article • MEDICA session

PCR tests excel during Covid-19 pandemic

In early 1990, at Analytica, in Munich, a young US-American researcher Kary B Mullis received the award for biochemical analytics for his 1983 invention: the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) – a success topped in 1993 by the Nobel Prize for chemistry. Mullis’ work revolutionised DNA copying, a process which, before PCR, had taken weeks. Whilst initially PCR was used to create digital…

News • Cancer diagnostics

A glimpse into the tumor in 3D

In order to analyze tumors, they have to be cut into thin slices. Now, a new technology has been developed that makes pieces of the tumor visible in 3D without cutting them.

News • Collaboration with Mammoth Biosciences

Merck to scale up new SARS-CoV-2 Test

Merck announced a collaboration with Mammoth Biosciences Inc. for the development, scale-up and commercial production of Mammoth’s CRISPR-based SARS CoV-2 diagnostic test.

News • Technologies combined

New fluoroscopy system combines fluoroscopy and radiography

Siemens Healthineers is debuting its new fluoroscopy system, the Luminos Lotus Max, at the annual French JFR 2020 (Journées Francophones de Radiologie Diagnostique & Interventionnelle). The system offers industry-leading technology in radiography and fluoroscopy. “Combining these state-of-the-art technologies poses one major challenge: ensuring efficient workflows and high system…

Article • Video consultation on the rise

“A patient’s home has to become a mobile diagnostic centre”

There are many reasons why for some patients a visit to the doctor’s office is difficult or well-nigh impossible – limited mobility after surgery, old age, or a handicap. For others, particularly in rural areas, the doctor is often far away and/or difficult to reach due to poor public transport. In times of corona, another important issue emerged: infection protection.

Article • Modality comparison

COVID-19 imaging: lung ultrasound vs chest CT

A recent preprint study in France underpins the debate on whether lung ultrasound (LUS) should be used to triage COVID-19 patients better at the hospital as well as in primary care. The eChoVid study, published as a preliminary report of work on medTrix, shows that LUS enables identification of lung lesions as well as chest CT in COVID-19 patients. A team of French researchers compared routinely…

Article • Tissue analysis

Infrared spectroscopy as a diagnostic tool

New techniques of infrared-based technology are showing strong potential for cost-effective tissue analysis. Peter Gardner, Professor of Analytical and Biomedical Spectroscopy at the University of Manchester, outlined how hyperspectral imaging coupled with sophisticated computer algorithms can identify and grade cancerous tissue, as well as offer an indication of prognosis. The technique, he…

News • Sponsor of Global Sepsis Alliance

Radiometer helps increase sepsis awareness

Radiometer renews its commitment to the fight against sepsis—one of the world’s deadliest diseases—and is proud to continue as sponsor of Global Sepsis Alliance.

News • Facial photo analysis

AI uses ‘selfies’ to detect heart disease

Sending a “selfie” to the doctor could be a cheap and simple way of detecting heart disease, according to the authors of a new study. The study is the first to show that it’s possible to use a deep learning computer algorithm to detect coronary artery disease (CAD) by analysing four photographs of a person’s face. Although the algorithm needs to be developed further and tested in larger…

Article • Rapidly meeting a surging demand

The science behind 3-D printed nasal swabs

Medical device approved 3-D printers are producing clinically safe and effective nasopharyngeal swabs for COVID-19 testing. A nasal swab may seem rudimentary, but is essential for testing COVID-19. Diagnostic test kits and components – nasal swabs, collection vials, and chemical reagents – have been in short supply worldwide, especially in March. Ironically, nasopharyngeal swabs are…

News • Cardiology research

Predicting longevity in heart failure patients - by looking at their eyes

Pupil size predicts death and hospital readmission in patients with heart failure, according to new research. “Our results suggest that pupil area is a novel way to identify heart patients at elevated risk of death or hospital readmission,” said study author Dr. Kohei Nozaki of Kitasato University Hospital, Kanagawa, Japan. “This provides an opportunity to intervene and improve outlook.”

News • Cytosponge research

‘Pill on a string’ test could transform oesophageal cancer diagnosis

A ‘pill on a string’ test can identify ten times more people with Barrett’s oesophagus than the usual GP route, a new study shows. The test, which can be carried out by a nurse in a GP surgery, is also better at picking up abnormal cells and potentially early-stage cancer. Barrett’s oesophagus is a condition that can lead to oesophageal cancer in a small number of people. It’s usually…

Article • Coronavirus in radiology

Why we need a global view of COVID-19

There are major complications from COVID-19 – ARDS, pulmonary embolism and neurological – that imaging can help detect, manage and/or follow up in the long term, radiologists from France and the UK explained during a recent ESR Connect session. ARDS is the most dreaded complication and the number one morbidity in COVID-19 patients. The incidence was up to 30% of patients in initial reports.…

Article • From the MS Experts Summit

An update on MR imaging in Multiple Sclerosis

This year’s ”MS Experts Summit” sees 18 clinicians and researchers convene online for seven sessions during this summer. Under the motto “People with MS: 360º evidence-based daily management” international speakers with expertise in various domains of multiple sclerosis (MS) exchange their latest advances in managing patients suffering from this disease. In his talk “MRI imaging in…

News • COVID-19

Novel viral transport media for testing of multiple infectious diseases

EKF Diagnostics, the global in vitro diagnostics company, announces that it has added a novel viral transport media for the safe sample handling and testing of multiple infectious diseases from a single swab to its product range.

Article • Blood testing for astronauts

Health in space: a mini-lab for zero gravity

Nanoelectronics and digital technologies R&D and innovation hub Imec recently received NASA funding to test a new technology in a gravity-free environment. Eventually, this will enable astronauts to perform blood tests to monitor their health. We discussed the project and technology with Nicolas Vergauwe, CEO of miDiagnostics, the Leuven firm that developed the diagnostic device, and Susana B…

News • Oncology

How cancer spreads in blood

A new study sheds light on proteins in particles called extracellular vesicles, which are released by tumor cells into the bloodstream and promote the spread of cancer. The findings suggest how a blood test involving these vesicles might be used to diagnose cancer in the future, avoiding the need for invasive surgical biopsies.

News • Pathology informatics event

Panel Discussion on the use of digital pathology for remote diagnosis

Hamamatsu Photonics invites you to join us for a panel discussion with pathologist Matthew Hanna, MD and IT Manager Nikolas Stathonikos on Thursday, 9 July at 17:00 CET. In this rapidly evolving healthcare landscape triggered by COVID-19, pathology, and remote diagnosis have been elevated to critical topics. These two experts, representing both the clinical and information technology areas, will…

News • COVID-19 diagnostics

SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody test receives FDA Emergency Use Authorization

Beckman Coulter announced that its Access SARS-CoV-2 IgG assay has received Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA). Beckman Coulter has already shipped tests to more than 400 hospitals, clinics and diagnostics laboratories in the U.S., and has begun distribution of the new antibody test globally to countries that accept the FDA EUA and CE Mark. The…

News • Infrared imaging

New imaging method to detect and monitor liver disease

It’s currently difficult to screen for certain liver diseases and to monitor these conditions once they’re discovered. A team led by investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) recently developed a non-invasive imaging method that has promising clinical potential to accomplish both goals. The technique is described in a study…

Article • Catching up with SARS-CoV-2

COVID-19 rapid response test kits – the race is fierce

To develop and manufacture COVID-19 test kits in massive quantities was not part of their 2020 business plans. Yet, as the epidemic evolved into a global pandemic, the urgent need for diagnostic and antibody SARS-CoV-2 test kits triggered an unprecedented scramble among medical manufacturers.

News • Rapid diagnostics

A test diagnoses COVID-19 virus in 30 minutes

A new diagnostic test can detect the RNA of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in urine, blood, saliva or mouth swab samples in just 30 to 45 minutes, according to a new study in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Laura Lamb of the Beaumont Health System, Michigan, USA, and colleagues.

News • Glioma grading

AI enhances brain tumour diagnosis

A new machine learning approach classifies a common type of brain tumour into low or high grades with almost 98% accuracy, researchers report in the journal IEEE Access. Scientists in India and Japan, including from Kyoto University’s Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS), developed the method to help clinicians choose the most effective treatment strategy for individual…

News • Identification of skin cancer

Machine learning challenge on melanoma classification

The Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine (SIIM) and the International Skin Imaging Collaboration (ISIC) are working together to host a machine learning challenge on melanoma classification, using the ISIC archive which contains the largest publicly available collection of quality controlled dermoscopic images of skin lesions. Image contributors include: Hospital Clínic de Barcelona,…

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