First prostate cancer biomarker identified in urine
A potential biomarker for cancer has been identified in urine.
Laboratory
Prostate Cancer Screening
To date, there is insufficient knowledge as to the cause of this disease, or how to prevent it. We asked some of our EH correspondents to report on measures taken in their countries to ensure that men are made more aware of this disease and whether screening services are provided for early prostate cancer detection.
Beckman Coulter to aquire lab-based Diagnostics business from Olympus Corporation
Beckman Coulter, Inc., a leading developer, manufacturer, and marketer of products that simplify, automate, and innovate complex biomedical tests, and Olympus Corporation, a Tokyo-headquartered precision technology leader, creating innovative opto-digital solutions in healthcare, life science and consumer electronics products, announced today that they have entered into a definitive agreement…
New assay to identify acute HIV infections
A new HIV antigen-antibody combination assay, currently available in Europe, can be useful for high-volume screening to identify individuals with acute HIV infection, who would be missed by traditional HIV antibody tests, according to research presented by Johns Hopkins University, Abbott and others at the 16th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI).
Siemens Novius Lab receives award
Renowned research firm KLAS has named Siemens Healthcare's (NOVIUS Lab as the recipient of its 2008 Best in KLAS award for laboratory information systems (LIS) for large hospitals with more than 200 beds. The prestigious annual award is given to a vendor or product that scores the highest in its industry segment and meets all other Best in KLAS requirements.
Genome Structural Variation Consortium used Roche technology
Roches NimbleGen´s CGH microarray platform was used to generate the highest-resolution map of human genome copy number variation. Recent advances in microarray technology have led to the discovery of extensive copy number variation in the human genome, including DNA copy number gains (duplications), losses (deletions), and multiallelic or complex rearrangements.
Changing the way we live
Marcel van Kasteel MBA, is VP of Philips and CEO of Handheld Immunoassays, a Philips Incubator venture in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, which recently announced that, by the end of this year, the first device to test for drug abuse will be marketed that will make on the spot testing simple and quick for use by the police.
Advances in autoimmune disease diagnostics
The European market for autoimmune disease diagnostics has demonstrated sustained growth due to advances in detection technology and automation, according to a new analysis from Frost & Sullivan (F&S)
Integrated healthcare solutions
Siemens Healthcare announced the signing of an agreement with Hospital Clinic in Barcelona, Spain, to integrate the use of laboratory diagnostics, imaging and information technology systems with the intent to improve management of patient care from early detection and diagnosis of diseases or conditions to patient treatment.
New insights of the role of microbial communities in the Human Gut
454 Life Sciences, a Roche company, announced that a team of researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have characterized the human gut microbiome by sequencing the microbial communities of adult twins and their mothers with the Genome Sequencer FLX System.
Roche expands its portfolio of laboratory information systems
Roche and Swisslab GmbH, Berlin announced yesterday that Roche has acquired all the shares in Swisslab. Swisslab is the leading provider of Laboratory Information Systems (LIS) in Germany. The transaction is expected to be completed in the first half of 2009.
Eppendorf cycler can now also be used in medical diagnostics
PCR plays a major part in medical diagnostics. From a few drops of blood, a tissue sample or a bacterial colony will be sufficient to confirm the presence of specific DNA. This approach relies, however, on a prior understanding of the mechanisms underlying the condition e.g. the causative organism in a viral disease. Standard primers are currently available for many pathogenic organisms which is…
Roche launch the new BenchMark® ULTRA
With the acquisition of Ventara Medical Systems, Roche hopes to move several steps further forward in their goal for personalised medicine that improves diagnostics and ultimately, clinical outcomes.
New from China
Founded in 1991 in Shenzhen, China, the firm Mindray aims to deliver high-quality competitively priced medical devices to make healthcare accessible and affordable worldwide.
Fast and effective: The Dräger DrugTest 5000
Is there a case of drug abuse ore not? In case of an emergency physicians need a quick answer to decide about the further treatment. The Dräger DrugTest 5000 could deliver the information of up to six different drug classes within minutes.
Innovative surface leads to considerably higher cell yields
Advanced TC™ cell culture products have an innovative polymer modification which forms a special surface that optimises cultivation of fastidious cells and facilitates complex experimental approaches.
Celiac test kits match multi-centre study demands
The results of the recent Multi-Centre Celiac Serology Study undertaken to define the optimal serological screening approach to Celiac Disease clearly showed that dual or combined isotype (IgA+IgG) transglutaminase screening can be advocated as a sensitive and specific alternative to endomysial antibody testing in the assessment of Celiac Disease.
Deal to progress Alzheimer's vaccine
AFFiRiS GmbH has granted GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals S.A. (GSK) exclusive rights to develop and commercialise its Alzheimer's disease vaccine candidates. Two are currently in Phase I clinical development, and others are in preclinical development.
Confocal microscopy ensures the quality of medical devices
Medical products have to fulfil exacting requirements. That is why surface properties are increasingly analysed with optical 3D measurement systems.
World First Early Stage Diagnostic Test for Ovarian Cancer
There is now new hope for women around the world, with the launch of an early detection test for ovarian cancer, according to HealthLinx Limited. The test, developed in Melbourne by HealthLinx scientists in collaboration with ARL Pathology, is called the OvPlex™ Panel and works by identifying whether five biomarkers (proteins) are present in a blood sample.
Automated plate streaking
The vital, routine task of plate streaking to isolate a pure culture is inefficient and time-consuming, significantly slowing microbiologists' responses.
Results from C. difficile test in less than 30 minutes
The US firm Inverness Medical has launched a new rapid test as an in vitro diagnostic aid for Clostridium difficile associated disease (CDAD).
On-the-spot multi-task lab-on-a-chip
A new lab-on-chip system, the ivD-platform, which quickly determines, on site, the contents and parameters of biological samples, such as blood or saliva, with the help of immunoassay or DNA analysis, was presented at Biotechnica this autumn.
Eight languages spread patient education
Lab Tests Online, an online encyclopaedia on laboratory testing and related conditions, is expanding to include eight languages.
Small device counts viruses in minutes
The machine 'qViro' which is the size of a coffee grinder will make virus counting much cheaper than traditional virus counting technology. The revolutionary new invention offers the potential to quickly muster and count the number of viruses in a sample in minutes - it is a portable, desktop instrument, powered from the USB drive of a computer - current competitors are the size of washing…