News • Pathogen Analyzer
Researchers develop cost-effective PCR test alternative
Speed or accuracy? As far as Covid-19 tests go, this was the choice you had to make. In the future, this dilemma could be a thing of the past.
Laboratory
Sponsored • TissueTek Genie System
Advanced staining can be beautifully simple when we standardise it
Imagine, one single standardising solution, enabling uncompromisingly fast results and providing you with the exact same predictable turnaround time.
Article • Detecting several different diseases
Multiplex diagnostics: next-generation techniques for new challenges
With the rise of syndrome-style infections, co-infections and the current antimicrobial resistance challenges, the need for multiplexed diagnostics is now more important than ever.
Lab-on-a-chip
Multiplexed lab-on-a-chip bioassays for testing antibodies against SARS-CoV 2 and its variants in multiple individuals
The coronavirus pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 and its variants is still a major public safety issue worldwide. The “alpha” variant B.1.1.7, the “gamma” variant P.1, the “beta” variant B.1.351, and the “delta” variant B.1.617 are of particular concern because of their high prevalence. Large-scale vaccination and sensitive detection are vital for preventing the spread of Covid-19.
News • 'Synthetic origin' theory of SARS-CoV-2 debunked
Was the coronavirus engineered in a lab? Experts cast doubt on new analysis
Research presented in a new preprint suggests that SARS-CoV-2 might have been artificially created in a laboratory. Experts from Würzburg have reviewed the paper – and remain unconvinced.
News • Children’s cancer
Rhabdomyosarcoma: Blood tests could offer smarter treatment
A simple 'liquid biopsy' blood test could help guide the treatment of children with the cancer rhabdomyosarcoma, a new study reports.
Article • Prediction for breast, ovarian, cervical, and endometrial carcinoma
New test detects four women’s cancers from cervical screening samples
What if a test analysing cervical cells from a gynaecological swab could be used to detect four different female cancers at an early stage and also predict cancer risk over a healthy woman's lifetime? Researchers at the EUTOPS Institute in Innsbruck, Austria, are developing tests to do just that for breast, ovarian, cervical, and endometrial cancer detection.
Sponsored • 100th DxA Automation System installed
Automation reimagines laboratory diagnostics service
San Paolo Hospital in Savona, Italy, has upgraded its Corelab-related analytical equipment. In collaboration with Beckman Coulter, the San Paolo diagnostic laboratory has installed Beckman Coulter’s DxA 5000 Laboratory Automation System, an innovative, high-throughput automation system that rapidly increases test processing.
Sponsored • Earlier disease prediction and identification
The potential of AI in routine blood testing
It’s widely known that more than 70% of today’s medical decisions involve the results of laboratory tests, but the insights clinicians derive from these tests today may only be scratching the surface of their potential.
Article • Lab equipment
LABBook - Your guide to laboratory and pathology equipment in Europe
LABBook provides an overview of European laboratory systems. Whether you are about to set up a new lab or want to replace existing equipment, LABBook will help you make smart investment decisions to boost efficiency and productivity in your lab.
Sponsored • The 50 shades of brown
Sakura Finetek Europe enables optimal only Advanced Staining results
Imagine a new quality standard that improves the lives of patients and lab professionals in cancer care.
News • Coronavirus mechanism discovered
Organ-on-a-chip reveals how SARS-CoV-2 invades blood vessels
A research group has revealed that SARS-CoV-2 disrupts the vascular endothelial barrier by suppressing the expression of Claudin-5 (CLDN5) to invade the blood vessels.
News • Deep mutational scanning for SARS-CoV-2
Preparing rapid tests for future coronavirus variants
How can rapid antigen tests be adjusted to reliably detect future variants of SARS-CoV-2? A research team funded by the National Institutes of Health is currently working on finding an answer.
News • Lung adenocarcinoma
Therapeutic target against common lung cancer identified
A new study led by researchers in Barcelona has determined the protein TIMP-1 as a valuable biomarker for the progression of lung adenocarcinoma. The results open the door to new treatments.
News • Conference attendance
New lab systems for virology showcased at ESCV 2022
Dutch global DNA/RNA technology solutions provider MolGen B.V., participates in the 24th Annual Conference of the European Society for Clinical Virology (ESCV) held in Manchester, UK.
News • Streptococcus pneumoniae
Technique helps discover whether bacteria are antibiotic resistant
A new study could one day help health workers determine whether bacteria of the species Streptococcus pneumoniae, which cause meningitis, are resistant to antibiotics.
Article • Overheard at AACC
The complexities of drug testing in urine and hair
Urine screening tests using only immunoassays are the most common procedures used to identify drug abuse. They are inexpensive, automated, and produce rapid results. But they may generate false-positive or false-negative results, which vary based on the drug, drug class, and the assay used. Hair toxicology analysis is another form of drug testing which, unlike urine tests, enable analysis of drug…
Article • Modelling systems for human biology
Organoid technology: new opportunities for drug discovery
Two-dimensional (2D) cultured cell lines and animal models have been the principal research tools for the past decade, but have several shortcomings. Three-dimensional cell cultures, or organoids, show great promise here.
Article • Preventing clinical errors
Supporting transgender health in the clinical laboratory
Clinical laboratories need to be proactive to attract transgender patients for testing and to ensure that they are comfortable with the services provided. This issue is of great importance to the American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC), which conducted a scientific session on transgender health at its recent annual meeting in Chicago.
News • Osteoarthritis help
Lab-made cartilage gel outperforms real thing in knees
A research team has created the first gel-based cartilage substitute that is even stronger and more durable than the real thing, offering a promising solution for patient suffering from knee pain.
News • Blood sample
Paper test may predict Covid-19 immunity
The new test measures the level of neutralizing antibodies in a blood sample and could help people decide what protections they should take against infection.
News • Spit take
Portable diagnostic detects SARS-CoV-2 RNA and antibodies
The prototype device combines eRapid and SHERLOCK technologies into a single, postcard-sized system that can simultaneously detect the presence of both SARS-CoV-2 RNA and antibodies in a patient’s saliva.
News • Sebum analysis
Are skin swabs the future of Covid-19 testing?
Skin swabs are "surprisingly effective" at identifying Covid-19 infection, according to new research, offering a route to a non-invasive future for Covid-19 testing.
Sponsored • Covid-19 management
Rapid and robust PCR testing for infectious diseases at Innklinikum Altötting and Mühldorf
The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of the fast and accurate diagnosis of infectious diseases in clinical settings. Harald Maier discusses the implementation of rapid molecular diagnostics in the central clinical diagnostics laboratory at Innklinikum Altötting and Mühldorf, highlighting how the use of PCR testing has benefitted the hospital during the Covid-19 pandemic.
News • Nanometer-scale imaging
Microscopy technique enables 3D super-resolution
Research team led by Göttingen University combine two techniques to achieve isotropic super-resolution imaging.