Diagnostic News and Research

RSS

Antibody detection for COVID-19 - promise and risks

Recently, several research groups emphasized how the pervasive screening for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibodies may prove pivotal in determining infection seroprevalence in a given population defining previous exposure, screening health care workers, but also identifying highly reactive individuals that may act as donors for the therapeutic use of their convalescent serum.

20 Apr 2020

CRISPR technology mobilized for rapid COVID-19 diagnosis

A group of authors from the United States published a study in the scientific journal Nature Biotechnology in which they have described a CRISPR-Cas-based approach for rapid and accurate diagnosis of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection – without the need for complex laboratory infrastructure.

20 Apr 2020

Restrictive healthcare policies may delay diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis

The introduction of policies that restrict healthcare access for visitors and migrants not entitled to free NHS care may be associated with delays in diagnosis and treatment for patients with tuberculosis (TB) who were not born in the UK, according to a study published in the open access journal BMC Public Health.

20 Apr 2020

Mologic launches new lab-based COVID-19 antibody tests

Mologic Ltd, a leading developer of rapid diagnostic technologies, announced that it will begin manufacturing its laboratory diagnostic test for COVID-19.

20 Apr 2020

New high-throughput approach yields libraries of probes for immunological assays

An immunological test known as a "tetramer assay" can detect T cells in a blood sample that recognize a specific antigen.

20 Apr 2020

Scientists estimate fatality ratio across full spectrum of COVID-19 disease

A team of researchers from Imperial College London has conducted a study aimed at calculating a reasonably accurate case fatality ratio and infection fatality ratio, which is based on Chinese data as well as international reports. The research is published on the pre-print server MedRxiv.

19 Apr 2020

Analysis indicates the value of a simple screening test for depression

An analysis published in Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics indicates the value of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 for screening depression.

18 Apr 2020

UC San Diego Health launches serological tests to detect past exposure to novel coronavirus

Clinical laboratory physicians and scientists at UC San Diego Health have launched a pair of serological tests that will look for novel coronavirus antibodies -- evidence in persons tested that they have previously been infected by SARS-CoV-2, the viral cause of COVID-19, even if they never experienced tell-tale symptoms.

18 Apr 2020

Kehn-Hall working to rapidly test, deploy new tool to enhance detection of SARS-CoV-2

Kylene Kehn-Hall, Associate Professor/Associate Director, School of Systems Biology, National Center for Biodefense and Infectious Diseases, is working to rapidly test and deploy a universal virus enrichment tool that can be used to enhance the detection of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) for any type of diagnostic assay under development, thereby reducing false negatives and the risk of worldwide pandemic.

18 Apr 2020

Delayed clearance of SARS-CoV2 may explain why men fare worse than women

Researchers at Montefiore Health System and Albert Einstein College of Medicine may have solved a mystery surrounding the novel coronavirus pandemic: Why men infected by the virus generally show more severe symptoms and are more likely than women to die from COVID-19.

17 Apr 2020

Nasal smear as screening test for allergic rhinitis

Stuffy noses, itching and fits of sneezing - 130 million people in Europe suffer from hay fever and other forms of allergic rhinitis. Until now, these conditions have typically been diagnosed using blood samples or skin prick tests.

17 Apr 2020

Sense accelerates launch of new SARS-CoV-2 disposable test

Sense Biodetection Limited has today announced an accelerated programme to launch the world’s first instrument-free, point-of-care molecular diagnostic test for SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic.

17 Apr 2020

Study calls for better data framework to enhance rare disease diagnostic rates

A better framework for the reanalysis of genetic data, a game-changing process which could improve diagnostic rates by up to 32 per cent, was needed, a new study has found.

17 Apr 2020

Cancer immunotherapy can lead to inflammation of the heart muscle

Immunotherapy is a powerful weapon in the fight against cancer, but inflammation of the heart muscle (myocarditis) is one of its most serious side effects.

17 Apr 2020

Elderly patients underestimate the danger of pneumonia

Elderly patients who are hospitalised with pneumonia are twice as likely to die as those hospitalised with hip fractures.

17 Apr 2020

Research proposes non-invasive method to monitor diabetes

Saliva could be used instead of blood to monitor diabetes in a method proposed in research involving the University of Strathclyde.

16 Apr 2020

Research team explores incisionless procedures for repairing knee and shoulder injuries

Through the use of a newly developed needle arthroscope, incisionless and single-incision surgical procedures are possible for repairing certain types of knee and shoulder injuries suggests a series of Marshall University studies published in Arthroscopy Techniques, a companion to Arthroscopy: The Journal of Arthroscopic and Related Surgery.

16 Apr 2020