Media Monitoring: 2nd April – 9th April

PCR style test for breast cancer unveiled in UK and Europe

MammaTyper detects mRNA levels in four key breast cancer biomarkers in a way which is faster and less expensive than current methods
Test results can be obtained within hours and due to the kit’s ability to work on many different PCR instruments, testing can be done locally at greater convenience to the patient

Holograms may speed-up diagnosis of UTIs

A pioneering new system has been developed which uses holograms to analyse urine
It is hoped this will lead to speedier UTI diagnoses and the ability to analyse urine in real time
This is achieved by projecting light through urine, thus creating a hologram which reveals bacteria and other markers of disease

NHS develops world-first bedside genetic test to prevent babies going deaf

A world-first genetic test that could save the hearing of hundreds of babies each year has been developed and successfully piloted in the NHS
Taking just 25 minutes, the bedside machine identifies whether a critically ill baby admitted to intensive care has a gene that could result in permanent hearing loss if they are treated with a common emergency antibiotic
The new swab test technique would replace a test that traditionally took several days and could save the hearing of 180 babies in England alone every year

New study discovers novel test for lung cancer

A new study funded by Cancer Research UK has demonstrated how a simple blood test can detect the risk of lung cancer returning
The liquid biopsy works by detecting small fragments of DNA which are released into the blood by tumours as they increase in size
This DNA can also be used to find the location of the tumour, its state and even its weaknesses

AI test could predict effective cancer drug combinations in less than two days

Scientists led by an NIHR Research Professor have created a prototype test that can predict which drug combinations are likely to work for cancer patients in as little as 24 to 48 hours.
Their cutting-edge technique uses artificial intelligence to analyse large-scale protein data from tumour samples, and is able to predict patients’ response to drugs more accurately than is currently possible.
Genetic analysis of tumours can reveal mutations that are fuelling cancers growth, some of which can be targeted with treatment – but genomics alone does not provide sufficiently accurate predictions to select drug combinations.

Over 1/3 of cancers in UK diagnosed in A&E

Concerningly, this figure means the UK has the highest rate of cancer diagnosis when compared to other high-income nations
Cancer diagnoses in A&E have much worse health outcomes as they are usually not diagnosed in the early stage
The study showed that those 75 and older and those with the most advanced cancers were most likely to be diagnosed in an emergency

Breakthrough as research shows specific genes linked to schizophrenia

Critical research has shown, for the first time, that ten genes with extremely rare protein-disrupting mutations that massively increase a person’s likelihood of developing schizophrenia
The study was huge in scope – involving hundreds of researchers across 45 countries who analysed over 300,000 people’s DNA
The strongest indication yet that schizophrenia has a genetic cause

Improving efficiencies in UK diagnostics: An expert’s view

David Wells, CEO of the Institute of Biomedical Scientists, discusses how the diagnostics industry can be made more efficient
He insists that the UK’s diagnostic system must be more ‘proactive’ rather than ‘reactive’