Lateral flow test engineering and lessons learned from COVID-19
- Only 0.4% of the 3 billion COVID-19 tests performed through to mid-2022 were conducted in low-income regions, raising ethical concerns and constraining our collective ability to respond to a pandemic
- Key barriers to COVID-19 LFT development and adoption include lack of access to well characterised samples, limited accuracy, lack of connectivity, lack of evidence of cost-effectiveness, regulatory delays and centralized manufacturing capabilities
- LFTs could also play an important part in the detection of other diseases of epidemic potential and antimicrobial resistance.
- The Accelerated Access Collaborative (AAC) through Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) Healthcare has awarded over £11 million of funding to 21 new innovations in stroke, cardiovascular disease and respiratory disease
- The investment shows the NHS remains committed to driving forward innovations that meet more patient needs and encourages innovators to come forward with ideas that help address the challenges faced by the NHS
- Includes support for the world’s first and only non-invasive screening test for coronary and structural heart diseases
2023: The decline of Covid-19 testing
- GlobalData has predicted the continued decline of COVID-19 testing during 2023
- They predict companies will move to development of rapid tests and home testing kits
Government response to the RHC report on medical devices
UKRI and the British Academy fund EDI network to boost R&I in UK
- The new network of researchers aims to improve equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in the research and innovation sector
- The interdisciplinary network of researchers and practitioners, called the EDI Caucus, will identify, assess, and share existing evidence on the effectiveness of current EDI practices
- It will also undertake research where pre-existing evidence is lacking
- The information they gather will then be used to support UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the British Academy to test and evaluate new EDI initiatives
Blood tests can help detect breast cancer early: AIIMS-Delhi
- Researchers at AIIMS Delhi have been conducting research which has shown a difference in the blood chemistry between patients in the late and early stages of cancer, which can help identify the presence of cancer in the body
- They noted that understanding the specific cytokine trends at different stages of the disease could be pivotal in early detection
Flexible Sensors Detect Heavy Metals in Sweat
- University of Sao Paulo researchers have developed a flexible sensor which can detect the levels of heavy metals in sweat
- Usually this process utilizes expensive lab equipment, however, this sensor can send results to your smartphone
- High concentration of heavy metals in the body can lead to serious toxicity if allowed to build up
King’s College London blood test could predict Alzheimer’s earlier
- The test is able to predict Alzheimer’s risk up to three and a half years before a clinical diagnosis
- They noted that those who were diagnosed with the disease from their blood samples showed a decrease in cell growth and an increase in apoptotic cell death
Life sciences sector is at tipping point warns GSK boss (paywall)
The Guardian – The human genome needs updating. But how do we make it fair?
