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Biomedical Science Day 2022
Biomedical Science Day 2022
Biomedical Science Day is taking place this year on Thursday 9th June 2022. This is an annual celebration to increase the awareness of Biomedical Science and to promote to the public the importance of it.
Biomedical scientists play a key role in diagnosis, quality development and assurance, treatment, research, and development in the modern medical sciences. To celebrate and give recognition we have interviewed one of our RCLS clinical deputy managers, Jayme Hamilton.
This is what Jayme has to say about his role in Biomedical Science:
1. What attracted you to pursue a career in biomedical science?
My degree was in Biological Sciences with Professional Studies. Through it, I was able to design my degree based in my own interests and curiosities, which drew me to exploring the molecular and chemical pathways that elicit biological pathways and also how biotechnology is opening up a future to personalised health and therapies. What I find interesting it how a complete complement of biomarkers needs to be assessed to offer a full illustration of what’s going on under the skin.
2. How many different labs have you worked in?
I have been fortunate to work within several Laboratories to some capacity early in my career. I had a very fulfilling placement within a Method Development and Validation lab at a pharmaceutical company, as well as completing a challenging honours project in population genetics in my final year of university. Since joining Randox, I have had opportunities to work across several Clinical and Molecular Laboratories with talented colleagues from all sorts of backgrounds; within Liverpool and London in England, Holywood and Antrim in N. Ireland and Los Angeles in California.
3. Do you enjoy the practical or theoretical aspect of biomedical science?
Theoretical- I have a drive to learn and understand and thankfully in science that is a continuous journey, as new forms of diagnostics and analysis are born and our understanding can grow or even change. With a good understanding of the science and a multidisciplinary team of talented individuals to collaborate with, it makes executing the practical work all the more rewarding.
4. What is your favourite part of your day in work?
The end of the day -but not why you might think. I have been trying to be more reflective and as the start of the day can be very busy and hands on, I have found it helpful to review my workload and responsibilities, as well as that of those I help lead, at the end of the day; to better look ahead to tomorrow and acknowledge the efforts of the team.
5. What’s in your lab coat pocket?
Pens, markers, and more pens. My favourite being my engineering pen, with a torch and stylus included. Thankfully we push for a more paperless world, but a busy lab can need some quick notes to be made. I’m also a very visual person and find it easiest to communicate to colleagues with notes or even a quick sketch.
6. In your opinion, what are the most important aspects of laboratory work?
The results we release. Fundamentally the data we release it for the benefit to the individual they deprived from. By stringently monitoring our quality checks and adhering to the procedures and processes we implement, we can have confidence that the results we release have a high level qualitative and interpretive value.
7. In what ways does your work make a difference to people’s lives?
At a personal level, as a clinical deputy manager I aim to optimise and evolve the duties of the colleagues I work with to make their jobs easier and more fulfilling and by extension the functionality of the lab more efficient.
In doing so, I broadly think the work we are doing as a collective, is bringing personalised testing to the masses and in doing so, add to improving the public’s understanding of science, in such that they can begin to take their health into their own hands in a measurable and meaningful way.
8. What is your dream career within biomedical science?
Living the dream. So far in my career I have been able to learn and develop within a profession that aligns with my interests, whilst simultaneously contributing to expanding and exciting industry. Throughout which I have had the opportunity to collaborate with many fantastic, talented, intelligent and hardworking people, from an array of disciplines, during the growth of a impressive clinical testing service as well as a nationwide covid testing service.
Jayme is a fundamental member of Randox and plays an essential role in the team, as do all our employees. Without our valuable laboratory team working extremely hard behind the scenes the lifesaving work we do here at Randox would not be possible. We thank each one of you for your hard work every day.
To find out more about our Biomedical Science, contact us at market@randox.com
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Randox to deliver £10m investment for major UK research project
Diagnostics and personalised health company Randox to deliver £10m investment for major UK research project Our Future Health
Randox, the Northern Ireland-based diagnostics and personalised health company, has today been announced as one of four new industry partners in the Our Future Health (OFH) programme, which will be the UK’s largest ever health research programme.
Randox will deliver a £10m investment in the programme, which will discover and develop new methods of prevention, early detection and treatment of diseases and health conditions.
The company is one of four new partners who will deliver a total of £40m to OFH. They join 10 additional life sciences companies that were previously announced as funding partners in January 2022. As well as its £10m investment, Randox will contribute its world-leading expertise to the programme. Its network of 20 High Street clinics, including those in Holywood and Crumlin, will also be available if required to test volunteers from across the UK taking part in the OFH project. The project aims to monitor the long-term health of 5 million volunteers in the coming years, starting this autumn.
Andrew Roddam, Chief Executive of OFH, said: “We are delighted to be announcing a further four industry partners for OFH, who together will provide an additional £40m to further our objective to develop new ways to prevent, detect and treatments enabling people to live healthier lives for longer. We welcome Randox as one of these partners, knowing their long-term commitment to diagnostics, and look forward to working with them in the months and years ahead.”
OFH has also joined with 16 health research charities, who have endorsed the pilot phase of the programme and are providing valuable support and experience.
Volunteers will be asked to complete an online health questionnaire, give their informed consent to link information from their healthcare records to OFH and donate a small blood sample.
Volunteers are also being asked to give their permission for OFH to contact them in the future to give them the opportunity to take part in follow-on research and to provide personal feedback about their health, should they wish to receive it.
Researchers from across the life sciences community, including academia, industry and the NHS, will be able to apply to study OFH resources as part of their crucial research to accelerate the discovery and development of innovative diagnostics and treatments.
Volunteers’ data will be de-identified and held in ‘trusted research environments’ that meet strict security criteria and an access board, which will include independent experts and members of the public, to ensure OFH resources are only used for health research in the public interest.
Randox Managing Director, Dr Peter FitzGerald said:
“Randox has been engaged from the very outset and is now excited to formally support this world-leading research project, both as a funding member and with our considerable expertise.
“With over 40 years of diagnostic experience, and extensive research capabilities, Randox knows that a personalised approach to the early detection and prevention of disease is not only critical to saving and extending life, but also to improving the quality of our lives. This project will further those critical goals. The ability for participants to receive feedback on their health from the project, and to engage with future research, also promotes Randox’s objective of greater individual ownership of health.
“Randox is committed to providing accessible and affordable testing to drive significant health improvements through the early detection and prevention of disease. ‘Our Future Health’ is perfectly aligned with that vision.”
Members of the public who are interested in taking part in Our Future Health later this year can register for news and updates at www.ourfuturehealth.org.uk
For more information contact:
Mia Taylor
mia.taylor@woburnpartners.com
+44 (0) 7891525749
James Robinson
james.robinson@woburnpartners.com
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Celebrating Lp(a) Awareness Day 2022 today!
Randox are raising awareness for Lipoprotein(a), we want to drive awareness on tests that are available to you to decrease the risk of stroke, heart attack or other heart diseases.
Lp(a) is a risk factor for atherosclerosis and related diseases including CHD and stroke. It is increasingly recognised as the strongest known genetic risk factor for premature coronary artery disease. The biggest challenge that exists surrounding Lp(a) measurement is the heterogeneity of the apolipoprotein(a) isoforms, resulting in the underestimation or overestimation of Lp(a) concentrations.
Benefits of the Randox Lp(a) assay
WHO/IFCC reference material – The Randox Lp(a) assay is calibrated in nmol/l and traceable to the WHO/IFCC reference material (IFCC SRM 2B) and provides an acceptable bias compared with the Northwest Lipid Metabolism Diabetes Research Laboratory (NLMDRKL) gold standard method.
Dedicated calibrator & control available – Five point calibrator with accuracy-based assigned target values (in nmol/l) is available, accurately reflecting the heterogeneity of the apo(a) isoforms. Dedicated Lp(a) control is available offering a complete testing package.
Excellent correlation – A correlation coefficient of r=0.995 was displayed when the Randox method was compared against other commercially available methods.
Excellent precision – The Randox Lp(a) assay displayed a within run precision of <2.54%.
Liquid ready-to-use – The Randox Lp(a) assay is available in a liquid ready-to-use format for convenience and ease-of-use.
Applications available – Instrument-specific settings can be provided for a wide range of clinical chemistry analysers.
The biggest challenge that exists surrounding Lp(a) measurement is the heterogeneity of the apo(a) isoforms, resulting in the underestimation or overestimation of Lp(a) concentrations. In immunoassays, the variable numbers of repeated KIV-2 units in Lp(a) act as multiple epitopes. This is where standardisation across calibrators is vital. Unless the calibrants do have the same range of isoforms as test samples, those with higher numbers of the KIV-2 repeat, will represent with an overestimation in Lp(a) concentrations and those with smaller numbers of the KIV-2 repeat, will represent with an underestimation. The smaller isoforms are strongly associated with higher Lp(a) concentrations. Lack of standardisation of the calibrant would result in an underestimation of Lp(a) associated CVD risk. It is important to note that an Lp(a) immunoassay employing isoform insensitive antibodies does not exist.
DID YOU KNOW?
Lp(a) has been identified to be a key risk factor for cardiovascular complications in individuals with COVID-19!
It is well documented that pre-existing comorbidities such as diabetes and CVD are associated with greater severity and higher fatality rates in those with COVID-19. Those with either baseline elevated Lp(a) or those whose Lp(a) levels increased following infection from COVID-19, or both, maybe at a significantly increased risk of developing thromboses. Elevated Lp(a) levels may cause acute destabilisation of pre-existing but quiescent, atherosclerotic plaques, which could induce an acute myocardial infarction or stroke.
Identifying any possible health conditions that would relate to early signs of stroke, heart attack or other heart diseases will allow you to make any decisions on an appropriate diet, lifestyle changes and early treatment to reduce your risk of further problems.
For more information about Lp(a):
Visit our website: Lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] | Reagents | Randox Laboratories
Or email: marketing@randox.com
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National STIQ Day 2022
National STIQ Day 2022
14th January, National STIQ day was launched to get people thinking about the importance of sexual health and encourage everyone to get regular health checks.
More than 30 different bacteria, viruses and parasites are known to be transmitted through sexual contact. Eight of these pathogens are linked to the greatest incidence of sexually transmitted diseases (STI’s). STI’s are spread predominantly by sexual contact, including vaginal, anal and oral sex. Some STI’s can also be transmitted from mother-to-child during pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding.
Any individual can catch an STI regardless of what age they are, their sexuality or how many sexual partners they have, as it only takes one sexual encounter to increase the risk of catching an infection. The importance of regular STI testing allows individuals to get peace of mind and take control of their sexual health as many infections don’t present symptoms and it’s advised that testing is required if individuals are concerned about their health, present symptoms or change sexual partner. Regular screening can aid in detecting an infection in the early stages and help to reduce the risk of such complications.
The increase in STI’s underline the need for urgent action which many reports have highlighted the need of ongoing inaction and development of strategies to improve sexual health. It has been widely noted by the CDC that over 20 million new STI’s are detected each year. (1) Public Health England also reported that 468,342 diagnoses of STIs had been reported in England in 2019 – a 5% increase from 2018 with a 26% increase in gonorrhoea infections, 10% increase in syphilis and 7% increase in the number of consultations at national sexual health services. It’s also widely noted that chlamydia testing, which is most common in young adults has declined by 13% since 2015 and 2% of all individuals tested had received a positive diagnosis. (2) (3)
Here at Randox, we offer solutions for clinical laboratories, point of care testing solutions and home STI testing kits for convenience and discretion. Randox provides the broadest STI testing menu on the market. Detecting 10 bacterial, viral, and protozoan infections, the STI test provides a comprehensive sexual health profile. The CE-marked STI Array provides the identification of co-infections, often in asymptomatic individuals and enable antibiotic stewardship.
The Randox test presents excellent precision, specificity, sensitivity and accuracy for STI diagnoses, which reduces the risk of false reporting and unnecessary confirmatory tests. The Randox simultaneous multiplex test means smaller sample volumes are required, enabling faster throughput and rapid patient diagnosis saving time and money for clinical and laboratories.
The Randox STI Multiplex test detects the following infections:
- Chlamydia trachomatis (CT)
- Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG)
- Trichomonas vaginalis (TV)
- Mycoplasma genitalium (MG)
- Treponema pallidum (Syphilis) (TP)
- Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1)
- Herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2)
- Haemophilus ducreyi (HD)
- Mycoplasma hominis (MH)
- Ureaplasma urealyticum (UU)
Does your laboratory or clinic carry out STI testing? Our molecular analyser, the Bosch Vivalytic and Evidence Investigator, powered by patented Biochip Array Technology, could be the diagnostic solution you need!
Solutions for the Laboratory
54 SAMPLES ● 1 TEST ● 10 INFECTIONS
The Evidence Investigator is a compact semi-automated benchtop analyser ideal for medium throughput laboratories.
- Sample Type: Swab or Urine
- Sample Volume: 300 μl
- Detection Method: Randox Biochip Technology (end-point PCR)
- Time to Result: 5 hours 30 minutes
STI Testing at the Point of Care
1 SAMPLE ● 1 TEST ● 10 INFECTIONS
The Bosch Vivalytic enables sample to answer, cartridge based molecular diagnostics at
the point of care. Powered by Randox Biochip Technology.
- Sample Type: Swab or Urine
- Sample Volume: 300 μl
- Detection Method: Randox Biochip Technology (end-point PCR)
- Time to Result: 2 hours 30 minutes
For more information about our STI Arrays or Vivalytic email: marketing@randox.com
- https://www.cdc.gov/std/life-stages-populations/adolescents-youngadults.htm
- https://www.tht.org.uk/news/rise-stis-underlines-need-urgent-action
- Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) (who.int)
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Evaluation of Omicron Variant to Ensure Test Effectiveness
7th December 2021
Evaluating Omicron and Other SARS-CoV-2 Variants to Ensure Test Effectiveness
SARS-CoV-2, like all viruses, evolves over time through mutations, as it spreads and replicates. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, many variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, with different sets of mutations, have been observed worldwide. Most changes have little impact on the virus’ properties. However, some may cause increased transmissibility, severity of disease or the ability to evade the host immune response. Surveillance of genetic variations is therefore crucial to identify those variants which pose a higher risk to human health.
Variants may impact the performance of current diagnostic approaches. This is why Randox continuously review public genomic databases to assess whether any emerging mutations overlap with the assay design and monitor assay performance as part of post-market surveillance efforts to ensure the coronavirus assays continue to meet the highest quality standards.
In light of the emergence of the new variant of concern detected in South Africa, Omicron (B.1.1.529), Randox have analysed all publicly available sequences of the variant to predict any impact of defining mutations on assay designs.
As the COVID-19 assays from Randox Laboratories Ltd. are designed using a dual-target approach (ORf1ab, E gene) to reduce the impact of genetic variation in the SARS-CoV-2 genome, detection of SARS-CoV-2 is not predicted to be affected by the currently known variants.
Detection of SARS-CoV-2 using the Vivalytic rapid RT-PCR tests, targeting the E gene sequence are not affected by the identified mutations. Assay performance is not predicted to be impaired by the current known variants.
Randox Laboratories Ltd., in collaboration with leading technology manufacturer Bosch Healthcare Solutions, have developed a range of COVID-19 testing solutions, providing clear and concise results in a timely manner, directly at the point of care. Randox is a distributor for Vivalytic platform and cartridges.
For all enquiries regarding our COVID-19 assays performance , please contact marketing@randox.com
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Why are Neutralising Antibody tests important now?
27 October 2021- Why are Neutralising Antibody tests important now?
Being prone to more frequent infections may mean that you have a weak immune system. With everything going on in the world, including COVID-19, this is important information that you need to know about yourself. As it stands, the pace of the vaccine booster rollout has slowed down and priority is given to people who are most vulnerable from developing a COVID-19 infection. This will offer those individuals the fullest protection against the virus this winter. According to John Roberts, from the COVID-19 Actuaries Response Group, “At the start of the booster campaign, the health secretary Sajid Javid said: ‘We will protect the most vulnerable through the winter months’. But at the current rate it is going to be well through winter before we get through those first groups.” This was stated on a BBC news article. (1)
This leads into the question that everybody is wondering…. Do we really need the booster vaccine? Infectious diseases expert, Professor Angus Dalgleish has commented during an interview on Good morning Britain that we should try another strategy. A strategy where we should test people’s immunity first to see if they need the booster vaccine. He stated, “It should not be difficult for one test to see what your immune response to your last vaccine is or if you have had very bad COVID, have you got a good immune response and do you need the booster”. (2)
Laith Jamal Abu-Raddad, an infectious-disease epidemiologist at Weill Cornell Medicine—Qatar in Doha has also stated in an article from Nature that “Wasting resources on boosters for those who are already protected against severe disease does not really make too much sense,” (3)
The Randox SARS-CoV-2 Neutralising Antibody tests detects antibody levels post-vaccination to determine eligibility for a booster vaccination. These tests utilise patented biochip technology to detect neutralising antibodies to the Wuhan and Delta SARS-CoV-2 variants. There is a need for tests of this kind to provide an accurate estimate of immunity, monitor vaccine effectiveness and the frequency of post-vaccine breakthrough infections with variants of concern. Recent studies indicate that the delta variant is capable of re-infection even in fully vaccinated individuals and that a significant proportion of fully vaccinated individuals with breakthrough infections can transmit the virus to others.
The SARS-CoV-2 Neutralising Antibody tests are a quick and effective way to determine:
- Longevity of immune response with response to post-vaccine infection, and variants of concern.
- Population surveillance and testing of those at risk of sub-optimal vaccine response.
- Measure antibody levels post-vaccination to determine eligibility for a booster vaccination.
- Accurately detects antibodies that are capable of inhibiting virus replication and neutralizing the infectivity of the virus.
Want to know more?
For more information on SARS-CoV-2 Neutralising Antibody tests please visit the link below,
SARS-CoV-2 Neutralising Antibody Test | Randox Laboratories
Visit booking.randox.ie to book your COVID-19 antibody test today!
Alternatively contact us via email: marketing@randox.com
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