Industry sponsored workshops
12.00 - 12.30 Bury Theatre - Abbott with Helen Ashby and Pervaz Mohammed - Using Active B12 assay as a frontline test for investigating B12 deficiency
The current standard of investigation for B12 deficiency is Total B-12 testing, however measuring Total B-12 levels has numerous limitations including poorly defined deficiency and sufficiency cut-offs, and a large grey-zone. Active B12 has a better diagnostic accuracy than Total B12 and can replace it as a screening test.
Achieving improved standards of patient care through making improvements to diagnostic testing protocols is a function of every clinical laboratory service. Taking the steps to implement changes in well-established protocols takes effort and focus, and needs to persuade large groups of clinical colleagues to learn about and adopt a different way of doing things.
In this presentation, laboratory clinicians from Black Country Pathology Service, an NHS pathology network, will share their experience of assessing Alinity Active B-12 assay and successfully transitioning of GPs across their region from Total B12 to Active B12 requesting.
12.00 - 12.30 Wellington Suite - The Binding Site with Luke Martinson - Free Light Chain analysis for the detection of intrathecal immunoglobulin synthesis
Intrathecal immunoglobulin synthesis indicates an ongoing immune/inflammatory response in the CNS and is often a feature of neuro-inflammatory conditions including multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neuro-inflammatory conditions. Detection of intrathecal immunoglobulin synthesis can therefore aid in the diagnosis of neuro-inflammatory disease when assessed in conjunction with other clinical and laboratory findings. The current standard of care for detecting intrathecal immunoglobulin is Oligo Clonal Banding (OCB), which is an electrophoretic method that uses paired serum and CSF samples to detect the synthesis of IgG in the CNS. While OCB is considered the gold standard, it has limitations which can prove challenging for some laboratories, including subjective interpretation, long TAT, high cost and the requirement for expert staff.
Given the limitations referred to above, there is a need for a rapid, quantitative and automated test that is of sufficient sensitivity and specificity for the inclusion in the diagnostic work-up for neuro-inflammatory conditions. Here, we present data showing that measurement of kappa Free Light Chains in CSF and serum samples using the automated Freelite Mx assay can be used as a screening test and guide when to perform OCB, thus improving laboratory workflow and efficiency while maintaining diagnostic performance
12.00 - 12.30 Churchill Suite- Biohit Healthcare with Pranvera Hiseni - Capturing gut microbiota (im)balance with GA-map® Dysbiosis Test
The composition of the microbes in the human gut has an undeniable impact on human health and well-being. The gut microbiota, composed of thousands of microbial species, influences biological processes by producing and modifying molecules of various types and levels of complexity. Different microbial species specialize in performing different functional tasks, so the more diverse the microbial community, the more stable it is. Diet, lifestyle, exposure to antibiotics, and genetics, all influence the gut microbiota, making it dynamic and unique from one individual to another.
It is well established that people suffering from certain diseases have significantly different microbial compositions compared to healthy populations: for example, there is generally a lower species diversity, marked by an overgrowth of some species while others become depleted. This state of imbalance is known as dysbiosis. Regardless of whether dysbiosis is a cause or a consequence of these diseases, clinical monitoring of the microbial composition is of primary value. This is especially true after learning that various diseases, such as Parkinson's disease, show signs of dysbiosis before clinical symptoms appear.
As knowledge in this area is rapidly increasing, there is a strong demand for tools that can systematically detect dysbiosis in a clinical setting. The GA-map® Dysbiosis Test - a well-established and standardised dysbiosis test, has been shown to meet this need. Join our workshop to learn more about how GA-map® technology has opened up the world of microbiota assessments in routine clinical settings.
12.30 - 1.00 Bury Theatre - BD with Robert Navesy, BD Head of Marketing and Integrated Diagnostics Solutions
Come and join the BD team to hear about their latest White Paper on the future of Diagnostics services and how there are opportunities to work in partnership with Integrated Care Boards to drive change.
12.30 - 1.00 Wellington Suite - Chromsystems with James Russell - Chromsystems Solutions for Clinical Mass Spectrometry
Chromsystems offers more than 400 parameters for clinical HPLC and LC-MS/MS users, encompassing complete kits, Internal Standards, quality controls and calibrators. LC-MS/MS is considered the gold standard for therapeutic drug monitoring with high accuracy, specificity and a high speed of analysis. Therefore, the interest in automation in clinical laboratories is high, with the effort to reduce tedious manual preparations. MassSTAR in conjunction with Chromsystems assays offers an automated CE-IVD workflow for more than 100 drugs, immunosuppressants, and vitamin D.
12.30 - 1.00 Churchill Suite - Siemens with Jennifer Spencer - The Enhanced Liver Fibrosis (ELF) Test
Dr Spencer will discuss what is an ELF score and the context of its use in the laboratory to support the Liver Unit at St. James Hospital Leeds. The presentation will cover the role of ELF in patient liver pathways advocated by The British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG), The British Association for the study of Liver Disease (BASL) and internationally by EASL and AASLD.