Researchers have demonstrated that an optical technique known as Raman spectroscopy can be used to differentiate between benign and cancerous thyroid cells. The new study shows Raman spectroscopy’s potential as a tool to improve the diagnosis of thyroid cancer, which is the ninth most common cancer with more than 50,000 new cases diagnosed in the United States each year.
“Our encouraging results show that Raman spectroscopy could be developed into a new optical modality that can help avoid invasive procedures used to diagnose thyroid cancer by providing biochemical information that isn’t currently accessible,” said James W. Chan from the University of California, Davis, U.S.A. “This could have a major impact in the field of pathology and could lead to new ways to diagnose other diseases.”
A lump — or nodule — in the neck is a common symptom of thyroid cancer. However, most thyroid nodules aren’t cancerous. Ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration biopsies are typically used to check for cancer by inserting a thin needle into the nodule to obtain cells that are prepared on a microscope slide, stained and analysed by a pathologist. For about 15 to 30 percent of cases, the pathologist cannot determine whether cells acquired from the biopsy are benign or malignant. For these cases, a surgical procedure known as a thyroidectomy is required to remove tissue, which provides more information for a more accurate diagnosis. The researchers turned to Raman spectroscopy as a possible solution because it is a non-invasive technique that requires no sample preparation or staining to determine subtle differences in the molecular composition of complex samples such as cells.
“We would like to use Raman spectroscopy to improve the pathologist’s analysis of the cells obtained with fine needle aspiration to reduce the number of thyroidectomies necessary,” said Chan. “This would both minimize surgical complications and reduce healthcare costs.”
For the new study, the researchers used a line-scan Raman microscope that allowed them to rapidly acquire Raman signals from an entire cell volume. This allowed them to more accurately capture the chemical composition of entire cells compared to other approaches that acquire a Raman spectrum from only part of a cell’s volume. Multivariate statistical methods and classification methods were then used to analyse the Raman data and classify the cells in an objective, unbiased manner.
The researchers applied this Raman spectroscopy approach to individual cells isolated from 10 patient thyroid nodules diagnosed as benign or cancerous. The data analysis identified unique spectral differences that could distinguish cancerous cells from benign with 97 percent diagnostic accuracy. They also showed that other subtypes could be identified by their spectral differences.
“These preliminary results are exciting because they involve single cells from human clinical samples, but more work will need to be done to take this from a research project to final clinical use,” said Chan.
The Optical Society (OSA) https://tinyurl.com/y6hw35z8

Randox Laboratories recently announced its achievement in being awarded the Manufacturer Certification by the National Glycohemoglobin Standardization Program (NGSP) for direct HbA1c testing on three of its clinical chemistry analysers: the RX modena, RX imola and RX daytona+.

NGSP is recommended for laboratories conducting diabetes-related clinical trials and is only granted on the basis of 98% accuracy. With the global prevalence of diabetes mellitus increasing rapidly, affecting roughly 8% of the total population, the achievement of this certification emphasizes that the Randox RX series clinical chemistry analysers correlate with global standards and deliver accurate, reliable and precise results for direct HbA1c testing, helping clinicians make informed decisions for patients with diabetes.

The Randox automated immunoturbidmetric HbA1c test exhibits high accuracy and reproducibility with the added advantages of using liquid reagents with good stability, and on-board pre-treatment of samples; therefore, offering an improved method for the rapid direct measurement of HbA1c in human blood.

Randox Direct HbA1c assay features
· Sample type – suitable for use with whole blood samples
· Latex enhanced immunoassay method – the Randox assay utilizes an immunoassay method making it simple and quick to perform
· Liquid ready to use reagents – for ease of use and convenience
· Excellent stability – all reagents are stable to expiry date when stored at +2-8ºC or 28 days on board the analyser at approximately 10°C

Advantages of the RX series direct HbA1c testing
· Fully automated on-board hemolysis function for HbA1c testing
· Continuous loading and STAT sample functionality to enhance productivity in the laboratory (analyser dependent)
· Low sample volumes required
· 1200 tests per hour including ISE (RX modena)

www.randox.com

On 14^th November 2019 a “continuing medical education course” is organized at the Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC) entitled “Prime time for precision diagnostics driven by unmet clinical needs”. During this symposium (inter)national experts will discuss health and disease at a molecular level on the basis of Clinical Proteomics. Case studies are presented to exemplify the potential for precision diagnostics. Furthermore, it will be emphasized that clinical needs need to be defined to contribute to patient care in an efficient and effective way. www.boerhaavecontinuingmedicaleducation.com

AESKU.GROUP recently announced completed acquisition of immunofluorescence assay (IFA) specialist MBL BION from MBL Intl., securing their position as the leading provider of IFA solutions to clinical laboratories. The acquisition increases AESKU.GROUP’s addressable market and strengthens its market position.
AESKU.GROUP has a track record of developing, producing, and marketing innovative diagnostic assays and automated systems, and has a global network of proven distribution partners. A significant factor in their success is complete solutions for clinical laboratories, including all-in-one testing and reading automation with the SQII for enzyme immunoassay (ELISA), HELIA® for line immunoassay (LIA), and HELIOS®, which was the first all-in-one system on the market for IFA. This innovation, along with the confirmation of IFA as the gold-standard for autoimmunity screening in clinical guidelines, has led to over 400 HELIOS placements worldwide and in-creased demand for AESKU IFA reagents.
MBL Bion has over 40 years’ experience manufacturing IFA products of the highest quality and is a leading provider of autoimmunity and infectious disease testing slides. They have a strong market presence in the Americas, and a centre of manufacturing excellence in Des Plaines, IL, USA. Adding MBL Bion’s manufacturing capacity and broad range of reagents lets AESKU.GROUP help laboratories expand their IFA testing with the most extensive range of IFA products available on all-in-one automation combined with a unique quality control portfolio for the diagnosis of autoimmune and infectious diseases.
AESKU.GROUP CEO Dr. Torsten Matthias was delighted with the acquisition, saying, “We have found true synergy. MBL BION’s operations and product portfolio fit perfectly with the AESKU.GROUP. Between the expansion of our IFA manufacturing in Buffalo, NY, and MBL BION’s Des Plaines operations, AESKU can speed order processing and delivery times. Furthermore, the high quality of their HEp-2 cells and extensive infectious disease testing slides add incredible value to our new HELIOS ‘HTC’ humidity and temperature control module. For the first time, clinical laboratories can access the highest level of automation and environmental control for both auto-
immunity and infectious serology testing.”

A chemical that highlights tumour cells has been used by surgeons to help spot and safely remove brain cancer in a trial presented at the 2018 NCRI Cancer Conference. The research was carried out with patients who had suspected glioma, the most common form of brain cancer. Treatment usually involves surgery to remove as much of the cancer as possible, but it can be challenging for surgeons to identify all of the cancer cells while avoiding healthy brain tissue.

Researchers say that using the fluorescent marker helps surgeons to distinguish the most aggressive cancer cells from other brain tissue and they hope this will ultimately improve patient survival. The research was presented by Dr Kathreena Kurian, a Reader/Associate Professor in brain tumour research at the University of Bristol and consultant neuropathologist at North Bristol NHS Trust, UK. The study was led by Colin Watts, Professor of Neurosurgery and chair of the Birmingham brain cancer programme at the University of Birmingham, UK. Dr Kurian explained: “Gliomas are difficult to treat with survival times often measured in months rather than years. Many patients are treated with surgery and the aim is to safely remove as much of the cancer as possible. Once a tumour is removed, it is passed on to a pathologist who examines the cells under a microscope to see if they are ‘high-grade’, fast growing cells, or ‘low-grade’ slower growing cells. And we can plan further treatment, such as radiotherapy or chemotherapy, based on that diagnosis. “We wanted to see if using a fluorescent marker could help surgeons objectively identify high-grade tumour cells during surgery, allowing them to remove as much cancer as possible while leaving normal brain tissue intact.”

The researchers used a compound called 5-aminolevulinic acid or 5-ALA, which glows pink when a light is shone on it. Previous research shows that, when consumed, 5-ALA accumulates in fast growing cancer cells and this means it can act as a fluorescent marker of high-grade cells.

The study involved patients with suspected high-grade gliomas treated at the Royal Liverpool Hospital, Kings College Hospital in London or Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, UK. They were aged between 23 and 77 years, with an average (median) age of 59 years. Before surgery to remove their brain tumours, each patient was given a drink containing 5-ALA.

Surgeons then used operating microscopes to help them look for fluorescent tissue while removing tumours from the patients’ brains. The tissue they removed was sent to the pathology lab where scientists could confirm the accuracy of the surgeons’ work.

A total of 99 patients received the 5-ALA marker and could be assessed for signs of fluorescence. During their operations, surgeons re-ported seeing fluorescence in 85 patients and 81 of these were subsequently confirmed by pathologists to have high-grade disease, one was found to have low-grade disease and three could not be assessed.

In the 14 patients where surgeons did not see any fluorescence, only seven tumours could be subsequently evaluated by pathology but in all these cases, low-grade disease was confirmed. Professor Watts said: “Neurosurgeons need to be able to distinguish tumour tissue from other brain tissue, especially when the tumour contains fastgrowing, high-grade cancer cells. This is the first prospective trial to show the benefits of using 5-ALA to improve the accuracy of diagnosing high-grade glioma during surgery. These results show that the marker is very good at indicating the presence and location of high-grade cancer cells.
National Cancer Research Institute www.ncri.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Kurian-Glioma-for-online.pdf