The UK-Rapid Test Consortium (UK-RTC), a group of UK scientists and expert medical manufacturers led by Abingdon Health, has reached “design freeze” for its Covid-19 antibody test. The UK-RTC was set up in April 2020 to develop and manufacture millions of Covid-19 antibody tests to determine if someone’s immune system has responded to infection from Covid-19....

Postnova Analytics have published an informative new white paper that details how multi-detector Asymmetrical Field Flow Fractionation (AF4) and Electrical AF4 (EAF4) techniques are transforming the separation and characterization of viruses and antibodies. Viruses are the scientific story of 2020 with the global Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic thrusting them to the forefront of almost every person’s consciousness around the world....

Twist Bioscience Corporation, a company enabling customers to succeed through its offering of high-quality synthetic DNA using its silicon platform, has announced the availability of the Twist Respiratory Virus Research Panel, a robust next-generation sequencing (NGS) approach to detecting a wide range of respiratory diseases including SARS-CoV-2, several other coronaviruses, influenzas, rhinoviruses and respiratory syncytial virus...

PrecisionLife’s unique AI platform has found 68 genes associated with risk of developing severe COVID-19 after analysis of the genomes of 929 patients from the UK Biobank who had a severe response to SARS-CoV-2. Prior to an effective and widely available vaccine, PrecisionLife’s insights may help to identify patients who are at greatest risk of developing the most severe forms of COVID-19....

As experts in haematology HORIBA UK Ltd, Medical announces that the Company has published a white paper entitled, ‘COVID-19 screening, prognosis and severity assessment with biomarkers for management of patients’. Written in collaboration with academic partners, the paper provides a review of routinely measured biomarkers that can provide additional information to help in the assessment of the severity of COVID-19 infection; therefore, supporting clinical decision making for risk stratification and patient management....

Beckman Coulter has announced that its Access SARS-CoV-2 IgG assay has received Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA). Beckman Coulter has already shipped tests to more than 400 hospitals, clinics and diagnostics laboratories in the U.S., and has begun distribution of the new antibody test globally to countries that accept the FDA EUA and CE Mark. The company is able to deliver more than 30 million tests a month...

NanoImaging Services, Inc. (NIS), specialists in transmission electron microscopy (TEM) with a vision to make cryoEM workflows accessible to all, has announced the opening of a new facility in Boston. NIS is expanding with new services and locations to support its growing customer base requiring cryoEM for drug discovery and vaccine development applications. COVID-19 projects are receiving prioritization....

Abingdon Health is pleased to announce further expansion at its York headquarters in the UK, following further investment in state-of-the-art lateral flow automation. This will provide a significant increase in its manufacturing footprint, resulting in Europe’s largest capacity for rapid test manufacturing. This news comes weeks after the UK Government announced Abingdon Health as one of the leading members of the UK Rapid Test Consortium (UK-RTC)....

AI VIVO, a company combining systems pharmacology and artificial intelligence (AI) to accelerate drug discovery, has announced that its platform correctly identified dexamethasone as having high potential for the treatment of COVID-19 in April 2020. This demonstrates the ability of AI VIVO’s platform to systematically and correctly identify candidates with the highest chance of therapeutic success.

A new report details potential paths to solutions to overcoming the global Covid-19 crisis and ways to prepare for or even prevent a future pandemic. "There is a tremendous need for a common set of scientific facts about the virus and reliable, verified data," said "Udit Batra, member of the Merck Executive Board and CEO, Life Science. "We are aiming to establish a common baseline of agreed priorities upon which we can engage the wider scientific and innovation community to...

Manufacturers of personal protective equipment (PPE) and protective rubber clothing can now quickly gain CE stamp of approval through the use of Ellutia automated Permeation analysis system. The automated systems speeds up analysis time through new simultaneous testing methods, to determine the rubber glove material resistance to chemical permeation specified under European Regulation EN 16523-1.[1] Test results can be reported as specified by ISO to qualify for the appropriate CE mark for essential protective clothing....

Avacta Group plc (AIM: AVCT), the developer of Affimer® biotherapeutics and reagents, is pleased to announce that the first Affimer-based rapid test strips to detect SARS-COV-2 spike protein have been developed and evaluated by Avacta’s partners at Cytiva (formerly GE Healthcare Life Sciences) and show positive initial performance data. In mid-May Avacta provided Affimer reagents that are specific to the SARS-COV-2 spike protein to Cytiva which has now developed the first lateral flow test strips...

Kerafast Inc., developers of an online platform to facilitate access to unique lab-made bioresearch materials, today announced the availability of the Delta-G-VSV Pseudotyping System for coronavirus research applications. The system, developed by the Michael Whitt laboratory at University of Tennessee, enables studies of SARS-CoV-2 viral entry and COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness at just biosafety level 2 (BSL-2) containment....

Since March, Attana has been assisting the team of Prof Ali Salanti at the University of Copenhagen in their development of a COVID-19 vaccine together with the Prevent-nCov consortium. Their vaccine is based on the Capsid Virus-Like Particle (cVLP) technology where coronavirus antigens are attached to the cVLP allowing the body’s immune system to respond to the antigens and produce antibodies....

An advanced laboratory dedicated to leading Wales’ national Covid-19 testing has been established in Cardiff, thanks to collaboration between Public Health Wales and one of the world’s leading diagnostics companies. Creating a national Covid-19 testing lab at the University Hospital of Wales is an important part of the Welsh Government’s Test, Trace, Protect strategy and has been made possible thanks to the support...

The COVID-19 pandemic has placed unprecedented pressure on clinical research and diagnostic laboratories to process more samples, much more quickly. INTEGRA Biosciences offers a range of pipetting systems designed to speed up PCR-based screening workflows, without requiring complex installations or needing lab staff to spend time undertaking specialist training and developing new protocols....

A Danish pipetting robot is automating Covid testing processes in hospitals around Europe. The robot, called flowbot ONE, significantly reduces the time it takes for laboratories to produce results for patients to tell them whether they are infected with Covid-19. A unique liquid-handling robot from Denmark is now speeding up the great task of analysing Covid tests....

Four leading participants from the problem-solving exercise will provide facts and data-driven insights on their methodology as well as steps forward to accelerate global recovery from Covid-19 and build the infrastructure to combat future public health crises. This live, virtual event will include an audience Q&A. The six-part series is hosted by the Life Science business of Merck....

The CEOs of Gerresheimer, Stevanato Group, and SCHOTT are committed to ensuring ample supply of pharmaceutical containers for any Covid-19 vaccine and treatment that is developed, and that no patient shall be left behind, no matter what region of the world they live in. Also, the companies will make every effort to support the pharma industry’s priorities for overall medication supply in addition to Covid-19 drugs...