UK News

Putting a Priority on Training

Introducing John Winter - Technical Support and Training Manager

John has recently started the new role of Technical Support and Training Manager, and now looks after our team of 11 Technical Support Specialists across all disciplines. He also manages both the service and customer training functions. John joined Beckman Coulter 6 years ago as a field service engineer in the North East. 4 years later he relocated to the South and took on the role of  Technical Support Specialist for Clinical Chemistry, during which he contributed to the successful launch of the Unicel DxC clinical chemistry line of analysers.

‘This year we are looking to more formalise our on-site training to ensure consistent delivery. We will also be stepping up the quality of both customer and service courses by enhancing our team’s abilities with further ‘train the trainer’ courses.

This, coupled with new advanced courses for customers and update training for engineers, will ensure that customers will feel more confident when troubleshooting minor instrument issues. Additionally, engineers that can resolve more complex problems more quickly.’ ‘ In terms of technical support my team have carried out major reviews of engineer’s car stock, with the aim of ensuring the engineers carry the parts to achieve a first time fix more often. We now also have a revised escalation process that helps specialists capture instrument issues before they become critical, providing better support for our engineers.’

Beckman Coulter Commercializes First Automated Inhibin A Assay Successful Transfer of DSL ELISA Method

Beckman Coulter has introduced Access® Inhibin A – the first automated assay for the quantitative determination of dimeric inhibin A levels in human serum and plasma. Inhibin A is used as an aid in the diagnosis and monitoring of various reproductive hormonal disorders. Through the acquisition of Diagnostic System Laboratories, Inc. (DSL), Beckman Coulter has an exclusive license to manufacture and market the assay.

By automating Inhibin A, Beckman Coulter enables laboratories to run a common panel of reproductive tests on one analyzer from one patient sample. Published reports also indicate the utility of Inhibin A for monitoring ovarian function. The test is available on any of Beckman Coulter’s family of immunoassay systems, including the Access 2 and the UniCel® DxI 800 Access immunoassay systems. In addition to a complete panel of reproductive assays, Beckman Coulter immunoassay systems offer highly accurate and sensitive tests for a variety of disease states, including cardiac, cancer, anaemia, thyroid function, infectious disease and bone metabolism. requesting further information and have a chance of winning your very own PDA.

State-of-the-art assays for Hepatitis B

Beckman Coulter will release two new Access assays in 2007 to aid in the detection of Hepatitis B infections. It is estimated that there are in excess of 400 million chronic carriers of the Hepatitis B virus worldwide, an indication of the size of this public health problem.

The detection of Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), is used to identify patients with acute Hepatitis B infections. The new assay has been standardised to the latest WHO standard (WHO 00/588) and has a high sensitivity for all genotypes of the virus.
HBs assay has been developed to detect antibodies against different mutant forms of the HBs protein. Importantly, the assay has also been tested against a panel of 15 different mutant forms of the viral protein with both single and multiple point mutations and including the G145R.

There will also be a new assay to detect antibodies to the Hepatitis B surface antigen, anti-HBs. This is used to detect patients recovering from the viral infection, and is also important in detecting protective levels of antibodies in those individuals. The new Access anti- HBs assay has been developed to detect antibodies against different
mutant forms of the HBs protein.

The two new assays in the Access Hepatitis B panel represent state-of-the art in the detection of this widespread viral infection. They also demonstrate a commitment of Beckman Coulter to the infectious disease and blood virus panels on Access, which should be further enhanced by CMV assays later in the year.

New Flow Cytometry Catalogue Now Available

Beckman Coulter offers a wide range of clinical and research reagents and instruments to enhance your research. From high-quality flow cytometry sample prep reagents, through MHC tetramers and Flow Cytomix Multiplexed Cytokine assays to specific T, NK and Dendritic cell markers. Who says you can’t have it all?

Beckman Coulter has bridged the gap with reagents for clinical and research use with human and non-human antigens. And, we’ve expanded our selection with new reagent lines for signal transduction, bead-based multiplexing and immunotoxicology. Whether you need powerful, automated instruments or hundreds of reliable reagents, you’ll discover all the cellular analysis solutions you need, all in one place: the 2007⁄2008 catalog.

To receive your own personal copy e-mail: infouk@beckmancoulter.com

New kit unlocks archived nucleic acid samples

Millions of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded samples are archived at research facilities and cancer centres around the world. The Agencourt FormaPure system now provides a simple process for extracting total nucleic acid from FFPE tissue samples, without the need for vacuum filtration, centrifugation or use of organic solvents.

The system can also be automated on the Biomek NX Span-8 Laboratory Automation Workstation, processing 96 samples in just four hours (including paraffin digestion), with significantly higher yields and greater purity of nucleic acids than other methods.

Based on Agencourt’s patented SPRI (Solid Phase Reversible Immobilization) paramagnetic bead-based nucleic acid purification technology, the FormaPure process can extract both DNA and RNA from a wide range of tissues, for use in techniques such as SNP genotyping, gene expression and DNA sequencing.

New Faces

Clare Shawley - Engineer Coordination (Haematology and Flow Cytometry)

Clare joined Beckman Coulter in April 2006, originally covering maternity leave in our logistics department. She then moved to the hotline engineer coordination group earlier this year. Some of our customers may be familiar with her already as she coordinates the dispatch of our field service engineers for all our haematology and flow cytometry products.

Having previously worked for customer service in a transport company managing road and sea exports, Clare brings a wealth of expertise and talent to her new role.
In her spare time Clare teaches aqua aerobics twice a week and is a qualified fitness instructor.

Sandra Walch, Northern Haematology Specialist

Sandra also joined Beckman Coulter in December 2006 having worked previously in
Haematology department, Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield. A graduate of Sheffield Hallam University, Sandra has also previously worked at Addenbrookes where she assisted in a 3- way evaluation of haematology analysers.

Engineers use new service PDA system

Field service engineers are currently benefiting from the roll out of a new service mobile/PDA. Recently introduced, the phone has a multifunctional service which reduces ‘on the job’ and out of hours administration. The device, which also functions as a pager has a live link to our Oracle system, enables engineers to close calls and confirm the next call sent from our co-ordination team.

Closing calls in a live setting allows engineers’ parts stock to be automatically replenished, giving them and you, our customers, better parts availability. Additionally, with the Gantt chart automatically updated, it can state the availability of an engineer in real time. Knowing the whereabouts and status of our engineers allows us to despatch support to you in the most timely and efficient way possible.

Hybritech PSA and WHO re-standardisation

Beckman Coulter launched new calibration protocols for the Access Hybritech PSA and free PSA assays late in 2006. In addition to the original Hybritech calibration, both assays may now be standardised against the WHO 96/670 standard. There has been pressure in the UK to harmonise all PSA and free PSA methods, and the use of the WHO 96/670 standard is an important step in this process.

Importantly, the PSA cut-off of 4 ug/L that is used throughout the world, was generated using the original Hybritech Tandem-R PSA calibration. Beckman Coulter has defined a new cut-off of 3.1 ug/ L, for Access PSA values standardised to the WHO preparation. It is important that laboratories make their clinicians aware of any change in standardisation of the PSA assay, and discuss the revised cut-off of 3.1 ug/L quoted above. A laboratory calibrated to the WHO standard, but quoting the 4.0 ug/L cut-off, may miss up to 15% of prostate cancers.

UniCel® DxC 600i in Scottish Isles

Two laboratories in the Scottish Isles have recently installed the latest consolidated workstation released by Beckman Coulter. The UniCel® DxC 600i continues the company’s strategy to deliver standardised product lines with large onboard test menus for greater workstation consolidation. With an on-board capacity of 89 reagents, the system offers a me0nu of almost 150 different tests, ranging from cardiac and tumour markers to tests for renal function, diabetes and more. The system offers a throughput up to 990 chemistry tests per hour and up to 100 immunoassay tests per hour.

To download the complete article e-mail: infouk@beckmancoulter.com

Gene Expression at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine

Efforts to control malaria rely heavily on the use of insecticides such as pyrethroids, the only type suitable for treating bed nets. After several decades of use and a dramatic increase over the last ten years, pyrethroid resistance is a growing problem which threatens to compromise the effectiveness of malaria control programmes.

Our work involves monitoring resistance in field populations of mosquitos and looking for correlations between individual genes and resistance to four insecticides. Initial screening is done using microarray analysis to take a snapshot of resistance in a few samples from each location.

In order to carry out higher throughput multiplexed analysis we purchased a GenomeLab GeXP. This enables us to measure the expression of 20 or 30 genes simultaneously, which is ideal as we can only obtain a very small amount of RNA from a single mosquito. We’ve been very impressed by the reproducibility of results and the robust technology. As well as measuring the expression levels of candidate genes, the GeXP also detects the presence of sequence polymorphisms so that we can see if it would be worth sequencing particular genes.

The aim of our studies is to develop a simpler test based on two or three genes which could be used in the field, helping to widen resistance monitoring throughout Africa and in South America. Clearly there is no point using a particular insecticide in a control programme if resistance to it has become widespread. Secondly, we want to understand how resistance develops in order to help in the rational development of novel insecticides: will the enzyme coded for by this gene also break down that insecticide?

Dr Hilary Ranson
Senior Lecturer at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine

Two new facilities select Beckman Coulter centrifuges

Nottingham’s ‘different by design’ vet school

The UK’s first new veterinary school in 50 years has opened with purpose-built learning, research and clinical teaching facilities at the University of Nottingham’s Sutton Bonnington campus. Scott Hulme, Senior Research Technician, explains the choice of Beckman Coulter centrifuges to equip the new School of Veterinary Medicine and Science: ‘We decided on Beckman Coulter Allegra X-22 benchtop and Avanti high speed centrifuges because they offered not only the best value for money but the greatest versatility.

The universal rotors are just what we needed, being fully adaptable for our wide range of research areas, from pathology to cellular immunology and molecular biology.’ The first Nottingham vet students started in September 2006 and the highly innovative clinically integrated programme involves handling animals from day 1. A similarly pioneering approach to research is being encouraged, based on leading-edge work in close collaboration with departments within the university as well as with other UK research centres.

Beckman Coulter is continuing to support the vet school by sponsoring two undergraduate student prizes, to be awarded annually for outstanding work in haematology and in immunology and the molecular basis of medicine.

Award-winning prion research

Dr Francesca Properzi has won the 2006 Tony Ball Memorial Prize for her work on automating the Scrapie Cell Assay, using a Biomek FX Assay workstation. This test, a quantitative in vitro assay for prion infectivity, was developed by one of the world’s most renowned researchers in this field, Dr Charles Weissmann, and his group at the MRC Prion Unit. Following collaboration with Beckman Coulter, Dr Properzi has automated the assay on a Biomek FX Assay Workstation, enabling the Unit to process hundreds more samples per week than was previously possible. ‘The Biomek FX Assay Workstation is very useful for all our cell work and the user-friendly software makes it easy for new users to learn the system really quickly’.

Biomek FX, the most flexible liquid handling system available, includes task-specific hardware and easy-to-use software for enhanced productivity. The Tony Ball Memorial Prize for Research on Prion Diseases is awarded annually to the researcher
within the MRC Prion Unit at the Institute of Neurology who has made the most significant contribution to prion research. The award was set up with funds raised by the family and friends of Tony Ball, a patient of the Institute of Neurology Prion Clinic who died in 2001.

5-Colour Flow Cytometer Aids Vital Work on Treatment for MRD

Vital treatment for Minimal Residual Disease (MRD) at the Sheffield Children’s Hospital will be enhanced by the latest addition of a Beckman Coulter FC500 flow cytometer, with CXP software. The FC 500 was selected because it enables a fast, automated 5-colour analysis to be carried out from either single or dual laser excitation.

The money for the FC500 was raised by the Parents Association of Children with Tumours and Leukaemia (PACT). The charity has played a leading role in raising money for analytical equipment and research projects since it was established 30 years ago.

To download the complete article e-mail: infouk@beckmancoulter.com

Interpretive Skills of Sheffield Haematology Labs

Largest Remisol Set-up in Europe

The excellence of interpretive skills singles out the laboratory haematology services at the Royal Hallamshire and Northern General hospitals - part of the Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. This is further enhanced by the reputation they have in medical laboratories for the quality of their staff and the training they receive. Underpinning their individual approach is the innovative way the teams manage their information technology resources that feed data to the analysers; plus the technology on which the analysers themselves are based.

To download the complete article e-mail: infouk@beckmancoulter.com

Beckman Coulter New Users: The North Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust celebrate their first anniversary

Warrington Hospital and Halton General Hospital, Runcorn made the move to Beckman Coulter after using alternative technology for some 23 years and have just reached their first Anniversary.

The Trust are now enjoying the benefits of twin Coulter® LH 700 Series systems at the 600 Bed Warrington Hospital and a Coulter® LH500 System at Halton General Hospital.

To download the complete article e-mail: infouk@beckmancoulter.com