NEWS
NHS expands ‘one-hour’ liver testing for hepatitis C
Thousands of people unknowingly living with hepatitis C are to be identified, diagnosed and cured thanks to major NHS investment in rapid testing technology and an extension of a ground-breaking medicines deal.
New liver scanning and portable testing units will be deployed in a range of communities where patients are at high risk of contracting the infection. This includes on community clinical outreach vans, at drug and alcohol support services, or at special testing events in some GP practices as part of the final phase of the dedicated hepatitis C Elimination Programme, which could see England become to first country in the world to eliminate the virus as a public health threat.
Once found by targeted outreach, hepatitis C patients can be treated on the NHS with antiviral medicines all thanks to a two-year extension to a pioneering deal with three pharmaceutical companies, to supply the latest antiviral drugs. Since the elimination programme drive began in 2015, around 84,000 people have been treated for hepatitis C and it is hoped the virus can be stamped out as a public health concern in England, years ahead of the World Health Organization’s 2030 ambition.
NHS England is investing £4.2 million to buy 25 FibroScan machines, which will be deployed in communities and care settings and facilities where there are potential hepatitis C patients. The scanners test for liver damage and provide immediate results, referring people to onward care if needed and helping to diagnose liver disease and liver cancer at an earlier, more treatable stage.
Thirty-four Cepheid GeneXpert portable testing units will also be procured and expanded to community settings including GP clinics and prisons, to allow the elimination programme’s teams to test people experiencing homelessness or drug users who may struggle to meet appointments. The kit can detect whether people are infected with the hepatitis C virus in less than 60 minutes. NHS National Medical Director, Professor Sir Stephen Powis, said: “This investment ensures the NHS will continue to save thousands of lives and set the international standard in the drive to eliminate hepatitis C by 2030 and, while tackling a significant health inequality. New portable testing devices, and an extension of our landmark commercial deal, is helping us reach those most at risk.”
New transplant monitoring partnership for Bio-Rad
Bio-Rad Laboratories has announced a collaboration agreement with Oncocyte, a precision diagnostics company, to develop and commercialise transplant monitoring products using Bio-Rad’s Droplet Digital PCR (ddPCR) instruments and reagents. Under the terms of the agreement, Bio-Rad has committed to participate in a private placement of Oncocyte’s equity and has secured exclusive commercial rights in certain markets to commercialise Oncocyte’s assay for transplant monitoring research using Bio-Rad’s QX600 ddPCR System (pictured). Transplanted organs release cell-free DNA into the bloodstream of the recipient. This donor-derived cell-free DNA (dd- cfDNA) is a sensitive biomarker for organ health that requires only a simple blood draw. The novel approach developed by the team at Oncocyte allows the assay
FIT and
to be applied to clinical research of both recent and non-recent transplants. The utility of the ddPCR-based approach has been well demonstrated, including in a prospective, observational, multi- centre cohort trial published in 2017, which showed earlier and more sensitive discrimination of liver transplant patients with acute rejection, compared to conventional liver functional test methods. Oncocyte’s transplant monitoring assays and the Bio-Rad QX600 ddPCR System provide a highly sensitive and decentralised solution that could provide a more attractive alternative for laboratories that currently rely on centralised next-generation sequencing (NGS) test providers.
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