NEWS


New multimodal approach to Alzheimer’s


Circular Genomics’ blood-based circular RNA (circRNA) biomarker platform is to be combined with Altoida’s AI-powered Digital NeuroMarker platform, in a new collaboration designed to advance an integrated biology-and-function approach to diagnosing and treating Alzheimer’s disease. The two companies will work


together to create a first-of-kind, multimodal approach to improve early identification, patient stratification and longitudinal monitoring in Alzheimer’s disease. The collaboration brings together two complementary technologies that measure distinct aspects of disease aetiology: blood- based molecular signatures of neurodegeneration and disease progression and objective digital measures of cognitive function. Together, the companies intend to demonstrate a new frontline diagnostic paradigm that combines objective measures of digital cognitive function and disease biology. The integrated approach is


designed to create a scalable and efficient digital-first pathway that assesses cognitive function followed by a confirmatory disease biology and pathology blood test. This pathway fits naturally into routine clinical workflows, reduces reliance on specialist-based assessment, and enables earlier interventions when they can have the greatest impact. As part of the collaboration, the companies plan to conduct real-world evidence studies evaluating the combined workflow in clinical research and frontline care setings. By combining molecular evidence


of neurodegeneration with rapid and sensitive measures of functional change, the collaboration aims to generate evidence for a practical frontline workflow in which a 10-minute, self-administered objective cognitive function assessment can be completed before a circRNA blood biomarker testing is ordered to confirm disease biology. This approach is designed to help reduce reliance on subjective specialist-based neuropsychological bateries that can take hours.


New technology extends ESR test window


A new study has found that erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) samples measured by photometric rheology on innovative new analysers remained accurate for up to 28 hours at room temperature and 48 hours refrigerated, seven times longer than the traditional Westergren method’s four-hour room- temperature limit. For a hundred years, a sample to be


tested for ESR – relied upon by doctors to diagnose and monitor infections, autoimmune conditions and other diseases – had to be tested or refrigerated within four hours for its result to be trusted. A new peer-reviewed study published in Diagnostics says that deadline belongs to the past. The study found that ESR samples


measured by photometric rheology on ALCOR Scientific’s iSED analysers remained accurate for up to 28 hours at room temperature and 48 hours refrigerated. As clinical laboratories contend with scatered blood collection sites, longer courier routes and staffing shortages, the extended sample stability could deliver immediate benefits to laboratories and the patients they serve. The iSED analyser takes a new approach to ESR testing. Using


photometric rheology technology, it optically captures red blood cell aggregation, the earliest and most critical step of erythrocyte sedimentation, inside a temperature-controlled flow cell, generating a result in less than 20 seconds. Because it reads the very beginning of the aggregation process in a controlled environment, the iSED analyser is largely insulated from the time-sensitive changes that undermine traditional readings, extending sample stability seven times longer than traditional testing. Koshy T, Lamazares Y, Evans S, Jortani S. Measuring Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate Using Photometric Rheology Technology Demonstrates Superior Sample Stability as Compared to the Westergren Method. Diagnostics (Basel). 2026;16(16):2648. doi:10.3390/diagnostics16162648


Cancer drugs boost MRSA antibiotics


Scientists from the University of Galway have uncovered a surprising link between commonly used anti-cancer drugs and antibiotics that could offer a potential new approach to tackling infections caused by antibiotic-resistant microorganisms. The research team set out to find


new ways to treat methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) using drugs that are currently ineffective due to antibiotic resistance – a growing challenge in healthcare. The study investigated whether a


range of anti-cancer drugs could help penicillin-type antibiotics, which are among the most widely used antibiotics, to become effective again. The testing of five anti-cancer drugs revealed that four of them (5-fluorouracil; 5-fluororidine; gemcitabine; and mitomycin C) helped penicillin-type antibiotics to kill MRSA. These drugs interfere with the bacteria’s


14 WWW.PATHOLOGYINPRACTICE.COM October 2026


ability to make DNA, making the bacteria more vulnerable to the antibiotics. A fifth anti-cancer drug which was


tested (6-thioguanine) had the opposite effect and reduced the effectiveness of the antibiotics. Although this drug also affects DNA production in MRSA, it works in a different way, which may explain the different effects. The discovery opens new avenues for


research into combination therapies which could help extend the lifespan of existing antibiotics and provide new options for infections caused by bacteria resistant to traditional antibiotic treatments. Nolan AC, Byrne S, Zeden MS, O’Gara JP. Purine and pyrimidine analogs differentially regulate cell wall precursor biosynthesis to control β-lactam susceptibility in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. mBio. 2026 Sep 8. e0127426. doi: 10.1128/ mbio.01274-26. Online ahead of print.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56