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This presentation will include how her career progressed to a Point of Care Testing (POCT) role in the Wales Specialist Virology Centre. It will also cover what POCT is; the method of testing, who gets tested and why POCT is crucial in the efforts to achieve the WHO initiative to eliminate Hepatitis C in Wales.

Examples of what a day-in-the-life of a "POCT-er" consists of: mass screening projects, case studies, what has been learnt from testing in prison and in the community (homeless shelters and substance misuse services). The future of POCT: what's on the horizon?

The presentation provides an overview on potential benefits and risks of near-patient testing conducted by health care professionals, including testing of self-collected specimens.

This presentation will outline the content of Paola's Clincal Case Study from her Higher Specialist Portfolio in Medical Microbiology. Here she will present the initial clinical presentation, diagnosis and treatment of a case of neonatal sepsis that linked to a previous unusual maternal screening swab. She will also outline her experience of the Higher Specialist Diploma and her plans for developing a training plan within Microbiology QMC, Nottingham for future candidates within their trust.

Next-generation molecular diagnostics: Leveraging digital technologies to enhance multiplexing in real-time PCR

Nuisance Antibodies

The presentation provides an overview on the technology and analytical performance of a new true molecular point of care testing system without need for upfront specimen preparation, and the potential benefits resulting from its use at the point of care. The presentation also discusses key aspects to be considered prior to implementation at the point of care

Polio – why has it reappeared?

The idea of generating blood cells in vitro for transfusion is not new but only now we are reaching the point where the concept is reaching clinical trials. In vitro derived blood cells (namely platelets and red cells at this stage) are complementary to blood donor-derived products but with distinct advantages: biological safety, more resilient supply line and potentially less immunogenicity.

We have developed a forward programming approach relying on the overexpression of transcription factors in pluripotent stem cells to produce the platelet mother cells, the megakaryocytes, conferring added efficiency and purity to the culture system. The challenges that remain to be addressed are related to transition to GMP production, optimising platelet release in the culture and quality control of the final product. The power of genome editing has also allowed us to explore the production of platelets with added clinical benefit (immune silent, added thrombotic potential).

Red cell production from primary CD34+ progenitors has been demonstrated in academic laboratories about a decade ago. We are now mid-way through a first in human study to look at the potential of using in vitro derived red cells for transfusion. One of the main benefits would be a potentially longer survival of the manufactured red cells in the circulation than their donor-derived counterpart. This would allow spacing out transfusion intervals for patients on chronic transfusion programme, thereby reducing iron overload.

This presentation is based on a case study used for a portfolio of Higher Specialist Diploma awarded by the IBMS. The presentation will look at how blood cultures taken on admission helped with diagnosis and appropriate treatment of a patient. It will also go in to brief detail on the organism isolated, Streptobacillus moniliformis.

Diphtheria is a potentially fatal disease caused by strains of Corynebacterium diphtheriae, C. ulcerans or C. pseudotubercolosis that express the diphtheria toxin. It can present as a respiratory infection or as non-healing skin wounds. Diphtheria was historically most likely to be caused by C. diphtheriae. It is very rare in England (typically <10 cases per year) due to a successful routine immunisation programme. However, there has been a recent gradual increase in cases over several years, particularly cutaneous infections and those caused by toxigenic C. ulcerans strains (which can be carried by household pets).

In 2022, there was a particulary large increase in diphtheria in England, with 87 cases and 3 deaths. This included 72 toxigenic C. diphtheriae infections in asylum seekers, thought to be aquired during their travel to the UK. Symptoms ranged from severe respiratory diphtheria to cutaneous infections and asymptomatic carriage. Similar increases of C. diphtheriae infections in travelling migrants have been seen in several European countries. Some of these isolates are multidrug resistant, including to macrolides, the default recommendation for treatment, and this will require careful monitoring.