Events in 2023

Sustainability is the balance between the environment, equity, and economy. It is well documented that our changing climate has severe implications for public and planetary health. As healthcare professionals, we have a responsibility to consider the way we practice and try to reduce any negative impacts of our practice.

This workshop looks at the carbon footprint of the lab and discusses what processes and practices can be adapted to reduce the carbon footprint of pathology practice. It explores the barriers to change and areas to target for improvement.

Quality issues and accreditation for andrology services

This workshop on "How to publish your research" is delivered by the British Journal of Biomedical Science team. The aim of the workshop is to provide attendees with a clear understanding of the publishing process, so they feel empowered to submit their research to a peer-reviewed journal. As the British Journal of Biomedical Science is the official journal of the IBMS the workshop will provide members with the opportunity to discuss how they can engage with their journal.

Transplant Assessment and Relative Opportunity Tool (TAROT) for Renal Transplantation: Improving the chance of transplant for immunologically complex patients

This presentation will introduce basic sleep physiology related to the pathophysiological mechanisms Narcolepsy is a rare but debilitating neurological sleep disorder, with a worldwide prevalence of 25-50 per 100,000 people. Onset is most common during the adolescent years, though a diagnostic delay of around 10 years is common. There is currently no cure, though symptoms can be managed using pharmacotherapy. Biochemistry services provide an important role in confirming a diagnosis of narcolepsy in line with current international guidelines such as the International Classification of Sleep Disorders 3rd edition (ICSD-3).

The aims of this talk are to:

1. Introduce basic sleep physiology related to the pathophysiological mechanisms underpinning narcolepsy.

2. To describe the signs and symptoms of narcolepsy and their impact on patients.

3. To review the diagnosis of narcolepsy including the role of biomarkers such as HLA type and CSF hypocretin.

4. To summarise treatment options for narcolepsy.

Controlled human infection models (CHIMs) allow researchers to deliberately infect volunteers with a carefully pre-defined viral inoculum and perform detailed investigations. These can examine both pre-existing immune responses and allow longitudinal sampling of multiple immunological compartments following infection. The unique nature of these CHIMs avoid the multiple confounding factors, which tend to limit conventional observational studies of naturally acquired viral infections in patients.

We have successfully established challenge models of influenza (H1N1 and H3N2), Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) and SARS-CoV2, and used a variety of tools (such as multi-parameter flow cytometry, ELISpot, multiplex cytokine and chemokine arrays and transcriptomics) to characterise populations of low-frequency virus-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in both peripheral blood and cells in the upper and lower airways from challenge participants. We have also been able to extend our infection models into vulnerable populations, such as older adults, and use these techniques to investigate fundamental questions about the kinetics, specificities, and functionality of the cell-mediated response in these clinically relevant populations.

Challenge models allow us to probe the immune response to respiratory viral infections in a uniquely detailed manner. These advantages also make challenge models an attractive approach to testing the efficacy of novel vaccines and vaccine platforms, potentially leading to new vaccines and therapeutics, able to generate robust anti-viral immunity, while avoiding the significant risks and costs associated with traditional Phase II/III vaccine trials.

Complement testing

Complement genetic testing

Following on from a talk given last year on the Precision AMR Project, this presentation will look at the incorporation of WGS and genotypic methods vs phenotypic methods and how they can impact on diagnostic laboratory practices, antibiotic reporting and prescribing.

This presentation follows on from the research on the Precision AMR project and discusses how this can be translated into routine practice. Also looking at potential new workflows that may be incorporated into laboratory's to support clinicians and infection control.

AMR/CSO Diagnostic pathway change – Biomedical Scientist Perspective