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Research Matters

Speeding up Diagnostics to save lives

 
 

When it comes to improving patient outcomes, few factors are as important as a rapid and accurate diagnosis. To that end, two biomedical science research groups are carrying out research to speed up the time it takes to get an accurate diagnosis on diseases from cancer to Group B Streptococcus.

The Glycoscience Research Group is developing future technologies that will enable fast and accurate analysis of glycosylation in blood samples from cancer patients. All cells and most proteins in blood are glycosylated, that is they are coated with sugars, and these sugars are known to be altered in many diseases, including cancer. High throughput technologies to analyse these altered sugars, or glycobiomarkers, will allow scientists to diagnose different forms of cancer from a simple blood test without the need for biopsy. GlycoHIT (Glycomics by High throughput Integrated Technologies) will also further develop sugar testing technologies to allow this rapid form of diagnosis to be used in a clinical setting.

The Molecular Diagnostics Research Group (MDRG) has been developing molecular diagnostic tests for microbial species identification for over 20 years. These diagnostic tools enable the detection of a range of bacterial pathogens including Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Group B Streptococcus (GBS), Staphylococcus aureus, and the food pathogens Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella. One rapid test developed by the group can determine whether a woman in labour is infected with Group B Strep, which could potentially be harmful to the newborn if left untreated.

 

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