Will Morton

Molecular Diagnostics
Does Tc-99m SPECT damage DNA?
In a pilot study, researchers studied the effect of ionizing radiation on patients who underwent MPI exams, also known as nuclear stress tests. They used a comet assay, a standard lab test for detecting DNA damage in cells, to analyze patient blood samples before and after they underwent imaging, with results suggesting a small yet likely irrelevant amount of damage.
September 19, 2022
2022 09 19 22 30 6972 2022 09 20 Spect Comet 20220919220954
Pathology, histology
Transgender hormone therapy can change lab test levels
Researchers led by Dr. Matthew Krasowski, PhD, of the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, recruited healthy transgender and nonbinary individuals from clinics specializing in transgender medical care who had been prescribed either estradiol (n = 93) or testosterone (n = 82) for at least 12 months.
May 18, 2022
2019 08 05 17 59 6641 Aacc 2019 400
Alzheimer's
Does race affect interpretation of Alzheimer's disease tests?
An international team led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO, compared three experimental blood tests and a commercially available Alzheimer's disease test they developed in previous work (PrecivityAD, C2N Diagnostics) in 76 pairs of Black and non-Hispanic white participants.
April 21, 2022
2022 03 01 23 02 5066 Older Woman Anxious 400
Federal Legislation
AACC criticizes FDA over warning on prenatal genetic tests
NIPTs can determine the risk of a fetus having certain genetic abnormalities, which could result in a child being born with a serious health condition. However, since they are not diagnostic tests, they cannot confirm or rule out a suspected genetic abnormality, the FDA said.
April 21, 2022
2021 09 27 23 11 0968 Aacc 2021 400
Alzheimer's
Spinal fluid tests may aid PET scans of Alzheimer's disease
A Swiss group led by senior author Michael Schöll, PhD, of the University Gothenburg investigated whether fluid and blood biomarkers that indicate Alzheimer's disease could predict the accumulation of neurofibrillary tau tangles seen on PET scans in patients diagnosed with the disease. They found the lab tests performed well enough to help select patients for PET imaging studies evaluating new treatments.Associations of baseline beta-amyloid PET and baseline phosphorylated tau-181 (p-tau181) with F-18 flortaucipir (FTP) Standardized uptake value ratio (SUVR) annualized change for (A) cognitively unimpaired and (B) cognitively impaired individuals. Image courtesy of Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association.Associations of baseline beta-amyloid PET and baseline phosphorylated tau-181 (p-tau181) with F-18 flortaucipir (FTP) Standardized uptake value ratio (SUVR) annualized change for (A) cognitively unimpaired and (B) cognitively impaired individuals. Brain surface renderings depict Pearson correlation coefficients adjusted for age and sex (r) representing the strength of the association between the different biomarkers and F-18 flortaucipir SUVR change in each brain region. The right upper panel represents age- and sex-adjusted Pearson correlation coefficients (r), along with p-values, for the association between the biomarkers and F-18 flortaucipir SUVR change in the Alzheimer's disease meta-region of interest (ROI). The root mean squared error (RMSE) for the prediction of F-18 flortaucipir SUVR change by a linear model with the biomarker as predictor and age and sex as covariates. RMSE was estimated using leave-one-out cross-validation. Voxel-wise statistical maps were thresholded using more lenient cluster-forming thresholds of p < 0.05 (uncorrected) at the voxel level and further thresholded at the cluster level by restricting results to clusters with a number of voxels higher than the expected number of voxels as predicted using random field theory. Image courtesy of Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association.
March 3, 2022
2022 03 02 20 27 6315 2022 03 04 Tau Biomarkers 400
Consumer
CMS will cover free over-the-counter COVID-19 tests
No date has been established, yet CMS said by early spring Medicare beneficiaries will be able to access up to eight over-the-counter COVID-19 tests per month for free at local pharmacies and other participating facilities. The policy applies to tests cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
February 2, 2022
2020 03 13 20 59 0533 White House 400
Infectious
Neurodegenerative markers found in COVID-19 patients
Researchers at New York University (NYU) analyzed the serum of 251 hospitalized COVID-19 patients without a history of dementia, in particular looking for neurodegenerative markers. These included total tau (t-tau), phosphorylated tau-181 (p-tau181), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), neurofilament light chain (NfL), ubiquitin carboxy-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCHL1), and beta-amyloid (Aβ40,42).
January 12, 2022
2020 03 31 23 03 5810 Brain Dementia Leaves 400
COVID-19
AI model identifies SARS-CoV-2 from blood tests, chest x-rays
Chinese researchers in Hong Kong designed a machine-learning model using blood tests taken during the first and second wave of infection since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak in April 2020. They found when combined with a radiologist's interpretation of x-rays, the model achieved a very high sensitivity in detecting COVID-19 infections.
July 15, 2021
2021 07 14 23 16 8075 2021 07 16 Ai Cxr Blood Test Covid Prediction 400 20210714234829
Pathology, histology
AACC advises against lab testing for premature birth
Preterm delivery is an ongoing problem that can lead to numerous complications for both infants who survive birth and their mothers, according to AACC. To address the issue, medical providers have turned to clinical lab tests that measure fetal fibronectin (fFN), interleukin 6, and placental alpha microglobulin-1 (PAMG-1) that may predict whether a woman will deliver preterm.
June 2, 2021
2021 06 03 21 41 0848 Patient Woman Pregnant 400
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BioMérieux subsidiary secures DoD contract for infectious disease testing system
BioFire Defense, a subsidiary of BioMérieux, has secured an order-dependent contract with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to provide support for a military-use version of its multiplex polymerase chain reaction infectious disease test system.
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Schizophrenia
Genetic predisposition to smoking may drive schizophrenia heart disease risk: Study
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Financing
Harbinger Health raises $140M in series B funding
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Malaria
Study shows malaria drug resistance occurring in Horn of Africa
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BioMérieux subsidiary secures DoD contract for infectious disease testing system
BioFire Defense, a subsidiary of BioMérieux, has secured an order-dependent contract with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to provide support for a military-use version of its multiplex polymerase chain reaction infectious disease test system.
September 29, 2023
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Genetic predisposition to smoking may drive schizophrenia heart disease risk: Study
Genetic factors are unlikely to directly drive the increased rate of cardiovascular disease in schizophrenia patients but may influence lifestyle, according to a paper in the American Journal of Psychiatry.
September 29, 2023
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Harbinger Health raises $140M in series B funding
Biotech company Harbinger Health has raised $140 million in a series B funding round.
September 29, 2023
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Study shows malaria drug resistance occurring in Horn of Africa
Malaria parasites in eastern Africa have developed resistance to artemisinins, essential first-line drugs used in combination therapies, jeopardizing the progress made in recent decades against the disease.
September 29, 2023
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Day Zero Diagnostics to use $16M in funding to improve management of antibiotic-resistant infections
Day Zero Diagnostics recently raised $16 million to fund the application of whole-genome sequencing and artificial intelligence to antibiotic-resistant infections, facilitating the firm’s goal of changing how infectious diseases are diagnosed.
September 28, 2023
Dna Sequencing2
U.S. Attorney’s Office wins $370M judgment in Medicare fraud case
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida won a $370 million default judgment against a Kentucky lab owner and his businesses for a lab testing scheme intended to defraud Medicare.
September 28, 2023
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Ginkgo Bioworks, Pfizer collaborate on RNA-based therapeutics
Cell engineering company Ginkgo Bioworks has entered into an agreement with Pfizer to discover and develop RNA-based drug candidates.
September 28, 2023
Rna Strand Social
Study launched on early intervention with immune modulators in COVID-19
A clinical trial has been launched to determine if there are benefits to early intensive immune modulation for hospitalized COVID-19 patients with relatively mild illness.
September 26, 2023
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U.S. government investing $600M in COVID-19 test manufacturing
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced that it is investing $600 million in funding into COVID-19 test manufacturing.
September 26, 2023
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Some emergency sepsis screening tools inadequate, EU study suggests
Two out of the four internationally recommended screening tools used by emergency medical services are inadequate for recognizing sepsis, say German researchers.
September 26, 2023
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Thermo Fisher Scientific prepared to expand its work at manufacturing facility
Thermo Fisher Scientific executives voiced hopes for expanding work to help combat diseases at its giant $180 million viral vector manufacturing site in Plainville, MA.
September 27, 2023
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HIV vaccine trial begins enrollment in U.S., South Africa
A clinical trial for a preventive HIV vaccine has begun enrollment in both the U.S. and South Africa.
September 25, 2023
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