Analytical Methods Blog

According to the Brain Research UK, brain tumours are diagnosed in ~13000 people in Britain each year (of which 60 % are metastatic), 20 % of all cancer patients will develop secondary metastatic tumours in the brain and brain tumours are the most common solid tumour in children. Dr. Matt Baker and colleagues from the University of Central Lancaster, Lancashire Teaching Hospital and Dublin Institute of Technology have reported a study on the use of Raman spectroscopy to aid the diagnosis of brain cancer.

In this HOT new Analytical Methods paper, the team showed differences in spectra obtained by Raman scattering at the air-tissue interface and immersion Raman (where the sample is submerged in an appropriate medium, such as water) at the water-tissue interface. Immersion Raman was then used to identify differences between the tissue classes. Multivariate analysis was employed to differentiate between primary malignant tumours (glioblastoma multiforme), metastatic tumours and normal brain tissue with impressive sensitivity and specificity.  To read more about this study download the full article below, which is free to access until March 7th.

1

Investigating the use of Raman and immersion Raman spectroscopy for spectral histopathology of metastatic brain cancer and primary sites of origin
Leanne M. Fullwood, Graeme Clemens, Dave Griffiths, Katherine Ashton, Timothy P. Dawson, Robert W. Lea, Charles Davis, Franck Bonnier, Hugh J. Byrne and Matthew J. Baker
Journal Article
Anal. Methods, 2014, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C3AY42190B

Oliver Strohmeier and his colleagues from the University of Freiburg in Germany have developed a novel PCR-based platform to detect food-borne pathogens. Named “LabDisk”, the device implements centrifugal microfluidics for sample separation, and can be subsequently transferred to a commercially available thermocycler for real-time PCR amplification of pathogens including Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella typhimurium, EHEC, Staphylococcus aureus, Citrobacter freundii, and Campylobacter jejuni. Importantly, LabDisk incorporates on-chip quality controls to help validate test results, and enables quantitative as well as qualitative testing. This new approach brings molecular detection one step closer to fully integrated sample-to-answer food testing.

"LabDisk" for Detection of Foodborne Pathogens

Download the full article, free until March 7th!

Real-time PCR based detection of a panel of food-borne pathogens on a centrifugal microfluidic “LabDisk” with on-disk quality controls and standards for quantification

Oliver Strohmeier, Nico Marquart, Daniel Mark, Günter Roth, Roland Zengerle and Felix von Stetten

DOI: 10.1039/C3AY41822G, Paper

Let us know what your thoughts are by leaving a comment!