Anna MacDonald

Science Writer

Writes for:

Top 10 Cell Science News Stories of 2019

2019 has been an exciting year for cell science. In this list, we look at ten of the most-read news stories in the field from the last year, from a heart 3D printed using a patient’s own cells, to the role that bone marrow-derived stem cells were found to play in fertility.

Mass Spectrometry in the Clinical Lab: The Importance of Choosing a Medical Device

In this interview, SCIEX’s Francis Fung highlights the benefits that mass spectrometry can bring to clinical laboratories, and discusses why when selecting a mass spectrometer, it is important to consider choosing a medical device.

Detecting Sepsis Early

We recently spoke to Elena Sukhacheva, Director Medical and Scientific Affairs at Beckman Coulter, to learn about some of the challenges of diagnosing sepsis early, and how measuring Monocyte Distribution Width can be used as a sepsis biomarker to aid the process.

Detecting Rare Diseases With Whole Exome Sequencing

Genomic approaches, such as whole exome sequencing, can provide key information to help experts detect rare diseases, but their use still presents challenges. We recently spoke with Gioia Althoff, Vice President, Genomics, at SOPHiA GENETICS, to learn more about the role that whole exome sequencing can play in the fight against rare diseases and how their new solution can help.

The Longitude Challenge - Developing a Diagnostic Test To Fight Antimicrobial Resistance

We recently spoke with Daniel Berman, Global Health Lead at Nesta Challenges, to learn about the Longitude Prize, a £10 million prize fund with an £8 million pay-out, which will be awarded to a team that invents an affordable, accurate, fast and easy-to-use test for bacterial infections.

Exploring Cell Mechanics – From Ripe Avocados to Sepsis Diagnosis

In this interview, Daniel Klaue explains why it is important to measure cell mechanics, discusses a novel method of doing so, and highlights how this technology could benefit clinical applications.

A Step Closer to a Bioengineered Liver Fit for Transplantation

In a study recently published in Nature Biomedical Engineering, bioengineered livers created by decellularization and recellularization were implanted into pigs, where they were able to sustain continuous perfusion for up to 15 days. We spoke to Miromatrix’s CEO, Dr Jeff Ross, to learn more about the study and how it advances the state of bioengineering organs.

Fuelling Innovation in UK Life Sciences

We spoke to Daniel Rooke, Head of Operations and Legal at Start Codon, to learn more about the company and how they can help early stage healthcare and life science businesses in the UK to get off the ground.

Organoids – Revolutionizing the Study of Human Development and Disease

Often referred to as “mini-organs”, organoids are tiny self-organizing 3D assemblies of cells which show some physiological features of a specific organ. As an intermediate between traditional 2D in vitro cell cultures and animal models, organoids are a useful tool for several applications.

Rapid Triage Test Identifies Active Tuberculosis

Researchers report in Science Translational Medicine the development of a novel triage test that can rapidly and cheaply identify patients likely to have active tuberculosis (ATB). Use of the test could help detect those needing further diagnostics and treatment, as well as contribute to the improved prevention and control of the disease.