LabTalk news in brief: Proofig AI, Atelerix, Closed Loop, OGT, RSSL, Mettler-Toledo and more

Harries served as chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) from its inception in 2021. She oversaw the integration of Public Health England, the Joint Biosecurity Centre, the Covid Vaccine Task Force and NHS Test and Trace, establishing a unified agency tasked with protecting the nation from external health threats. Prior to leading UKHSA, she was deputy chief medical officer for England, where she played a pivotal role in the UK Government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. She has also played a central role in the UK’s response to Ebola, Zika, mpox, MERS and the Novichok attacks. 

Internationally, she contributed to health policy and evaluation projects in countries such as Pakistan, Albania, India, Brazil and New Zealand. She also served on the Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) and was a member of the Expert Advisory Group on the NHS Constitution.

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Precision instrumentation and product inspection specialist Mettler-Toledo Product Inspection is partnering Brand Reputation Compliance Global Standards and the International Food Safety & Quality Network for the first time in the interactive live webinar 'How to prevent physical contamination in food production'.

Taking place on Thursday 9 October 2025, it runs at 8:00 AM and 3:00 PM GMT+1 and is free to attend for food and packaging professionals worldwide. The event will explore how manufacturers can inspect products for physical contaminants with confidence, protect their brand through automatic removal of non-conforming products, and comply easily with industry requirements. From metal detection to x-ray inspection, attendees will gain insights into how to evaluate risks, select the right technology and build resilience into their critical control points.

Presenters are Adam Green, market manager at Mettler-Toledo Safeline X-ray, and Mercè Sánchez, programme manager for global food standards at BRCGS while Simon Timperley, CEO of IFSQN hosting.

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Biotech Enhanced Genomics has completed a financing round, extending its total Series A funding to $19 million.

Investors for the funding include BGF, Parkwalk and Meltwind whose input will be used to expand Enhanced’s internal therapeutic pipeline in common diseases, including autoimmune conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease. 

The firm stated investment would enable it to scale its output through  pharma and biotech partnerships, “leveraging novel target identification and asset-based opportunities to drive long-term growth”.

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Contract research organisation RSSL and preclinical research and regulatory studies specialist ERBC have formed a strategic partnership to offer support to pharmaceutical and biotech clients across their drug development journeys, from discovery to commercialisation.

The collaboration will involve more than 750 scientists across ten European sites, with the aim of simplifying outsourcing, reducing development timelines and delivering stronger regulatory outcomes.

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Carolina Molecular, a molecular testing services laboratory with over 25 years of experience in life sciences, and stability storage and biorepository services specialist Astoriom signed a strategic partnership to provide integrated solutions for molecular testing and comprehensive biospecimen storage.

 The partnership combines Carolina Molecular's expertise in CAP/CLIA-certified and NYS-registered molecular testing, including NGS Foundry services and bioinformatic analysis, with Astoriom's extensive capabilities in ICH-compliant stability storage, CAP-certified biorepository and ultra-low and cryogenic temperature solutions across the US, EU, and UK. It aims to provide a collaborative solution for sample management and molecular testing needs, ensuring sample integrity, regulatory compliance, and accelerated research and development timelines.

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Pharmaceutical dosing company Closed Loop Medicine Ltd  has staged the U.S. launch of WeDosify, which allows personalised GLP-1 titration at scale.

The global anti-obesity market, valued at over US$30 billion last year, is projected to reach US$100 billion by 2030. However, up to 44% of patients discontinue GLP-1 therapies treatment within six months, rising to 60% within a year – often due to dose-related side effects and lack of guidance for long-term use.

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Open Access publisher MDPI  and AI-driven science publication proofing and integrity software firm Proofig AI, have announced a new agreement, following completion of a pilot program.

They will begin with selected biomedical journals, with the clear objective of rapidly expanding to cover all relevant submissions. Proofig AI’s image analysis technology tackles challenges associated with image manipulation and scientific misconduct and it is described as the only proofing software to provide tools for assessing western blot images.

Dr. Dror Kolodkin-Gal, co-founder and CEO of Proofig AI,said: “By combining Proofig AI’s advanced technology with MDPI’s editorial expertise, we can help prevent errors and maintain integrity in science, while setting a new benchmark for research integrity and quality control in publishing.”

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The Marine Biological Association (MBA) has welcomed the ratification and imminent entry into force of the High Seas Treaty (formally the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction, BBNJ).

Negotiated over two decades, the Treaty – adopted on 19 June 2023 – this month achieved the critical threshold of 60 ratifications, triggering a 120-day countdown for its entry into force. The UK plans to introduce legislation to ratify the teaty by the end of this year. More than 60 nations have pledged to increase high seas Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) from 1% to 30% by 2030.

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Biotech Atelerix, announced an agreement with European distributor and developer of research and diagnostics solutions CliniSciences, on behalf of its pioneering hydrogel encapsulation technology for cell preservation and biological transport. The deal aims to help enable penetration of the growing North African life sciences market.

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Sectra’s digital pathology solution is being applied across five NHS sites in Devon and Cornwall.  

The pathology module of the firm’s imaging solution has been deployed at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust and Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust – Exeter. Other laboratories in Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust, Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust – North Devon, and Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust will follow suit. 

Following clinical validation over several months, digital reporting will mainstream, replacing glass slides and microscopes with high resolution digital images, and the modern tools. 

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Contract research organisation RSSL and preclinical research and regulatory studies specialist ERBC have formed a strategic partnership to offer support to pharmaceutical and biotech clients across their drug development journeys, from discovery to commercialisation.

The collaboration will involve more than 750 scientists across ten European sites, with the aim of simplifying outsourcing, reducing development timelines and delivering stronger regulatory outcomes.