Latest Lab Talk news in brief: safety, sample preservation, advanced therapies, appointments, white paper
15 Dec 2025
The Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult (CGT Catapult) has established a consortium to demonstrate how safety tests that detect potentially dangerous undifferentiated residual cells, which can affect product purity, could be applied to a range of a cell therapies.
To ensure patient safety and regulatory compliance, drug developers must rigorously test that their final products are free from residual pluripotent stem cells. PSCs can differentiate into many clinically relevant cell types making them valuable for use in advanced therapies but undifferentiated PSCs remaining in a therapy risk uncontrolled proliferation and tumour formation.
As there is currently no universal test for this, the need for separate tests developed for each product makes the existing process costly and time consuming.??CGT Catapult’s 13-partner ReCell consortium includes regulators, therapy developers, contract development and manufacturing organisations and a contract research organisation. The consortium will ascertain whether two droplet digital PCR methods can detect residual PSCs' presence in eight different therapy products, including those using neuronal, cardiac, and haematological lineages.??
…………………………………………………………………….
Manufacturer and supplier of hygienic furniture and equipment Teknomek has appointed laboratory manager Ricky Williams as its head of sales.
Williams spent more than eight years working in senior roles at two London-based life science hubs, gaining in-depth knowledge of the practical and statutory requirements of working labs and cleanroom, said the firm.
“A significant element of my previous two roles was working closely with scientists and lab technicians to establish efficient and hygienic operational processes,” he stated.
“As well as being intelligently designed and perfect for purpose, it’s vital that equipment and furniture is flexible and modular so that workspaces can be reconfigured to suit different project requirements.”
…………………………………………………………………….
Atelerix, the biotech company focused on cell preservation and biological transport with hydrogel encapsulation technology, has entered a partnership with French firm Cherry Biotech, a specialisit in organ-on-chip and organoid technologies for biomedical research.
The initial agreement will investigate integration of Atelerix’s patented hydrogel technology with Cherry Biotech’s advanced 3D organoid models for extended-duration global shipment. The aim will be to improve the reliability and consistency of transporting of the temperature-sensitive materials, avoiding the complications of cold-chain logistics. The initial 12-month trial period is expected to lay the groundwork for a scalable, long-term commercial partnership.
…………………………………………………………………….
The Advanced Therapy Treatment Centre (ATTC) network, working with Skills for Health, is launching a consultation as it develops a national framework to upskill the NHS workforce on advanced therapies. Funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and Innovate UK, the work is intended to help ensure the UK maintains its position as a globally attractive location for clinical research. Input is invited from stakeholders in life sciences and across the NHS.
…………………………………………………………………….
Roche has secured CE Mark approval for its new mass spectrometry test for antibiotics drug monitoring, extending its cobas® Mass Spec solution to improve antibiotic use in routine care. The firm says it now offers the industry’s broadest automated mass spec in vitro diagnostic menu.
By combining the sensitivity and specificity of mass spectrometry with automated, standardised workflow, said Roche, the solution is designed to migrate mass spectrometry to routine clinical practice to improve patient care.
In addition, Roche’s new PCR test which accurately identifies the most common causes of vaginal infections in a single test is now be available in countries accepting the CE Mark.
…………………………………………………………………….
Healthcare communications agency Alpharmaxim has published a white paper for pharmaceutical and biotech companies detailing its tool developed with Aston University to overcome barriers to prescribing new drugs for major diseases.
The Healthcare Behaviour Insights Tool (H-BIT) was developed through a Knowledge Transfer Partnership between the two organisations. Originally developed to address barriers to new treatments for Parkinson’s disease, it can be tailored to complex and rare diseases where there is a need to change prescribing behaviours.
The white paper Parkinson’s: Beyond the hidden barriers to adoption of new treatments details how H-BIT applies behavioural science to understand why doctors remain committed to established treatment protocols.
…………………………………………………………………….
DNV has launched a new accreditation programme in the US for ‘ambulatory’ or day surgery centres across global markets.
“Ambulatory surgery centres are transforming healthcare delivery not just in the United States, but around the world,” said Geir Fuglerud, CEO – supply chain & product assurance.
…………………………………………………………………….
The antimalarial product development partnership Medicines for Malaria Venture has joined the Infection Innovation Consortium: iiCON as a core partner.
MMV is a non-profit organisation founded in 1999 to discover, develop, and deliver new and affordable antimalarial drugs; the public-private partnership manages the world's largest portfolio of malaria drug research and development projects.
Led by Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, iiCON is a global R&D programme that brings together industry, academia, and clinical organisations to speed up the discovery and development of new treatments, diagnostics and preventative products.
…………………………………………………………………….
Endress+Hauser’s supervisory board has appointed Dr Mirko Lehmann, Professor Katja Windt and Helena Svensson to the group’s executive board. The Swiss measurement and automation technology specialist said it was using the handover to realign the board’s areas of responsibility. Chief operating officer Dr Andreas Mayr and chief information officer Pieter de Koning retire in 2026 and their successors’ areas of responsibilities will be structured for "clarity of focus in their work," said the firm. Chief executive officer Dr Peter Selders and supervisory board president Matthias Altendorf led the changes.
…………………………………………………………………….
Food ingredients firm IRCA Group has signed a lease for 405 sq ft at Pioneer Group’s Gastronomica food and beverage incubator, at Colworth Science Park in Bedfordshire. IRCA currently operates 20 production facilities across Europe, the US, and Vietnam, with customers in more than 100 countries.
…………………………………………………………………….
