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Autoimmunity symposium

To celebrate the launch of the Zenit PRO, Menarini Diagnostics hosted an Autoimmunity symposium. This was attended by scientific staff from across the country despite very challenging weather conditions. The following is an account by Ms Amani Elhouderi of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust; reflecting on the day’s events.

Autoimmunity symposium

I had the pleasure of attending an event on next generation immunofluorescence assay (IFA) testing hosted by Menarini Diagnostics on 1st February 2019. The event took place at the company’s UK headquarters in Wokingham.

An expert in the field of ‘leaning’ NHS pathology services, Mr Terry Coaker, led the first presentation. He shared his knowledge and experience on lean practice. It was insightful to learn about real life examples of laboratories that have managed to improve efficiency and simplify workflow. Mr Coaker, reduced turnaround time for his department from seven days to less than five days despite an ever increasing workload. One of the main components of this success was to divide the team into small groups and to follow a vertical instead of horizontal workflow.

The main focus of the day was Zenit PRO - a new totally automated instrument used for IFA analysis, which streamlines the complete IFA protocol, including slide processing, reading and interpreting results. The audience, who were a mix of experts in IFA testing, had the opportunity to learn more about the analyser through a well constructed presentation and a live demonstration by Mr Jake Morrow (Autoimmune Business Specialist – Menarini Diagnostics).

The main features and benefits of the Zenit PRO were highlighted; eliminating errors due to manual preparation and reader subjectivity, reducing intra & inter laboratory variability and the ability to manage high workload with reduced turnaround times. Glass cover slipping is automated giving true walk away time. Moreover, the Zenit PRO system is uniquely CE marked for result interpretatio; this includes HEp2, anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) and Crithidia substrate.

A presentation by Ms Trudy Walker from Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust followed. The Trust is the first in the UK to start evaluating and using the all in-one, fully automated platform. The team from Hull University presented valuable validation data collated on several autoimmune assays. These included autoantibodies relating to liver disease, LKS (Liver, kidney and stomach), ANA (antinuclear antibodies) and ANCA that were all tested on the Zenit PRO. The analyser’s performance characteristics and precision were compared against conventional IFA methods used. This month Hull University will be the first in Europe to go live using the Zenit PRO.

Ms Filipa Cardoso, a rheumatologist from Lupus UK, presented the final session on a study looking at “the incidence and prevalence of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in the UK, 1999–2012” which pointed to the decline of SLE incidence and the increasing prevalence and risk factors that might contribute to this trend. Ms Cardoso, who is heavily involved in research regarding lupus sub types, ended the presentation by reminding the audience the importance of ANA detection using HEp2 substrate.

Reflecting on my experience, I had the opportunity to learn about the Zenit PRO; state of the art technology, and to network with leading experts in the field of Immunology. I would like to thank and congratulate Menarini Diagnostics on putting together an insightful symposium and I look forward to their future events.’

The Zenit PRO represents the ideal solution for autoantibody testing with gold standard methodology and processing. The combined slide processor and digital microscope produces unrivalled image quality with total automation; including glass coverslip mounting. The Zenit PRO brings IFA in line with the demands of the modern laboratory with the backing of international standardisation through exclusive ICAP reporting.

If you are interested in 4th generation IFA technology with guaranteed analytical accuracy and consistency, or any other product in the Zenit Autoimmunity range please contact Jake Morrow

Autoimmune Business Specialist
[email protected]
+44 (0) 1189 444100

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