We Are Randox | Randox Wears Yellow for World Mental Health Day 2018
We Are Randox | Randox Wears Yellow for World Mental Health Day 2018
Today is World Mental Health Day and Randox is getting involved to raise money for our two charity partners – AWARE NI and Ulster University’s Mind Your Mood.
Colleagues across Randox sites in Northern Ireland have been donning yellow in order to raise awareness of mental health and wellbeing and also to raise funds for these two fantastic causes.
Wear Yellow Wednesday is part of a series of events taking place at Randox as part of Randox Mental Health & Wellbeing Month – an initiative which encourages staff to take care of their mental wellbeing and seeks to support the work of AWARE NI and Mind Your Mood.
The month also entails a charity ‘freefall’ abseil from the dome of Victoria Square when 14 brave Randox colleagues will scale the heights to raise money for AWARE NI. You can visit their JustGiving page here: https://www.justgiving.com/teams/RANDOXAWARE
AWARE NI is the depression charity for Northern Ireland. They have two offices in both Belfast and Derry. AWARE has an established network of 25 support groups in rural and urban areas across the country which are run by trained volunteers. AWARE also deliver mental health and well being programmes into communities, schools, colleges, universities and workplaces.
Ulster University’s Mind Your Mood initiative is a service managed by Student Support but designed and delivered by students to have lived experiences of mental health illness. Mind Your Mood was created to help build resilience to avoid mental illness, provide support at the earliest point to avoid progression of mental illness to something more serious and threatening and to build resilience and awareness and provide support to help students with already-diagnosed mental illness.
For more information on Randox Mental Health & Wellbeing Month please contact the Randox PR team on 028 9442 2413 or by emailing randoxpr@randox.com
What you need to know this National Cholesterol Month
October 2018 marks National Cholesterol Month, an entire month devoted to raising funds for the charity HEART UK, and raising awareness of the dangers of high cholesterol.
But how much do we actually know about cholesterol? Do we even know what it is?
Many people are confused about how cholesterol differs from fat, which is understandable, given that cholesterol is found in foods that are sometimes high in fat.
But cholesterol is actually a type of lipid, as is fat. Like fat, cholesterol is essential for a range of bodily functions, but unlike fat, cholesterol can’t be exercised off, sweated out or burned for energy.
The body does require a small amount of blood cholesterol to build the structure of cell membranes, and make hormones like oestrogen, testosterone and adrenal hormones.
It also helps your metabolism work efficiently. For example, cholesterol is essential for your body to produce vitamin D and bile acids to help you digest your food. It is carried in the blood by proteins, with which it combines to make lipoproteins.
The 2 main types of lipoprotein are:
- High-density lipoprotein (HDL) which carries cholesterol away from the cells and back to the liver, where it’s either broken down or passed out of the body as a waste product. For this reason, HDL is referred to as “good cholesterol”, and higher levels are better.
- Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) which carries cholesterol to the cells that need it. If there’s too much cholesterol for the cells to use, it can build up in the artery walls. For this reason, LDL is known as “bad cholesterol.”
This cholesterol in the body comes from two main sources: the liver and diet. The liver, other organs and other cells in your body product about 75-80% of the cholesterol in the blood, while our diet contributes to about 20-25% of our cholesterol levels.
Foods high in saturated fat which can ultimately increase cholesterol levels include butter, hard margarines, fatty meat and meat products such as sausages, full fat chees, milk, cream and yoghurt.
Eating these foods in excess can therefore lead to a high level of cholesterol in the blood, called hyperlipidaemia.
High cholesterol itself doesn’t cause any symptoms, but it does increase your risk of serious health conditions including cardiovascular disease, heart attack and stroke because it builds up in the artery walls, restricting the blood flow to your heart, brain, and the rest of the body.
Given its vital role in the body, the serious conditions it can cause should it get too high, and the fact that if high, it does not produce any symptoms, it is extremely important to regularly monitor your cholesterol through blood testing.
Randox offers a range of cholesterol tests to ensure that individuals with high cholesterol get the earliest and most accurate diagnosis. In fact, Randox is responsible for more than 15% of all cholesterol tests carried out across the globe. Randox are tackling the need for better cholesterol testing with our wide range of niche and high-performance assays including sdLDL Cholesterol, Lipoprotein (a) and HDL3 Cholesterol.
For more information about National Cholesterol Month, or cholesterol testing at Randox, please contact the Randox PR team by emailing randoxpr@randox.com or phone 028 9442 2413
The key features and benefits of Biochip Array Technology
Biochip Array Technology
In 1992, Randox invested £180 million to create and introduce Biochip Array Technology (BAT) which converted laboratory testing. Randox came up with the innovation by recognising the major problem with traditional diagnosis. Within traditional diagnosis several tests are typically required which involves multiple blood draws from the patient, many visits to the hospital, increased reagent volume and increased time to diagnosis. Biochip Array Technology allows for the simultaneous quantitative or qualitative detection of a wide range of analytes from one single sample. Therefore, it is faster, cost saving and more effective leading to better clinical decisions. Today the technology (BAT) is used in countless laboratories worldwide and a range of three biochip analysers are now offered.
The main basis of the Biochip Array Technology
- 9x9mm biochip which acts as a solid phase reaction vessel.
- Each of the biochips are pre-coated with an array of discrete test regions (DTRs)
- One biochip per sample used to generate multiple results.
- Randox Biochips hold up to 49 tests.
- Based on chemiluminescent signal emitting light, without heat which results a chemical reaction.
The key features and benefits of the Biochip Array Technology
Highly accurate testing
- The biochip array technology provides high standard of accurate test results with CV’s <10%
- Multiplex analysis minimises analytical variation between the tests.
Better diagnosis
- Increased patient information available through testing multiple markers
- Patients receive their results quicker compared to the traditional diagnosis.
Reduced sample volume
- Reduced sample required therefore patients feel more at ease.
Wide test menu
- Wide test menu provides a variety for clients and allows flexibility.
Multiple samples
- Multiple samples can be used on BAT which include the following; serum, plasma, whole blood, urine and many others which allows for flexibility in their testing
Cost consolidation
– The process reduces the amount of time spent on individual tests and associated laboratory costs
Biochip testing platforms
Evidence Evolution
The Evidence Evolution is fully automated random-access biochip testing platform. The machine allows any test to perform at any time as it is a highly versatile analyser which can operate any workflow. It can receive 2640 tests per hour which means the machine has a fast turnaround time. As well as this, it allows multiple tests to be performed from a single sample which reduces time and resources spent on individual tests. The Evidence Evolution can be tailored to certain laboratory needs and have features including automatic start-up and shut down, relaxed testing capability and traceability of biochips. The equipment overall is made to be easy for the client to use as it includes customisable user settings and easy to follow result screens giving them the fast and accurate operations they would prefer.
Evidence
The Evidence Analyser is the protein Biochip Array technology. Like the Evidence Evolution it is fully automated which is suitable for busy laboratories, hospitals, forensic and clinical toxicology. The machine is floor standing and can receive up to 3690 per hour. The machine has features such as easy to follow software and customisable user settings which gives laboratories the opportunity to receive fast and accurate results.
Evidence investigator
The Evidence Investigator is often used for research, clinical, forensic, molecular and veterinary testing. The machine is semi-automated and can combine immunoassay and molecular diagnostics on a single platform with protein and DNA biochips. This machine also has a quick turnaround time with the ability to achieve 2376 tests per hour with 44 analytes screened per biochip. The evidence investigator provides more tests on the test menu which allows variety.
Evidence MultiSTAT
The final platform is the Evidence MultiSTAT. The Evidence MultiSTAT is a fully-automated analyser which provides quality results. It is a simple and easy to use analyser which requires minimal training with only three steps to complete the process. The machine can provide multiplex testing yields up to 46 results in under ten minutes. It is ease-of-use for non-laboratory staff and provides full traceability of user action with password controlled software.
For more information on our Biochip Array Technology contact the Randox Biosciences team by emailing info@Randoxbiosciences.com
Randox launches Mental Health & Wellbeing Month
Randox Health Holywood is this week hosting a fundraising event for mental health charities AWARE NI and Ulster University’s Mind Your Mood to launch Randox’s Mental Health & Wellbeing Month throughout October.
Held on Saturday 6th October 2018, 10am – 12noon, the health check company’s coffee morning event will offer customers, visitors and the residents of Holywood the opportunity to call in, grab a tea or coffee, and sample some scones and sweet treats, all while helping to raise money for those who need it most.
By shining a light on mental health issues, Randox hopes to educate its staff on how to look after their mental health while also raising funds for its two official charity partners. The fundraising coffee morning launches a month of staff initiatives including a Wear Yellow for World Mental Health Day on Wednesday 10th October, a company-wide Bake Sale on Friday 26th October, and a freefall abseil from the dome of Victoria Square Belfast on Sunday 21st October.
Randox Founder and Managing Director, Dr Peter FitzGerald, commented;
“Every one of us has been touched either directly or indirectly by these issues and it’s something we at Randox wish to help to address. We have for example invested significantly in research that will determine how problems with the digestive system can affect your mood, sleep and stress levels. We hope that our partnerships not only help those affected by mental ill-health across Northern Ireland, but also empower our Randox staff to take care of their own mental well-being.”
AWARE NI is the depression charity for Northern Ireland with an established network of 23 support groups in rural and urban areas across the country, all run by trained volunteers. AWARE deliver mental health and wellbeing programmes in to communities, schools, colleges, universities and workplaces while also running a 24hr email help service.
Mind Your Mood, managed by Ulster University, is designed and delivered by students who have life experience of mental health illness to help other students avoid mental illness, provide support at the earliest point, build awareness of mental illness and provide support to students who are already diagnosed with mental illness.
Donations for the Randox Team Abseil can be made here: https://www.justgiving.com/teams/RANDOXAWARE
For more information about Randox Mental Health & Wellbeing Month, please contact RandoxPR@randox.com.
Randox Toxicology: Southeast Asiaās Drug Networks
Southeast Asia’s economy is booming, increasing every year by 5% and is expected to continue to grow due to an expanding consumer market, a young workforce and increasing regional cooperation. However, these are not the only markets experiencing the boom. The region’s illicit markets are also enjoying a surge.
Drug labs in Southeast Asia are releasing two to six billion methamphetamine tablets a year into the black market, which NPR reports is more tablets than cups of coffee sold by Starbucks. A lot of these tablets go into China and Thailand, with more finding their way to Bangladesh each year. As a result, seizures of meth tablets have gone up in the last 10 years in Bangladesh by 80,000 percent.
China not only receives large quantities of drugs to be sold on the streets, it also produces them. As China is soon set to become the world’s largest economy it now has plenty of people who can afford the products. So the drug lords and dealers are moving towards this market. This means that drug cartels don’t have to go further afield to sell their drugs.
China’s “One Belt One Road” plan has also enabled the easier trafficking of drugs. The plan is to connect the world with highways, ports, airports, and train lines to allow commerce to move to and from China easily. This connected infrastructure has made it easier for smugglers to move their products from A to B.
Randox Toxicology’s DoA ULTRA panel detects 20 targeted drugs including methamphetamine and amphetamine. Utilising our patented Biochip Array Technology, DoA ULTRA offers the most comprehensive drugs of abuse screen across multiple forensic matrices and provides the largest cross-reactivity profile of over 240 analytes from a single sample.
| Methamphetamine | S(+)-Methamphetamine | 100 |
| LOD: 10 ng/mL | PMMA HCI | 291 |
| 5-MAPB HCI | 136.1 |
If you would like to find out more information about our revolutionary Biochip Array Technology and DoA ULTRA panel, email us at info@randoxtoxicology or visit www.randoxtoxicology.com
Take control with Confidante this Sexual Health Week
The prevalence of STIs
More than 30 different bacteria, viruses and parasites known to be transmitted through sexual contact and therefore over 1 million sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are acquired every day worldwide.
As a result the requirement for multiplex diagnostic testing has become increasingly prevalent, as many STIs can co-exist.
Sexual Health Week
Sexual Health Week, which takes place on 24th – 28th September each year, highlights the importance of safe sex. If you have recently entered a new relationship, experienced unprotected sex or are planning a family you may wish to avail of an STI test to determine your current sexual health status and take appropriate corresponding action.
Confidante
The thought of sexual health testing however can often be nerve-wracking and embarrassing, which is why we offer a home testing kit called Confidante, which enables you to be tested for 10 of the most common STIs from the comfort of your own home.
You can purchase your test kit in complete confidence as transactions are handled safely and securely.
STIs tested with Confidante
| · Chlamydia | · Trichomonas Vaginalis |
| · Gonorrhoea | · Mycoplasma Hominis |
| · Syphilis | · Mycoplasma Genitalium |
| · Herpes Simplex 1 | · Ureaplasma Urealyticum |
| · Herpes Simplex 2 | · Chancroid |
The process is simple and easy to follow:
- Buy Online
- Register Kit Online
- Collect Sample and Post
- Receive Results
Confidante is specifically designed to be straightforward to use, with all you need included in our discreetly packaged kit. We have made the entire process as convenient as possible with pre-paid envelopes and user-friendly instructions to ensure a simple, hassle-free process.
You will receive your confidential results in 7 working days of posting your sample either via email or telephone depending upon your section on the test order form.
To order your STI kit visit https://www.confidantetest.com/
For further information please contact randoxpr@randox.com or phone 028 9442 2413
Infection: Making Sure You Get the Right Treatment
When you have an infection, it’s important to receive the correct diagnosis in order to access appropriate treatments. Misdiagnosis can not only lead to the prolonging of the infection, but could also prove detrimental to your long-term health, such as if you become resistant to certain anti-biotic strains through mistaken prescription.
Throughout this month, we’ve been highlighting how the Randox clinical product range can assess the impact of infection. The RX series’ dedicated testing panel comprises of IgA, hsCRP and ASO which are also available for third-party use. The extensive QC range caters for assessment of infectious disease testing in both liquid and lyophilised formats.
Reagents
The Randox range of third-party reagents enables the clinical analysis of 113 different analytes with comprehensive range measurements and excellent correlations to reference methods.
IgG (the most abundant antibody) and IgM (the first antibody made in response to infection) can be used in the diagnosis of Dengue Fever. This is significant as more than 40 % of the global population, in more than 100 countries, are at risk of the Dengue Virus.
IgA is an antibody that lines the mucous membranes lining the mouth, airways and digestive tract. A deficiency in IgA is common in patients with bronchitis, conjunctivitis and otitis media.
Other Randox assays that may be used to detect differing infections include: albumin, ferritin, alpha-1-antitrypsin (AAT), complement C3, complement C4, haptoglobin, CRP, alpha-1-acid glycoprotein (AGP) and anti-streptolysin (ASO).
RX series
The RX series range offers the most comprehensive testing profile for assessing infectious diseases within an individual. The RX series test menu possesses the most extensive infectious disease testing panel available to give an expansive picture of an individual’s health. The RX series zinc test will assess the levels of zinc in an individual, Zinc plays a significant role in an individual’s health s it’s functions include cell and enzyme production as well as wound healing.
To view the full RX series test menu click here.
Internal Quality Control
Randox has partnered with Qnostics to provide a wide range of molecular controls for infectious disease testing. Designed to meet the demand of today’s molecular diagnostics laboratory and laboratories carrying out Nucleic Acid Testing (NAT), the Qnostics Molecular Infectious Disease range comprises hundreds of characterised viral, bacterial and fungal targets covering a wide range of Transplant Associated Diseases, Respiratory Infections, Blood Borne Viruses, Sexually Transmitted Infections, Gastrointestinal Diseases and Central Nervous System Diseases.
External Quality Control
Randox have also partnered up with QCMD to offer a vast array of molecular EQA programmes for infectious disease testing. With an extensive database of over 2000 participants in over 100 countries, QCMD is one of the largest providers of molecular EQA in the field of molecular diagnostics.
Frequent challenges, comprehensive reports and international accreditation ensures the best assessment of test system performance.
For more information on how Randox is helping to diagnose infection accurately and effectively, visit www.randox.com.
IDF WDS 2018 | The Countdown is On
With just one month to go until IDF WDS 2018 in Daejeon, South Korea preparations are underway at Randox Food Diagnostics HQ. IDF WDS is the world’s leading dairy conference, attended by industry experts, multi-national dairy processors, standing committees and academics, the event is truly one of a kind. Randox Food Diagnostics are exhibiting at booth #16 showcasing our most innovative development yet, the InfiniPlex for Milk Array.
InfiniPlex for Milk is a dairy test kit that offers testing using the most innovative method on the market. Testing milk at various points of the production process is an essential part of the quality control process. Contaminants are administered to dairy cattle to improve herd health, stop the spread of disease and deliver a high-quality product. As a result of this it then becomes essential to screen the milk to ensure no residues pass through to the final product.
The quality of milk is gaining closer inspection on a global scale with antimicrobial resistance at the forefront of concerns. Regulations are getting stricter and many processors are facing the problem that their current quality control method does not have a comprehensive enough test menu. The InfiniPlex for Milk Array helps processors tackle this problem by providing a test menu that complies with EU regulated antibiotics from one sample of raw milk.
There are two analysers that can run the InfiniPlex test kit, the Evidence Investigator and the Evidence MultiSTAT. The Investigator is suitable for laboratories with high throughput delivering 48 samples in under 2 hours and the MultiSTAT is perfect for onsite testing at dairy processors, border control or at farm level with results available in under 20 minutes.
Join us at IDF 2018, Daejeon, South Korea to learn more about how InfiniPlex for Milk can fit in with your quality control process. Alternatively, contact info@randoxfooddiagnostics.com for more information.
Randox and Ulster University team up to support athletes of the future
Randox has joined forces with Ulster University in a major university-wide sports sponsorship deal.
The investment will supply kit and equipment for 70 sports clubs across the university including basketball, GAA, hockey and soccer. Randox will also be the main sponsor of the Freshers Fayres across the four Ulster University campuses and the universities Colours Sports Awards.
Professor Alastair Adair Deputy Vice-Chancellor Ulster University said:
“Ulster University and Randox enjoy a longstanding partnership built around research, knowledge sharing, collaboration and student opportunity which reflects the leadership of both organisations in diagnostics and health research globally. We are very encouraged that one of our valued industry partners is now supporting us as we work to develop our students striving for success in the sporting world.”
Nigel Dobson, Head of Sport Services, Ulster University said:
“Ulster University is recognised as a leading university for sport on the island of Ireland, from our sporting successes to our academic excellence and world-leading research in physical activity and exercise science. This major sponsorship deal will enable us to invest in young and aspiring coaches by providing mentoring support and coach education opportunities for the coaches of the future. We look forward to working with the team at Randox as we enable the next generation of sporting stars to reach their full potential.”
Lyndsay Rodgerson Senior Recruitment Consultant, Randox Laboratories, said:
“We have worked closely with Ulster University for many years, enjoying a mutually beneficial relationship that has seen the development of a diverse range of industrial-academic opportunities.
“Our successful and ongoing partnership continues to evolve and this year alone has seen a Randox-sponsored GAA tour of China, the launch of the Randox-Ulster University-Industrial PhD Academy and the adoption of Ulster University’s Mind Your Mood initiative as Randox’s official charity partner. We are delighted that our collaboration with this renowned university has now grown to include a university-wide sports sponsorship which will continue to benefit students long in to the future.
“Randox is passionate about fostering talent – whether that be in sport or science – and about promoting health and wellbeing across the age spectrum, and we see the sponsorship as a brilliant opportunity to nurture the young sporting talents of Northern Ireland. There may be players amongst the ranks of Ulster University’s sports teams who join Randox as part of their placement year, or who take up a graduate position with us in the years to come, and we look forward to supporting these students as they thrive in both the sporting and academic spheres.”
For more information about the Randox – Ulster University partnership, please contact the Randox PR team by emailing randoxpr@randox.com
Evidence Series ā Investigator and Molecular testing
Evidence Investigator | Adaptable, Efficient & Comprehensive
The Evidence Investigator is a compact, semi-automated benchtop analyser that offers efficient and comprehensive testing across a range of applications including clinical diagnostics, molecular, research, toxicology and food diagnostics.
Renowned for its versatility, robustness and effective reporting methods, the Evidence Investigator has been used in a wide range of laboratory settings for over 15 years. This highly advanced yet simple to use analyser has only one moving part, giving the user peace of mind.
The Evidence Investigator contains a host of innovative on-board data analysis features ensuring manual processes are kept to a minimum.
By utilising the same multiplex technology as the other Evidence Series analysers, the Evidence Investigator can process up to 44 results from a single sample, with a maximum throughput of up to 2376 tests per hour. Offering efficiency without compromising on accuracy, the Evidence Investigator is the perfect fit for medium throughput laboratories seeking maximum use of bench space.
Molecular Testing
Our molecular product range offers diagnostic, prognostic and predictive solutions across a variety of disease areas including sexually transmitted infection (STI), Respiratory tract infection, colorectal cancer, familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Additionally, we can provide a wide range of assay formats including single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) genotyping, pathogen detection and mutation detection.
Pathogen Detection
STI and Respiratory Arrays
Both arrays detect the most common and frequently requested infections in sexual and respiratory health. These comprehensive, highly sensitive and specific tests enable identification of co-infections simultaneously, often in asymptomatic patients and enable antibiotic stewardship.
Mutation Detection
KRAS, BRAF, PIK3CA array and Familial Hypercholesterolemia Arrays I & II
These unique biochip assays permit high discrimination between multiple targets in a number of genes with a rapid turnaround time (3 hours). The arrays enable detection of the most frequently occurring mutations known to cause disease (FH) and adversely affect patient treatment (KRAS, BRAF, PIK3CA). A unique primer set is designed for each target which will hybridise to a complimentary oligo-nucleotide probe spotted on a biochip discrete test region (DTR).
SNP Genotyping
Cardiovascular Risk Prediction Array
This array identifies individuals with a genetic predisposition to coronary heart disease (CHD). The innovative multiplex primers are designed to discriminate DNA sequences which differ only at one base.
For more information on our Evidence Series or Molecular range of Assays, contact us at EvidenceSeries@randox.com
