Sir AP McCoy and father of late “King of Heswall” team up for Randox Health Week
Sir AP McCoy and father of late “King of Heswall” team up for Randox Health Week
Almost a year to the day of the tragic death of the “King of Heswall” Tim Cogley, his father will be joined by some of the UK’s best-known sports stars at an event in Liverpool to raise awareness of how lives can be saved through improving access to earlier routine health screening.
On April 9th 2017 Tim, who was only 34-years old, suffered a fatal heart attack due to a genetic condition which could have been managed had it been diagnosed earlier. It spurred his father, Frank Cogley, to set up a charity to raise awareness of the importance of health checks for young people.
He’ll be joined at the free Randox Health Week event in Exchange Station on 11th April by legendary jockey Sir AP McCoy, champion boxer Paul Smith and Olympic sailor Matt McGovern. The public will be invited to join the discussions as well.
Frank said: “It’s been recently reported that at least 12 under-35s die from undiagnosed heart conditions every week in the UK. The current lack of routine screening of 18-40-year olds leaves a gaping chasm in our healthcare provision. With our highly motivated partners, through events like this, we hope to redress this through lifestyle changes and preventative medical programmes. The ‘Tim Cogley Cardiac Screening Foundation’ is committed to delivering positive, action-focused and life-changing programmes. I can’t imagine a legacy more in tune with the generous, kind and supportive person that was Tim!”
This is the second year that Randox Health Week has been held in the city. The areas of mental health and active cities will be explored on days one and two – the 9th and 10th respectively. On each of the mornings, local athletes Franny Norton and Derry Mathews will be putting pupils to the test with a range of sporting activities at LJMU’s Byrom Street campus.
By working with the city’s leading universities – Liverpool John Moores and Liverpool Hope – cutting-edge innovations in healthcare and emerging trends are being shared with a global audience. One such ground-breaking development is a test for prediabetes which is key to tackling the worldwide threat of preventable cases of Type-2 diabetes. It’s something that legendary jockey Sir Anthony McCoy, also taking part in Wednesday’s talk, has first-hand experience of:
“When I got my first test results back that said I had prediabetes, it floored me. I had never imagined that I, someone who had been a professional athlete all of my life, could develop it. It just goes to show that we’re all vulnerable. I only wish it had been around when it could have helped my mum who lived with Type-2 diabetes for many years. As daunting as it was getting the diagnosis, it’s been empowering to very simply make lifestyle changes to reverse it. This needs to be accessible to everyone – it needs to be on the national diabetes screening programme.”
Dr Peter FitzGerald, Managing Director of Randox Health, commented: “The themes we’re focusing on this week are some of the most important global concerns facing us today – mental health, physical activity and showing people the benefits to being proactive about their health, rather than facing the consequences of preventable sickness. You need look no further than Frank Cogley who is working tirelessly to turn his son’s tragic death into a force for good to see how important this is. With the support from AP McCoy and Paul Smith, we hope this event will inspire many people in the city and beyond.”
Tickets are free and can be reserved at www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/randox-health-week-2018-tickets-43648350391
For further information about Randox Health Week, please contact the Randox PR team by email: randoxpr@randox.com or by phone: 028 9442 2413
Biochip Carrier Applications in the Randox Evidence Series
Biochip Array Technology is the fundamental component which drives the Randox Evidence Series immunoanalysers. The simultaneous detection of multiple analytes from a single sample allows for a complete patient profile, providing exceptional time, resource and cost savings.
The Evidence Series analysers all carry the Biochip in different applications. In order to gain a better understanding of how it is utilised, the illustrations below demonstrate how adaptable and flexible the technology is across the Evidence Series.
Evidence Evolution
- One strip contains 10 biochips
- Analyser can hold 20 strips
- Can produce a throughput of up to 2640 tests per hour
Evidence
- Each cassette contains 10 carriers
- Each carrier has 9 wells
- Analyser can hold 4 cassettes at once
- Can produce a throughput of up to 3960 tests per hour
Evidence Investigator
- Analyser holds 1 cartridge
- 1 cartridge contains 9 wells
- Thermoshaker capable of carrying 6 cartridges
- Can produce a throughput of up to 2376 tests per hour
Evidence MultiSTAT
- Analyser holds 1 cartridge
- Cartridge comes pre-loaded with reagents and QC
- Can produce a throughput of up to 132 tests per hour
About the Randox Evidence Series
The Evidence Series is set to revolutionise diagnostic testing forever. Offering unrivalled capabilities across all analysers, we truly believe that the Evidence Series range of immunoassay analysers can meet your diagnostic testing capabilities.
For more information on any of the Evidence Series analysers, visit https://www.randox.com/evidence-series/ or contact us evidenceseries@randox.com.
Randox Toxicology on Spain’s War with Heroin
Neighbourhoods across Spain recently came together to form the National Network of Cities and Neighbourhoods affected by Narcopisos, which are abandoned buildings used as drug flats. The Guardian reported how the organisation aims to raise awareness of Spain’s drug problem and shut down the empty properties being used as distribution points to buy, smoke and inject heroin.
Neighbours living close to narcopisos have described the scene as filthy, loud and dangerous. Blood, faeces and syringes have been found on the stairs and doorways to the buildings accompanied with people passing out or fighting. With cheap heroin of a poor quality, the largest narcopiso in Carrer d’en Roig was shut down after receiving up to 150 clients an hour. Barcelona’s city council cleaned up areas and secured properties in Raval as part of a €500,000 project. However, drug dealers are reportedly moving quicker than the courts and police.
When it comes to heroin, dealers do not discriminate and neither does the product. Business executives, pregnant women, teenagers and people with disabilities have all been victim to narcopisos in Spain. In areas such as La Linea de la Concepción, unemployment is at 80% and drug dealing is seen as an opportunity for the youth to make money. In 2017, director the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), Alexis Goosdeel reported, “Opioids and often heroin, are present in the majority of cases, often in combination with alcohol or benzodiazepine.”
Utilising our patented Biochip Array Technology, our DoA ULTRA panel offers the most comprehensive drugs of abuse screen across multiple forensic matrices. Detecting up to 20 targets drugs including heroin and other opioids, it has the largest cross-reactivity profile of over 240 analytes. Our excellent assay precision and performance eliminates false reporting, offering CVs of typically <10%. Randox Toxicology produce an accurate drug profile to ensure confidence in results.
For more information about our revolutionary Biochip Array and DoA ULTRA panel, email info@randoxtoxicology.com or visit www.randoxtoxicology.com
Dr Peter FitzGerald named as Irish Times Business Person of the Month
Randox Laboratories are pleased to announce that Managing Director Dr Peter FitzGerald has been named as the Irish Times’ Business Person of the Month for February 2018.
The award follows an announcement from Randox that the company will be investing £50m into three new Centres of Excellence in Northern Ireland, which will deliver cutting-edge technologies to diagnose conditions like cancer, heart conditions and infectious diseases.
At the time of the announcement, Dr FitzGerald commented;
“Enabling earlier and more accurate diagnosis, to identify those at the earliest stages of illness, ideally before the onset of any symptoms, is a game-changer. Through early intervention we can restrict the development of chronic conditions and improve people’s lives. Our view of the future is one where people are empowered through earlier diagnosis to stay healthier for longer, and where healthcare systems are freed to deliver quality services to patients. Our announcement today demonstrates our continuing commitment in this field.”
Scientists from the Antrim-headquartered group will work collaboratively with researchers and scientists from both Queen’s University and Ulster University in the new centres, which were launched at the new Randox Science Park by Sir John Bell.
In addition to the Randox Science Park, Randox has manufacturing, and research and development operations in Antrim, Donegal, India and the United States, and employs more than 1400 people across the globe.
Having been focused in the field of clinical diagnostics for over 36 years, Randox has a successful track record of developing new and innovative tests – examples include assessing those at risk of Alzheimer’s disease and genetic cardiac conditions, to promote and enable preventive treatment, and a new clinically-approved test to diagnose prediabetes.
Each year 5% of the world’s population – more than 370 million people in 145 countries – receive a health diagnosis via a product manufactured by Randox.
For further information please contact the Randox PR team by emailing randoxpr@randox.com or phoning 028 9442 2413.
Randox Biosciences: dedicated to advancing scientific discovery
Randox Laboratories is an international clinical diagnostic solutions company with over 35 years’ experience in the industry. Randox is a global market leader, providing revolutionary products for laboratories worldwide and is dedicated to improving health.
Randox Biosciences is part of Randox Laboratories and is dedicated to advancing scientific discovery, drug development and diagnostics. Spanning four key divisions; Life Sciences, Pharma Sciences, Research and Molecular; Randox Biosciences offers complete tailored solutions for clinical and research use.
From initial cultivation of raw materials for assay development, through to providing companion diagnostics, custom and molecular based assays across a range of therapy areas; Randox Biosciences is a trusted partner supplying quality diagnostic solutions to the clinical, life science, pharmaceutical, research and biopharma industries. We specialise in supplying academic centres, genetics laboratories and the global biopharmaceutical industry with products tailored to their specific needs.
Randox Biosciences Research team encompasses a knowledgeable group of who are dedicated to assisting your research project to completion. Recently, the research team has expanded to include Business Development Executives in America to support academic centres of excellence achieve their potential while utilising our quality products. We are proud to welcome Rebecca Newburg who will be focusing her efforts on the US-Midwest market and Celestine Eshiet who will be working on the US -West Coast.
We cover five areas of research such as Sport and Exercise, Cardiovascular, Metabolic, Immunology and Oncology. These five areas include our Metabolic Syndrome Array 1 & 2, Cytokine Arrays and Cardiac Array including CK-MB, H-FABP, Myoglobin and Troponin.
If you work in an academic centre and are interested in our variety of arrays, analysers whether that be chemistry or immunoassay analysers, or our reagents or quality control please do not hesitate to contact us at info@randoxbiosciences.com.
We Are Randox | Environmental Manager Charles McGonagle on protecting local wildlife
As a global company with its roots firmly planted in Northern Ireland’s glorious countryside, we’re extremely proud of the beautiful scenery that surrounds our County Antrim headquarters.
With an abundance of flora, fauna and natural wildlife living on the shores of Lough Neagh – where we have our offices – we know the importance of looking after the environment. After all, at Randox HQ we are lucky enough to admire the view from our office windows every day.
That’s why we have a dedicated Environmental Management team at Randox – whose role it is to prevent pollution, reduce waste, recycle consistently, and in general, to control and reduce the risks to air, land and water.
In this month’s #WeAreRandox interview, we chat to Charles McGonagle, Randox Environmental Manager, about a typical day in his job, the importance of respecting your local environment, and what it is that makes his career so worthwhile.
Here’s Charles’ story.
We’re very lucky that at Randox we get to work in such a beautiful part of the Northern Irish countryside. Our headquarters are located just outside Crumlin, near the International Airport, and sit just on the edge of Lough Neagh, the biggest lake in UK and Ireland.
It was recently named one of the Top 100 global sustainable destinations – an initiative which aims to recognise tourism destinations that have worked hard to make a difference and take sustainability seriously. And that’s certainly what we do here at Randox.
We take our environmental responsibility very seriously, not only because of our location, but also because we owe much of our 35 years of success to the support from the local community in which Randox was raised – so we like to give back when we can.
Each year our team plant a new area of trees around Lough Neagh, to make sure the area continues to develop and flourish. In addition to its rich collection of trees, badgers, squirrels, insects and mushrooms, there are also 100,000 birds who flock to Lough Neagh during the winter, coming from places as far away as Canada, Iceland and Russia, and we’re passionate about maintaining this sort of wildlife diversity in the Lough.
Everyone at Randox has their role to play in achieving this aim – not just the Environmental team. A typical day for me would involve a site visit to a particular area of the company, to monitor its activity and environmental performance, and identify areas for improvement, so every day I’m in a different area, learning something new and interesting about the company. With such diversity in the activities and processes the environmental team are involved in, everyone across the company gets the opportunity to review and evaluate their impact on the environment.
Whether a scientist or marketer, manufacturing operative or salesperson, we all make an effort to reduce our waste where we can – for example by turning off our computers, heating and lighting when not in use, and maintaining our equipment properly so we maximise their efficiency. In our attempts to reduce our atmosphere emissions and energy use, every little helps!
Our engineering and manufacturing team, in particular, take environmental factors into consideration daily – whether the material they have chosen is environmentally friendly, if their processes are efficient and if waste material can be recycled.
And our training department has also recently moved onto a paperless data management system to reduce our impact on the environment even more.
I think that’s one of the most rewarding things about my job – seeing people get involved and engaged in ways in which we can improve our environmental friendliness. As someone who is passionate about protecting and improving the environment – I studied Environmental Management at university and then worked with the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute – I feel very lucky to work in a company which places such importance on looking after the environment and reducing its carbon footprint.
Randox are constantly trying to find more ways to reduce environmental impact, contribute to the reduction of global CO2 emissions, and make sure that this area of outstanding natural beauty in County Antrim is preserved for many generations to come.
For further information on what we do at Randox to protect the local environment, please contact the Randox PR Team: phone 028 9442 2413 or email randoxpr@randox.com
Looking after your kidney health during your pregnancy
With this year’s World Kidney Day theme focusing on women’s health and in particular, their kidney health, the campaign is drawing attention to the need for a higher awareness, timely diagnosis and proper follow-up of kidney issues amongst women.
One key area being highlighted by the campaign is the close links between pregnancy and kidney health problems. The two are intrinsically connected – with CKD considered a high-risk factor for problematic pregnancies and reduced fertility, and in turn, pregnancy-related complications, including preeclampsia, can increase the risk of kidney disease.
Although not commonly known, women who have Chronic Kidney Disease are at increased risk of hypertensive disorders and premature births – which can be devastating for all involved.
Women with Chronic Kidney Disease who become pregnant also usually have mild kidney dysfunction, the severity of which will depend on the stage the CKD is at.
It is clear therefore that there is a need for increased awareness of Chronic Kidney Disease in pregnancy, to timely identify its existence before conception, and to monitor its progress before, during and after birth.
With a comprehensive panel of kidney health tests, Randox are working to ensure timely diagnosis of kidney function problems, to ensure that necessary treatment is administered at the earliest possible stage, when it is most likely to be successful.
Pregnant women, or women hoping to get pregnant in the future, can therefore determine their kidney health and be empowered to embark upon the necessary lifestyle changes or treatment required to ensure a safe and healthy pregnancy.
For example, the Randox test for albumin, low concentrations of which are the earliest marker of kidney damage, can identify individuals with diabetic nephropathy (damage to the kidneys caused by diabetes) around 10 years earlier than standard protein tests. The Randox albumin test can therefore enable preventative measures to be taken to reduce your risk of developing kidney disease.
In addition to albumin, there are a number of other highly specific and sensitive tests for kidney health, which are available as part of a Randox Health Check at our Randox Health Clinics. These include;
- Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate, which is an equation that considers age, gender, blood and protein levels to determine how well the kidneys are functioning.
- Creatinine, which is a waste product produced by muscle tissue, and removed by the kidneys. When kidney function is diminished, creatinine levels increase.
- Other proteins within the body which should be filtered by the kidneys, and are therefore measured to determine kidney function, include;
– Cystatin C
– Beta-2-Microglobulin
– Microalbumin, which is not usually found in urine, but can appear when normal kidney function is impaired.
- Minerals processed by the kidneys and analysed by Randox Health include;
– Magnesium
– Calcium
– Phosphate
– Potassium
– Sodium
Both World Kidney Day and Randox are working towards improving healthcare worldwide. With access to these high-performance kidney health tests, expectant mothers with kidney problems can be diagnosed early, before the condition develops into something more serious – keeping both you, and your baby healthy.
With early diagnosis we can improve patient treatment outcomes and reduce the number of people across the world suffering with kidney health problems.
If you are a clinician or lab interested in running renal function assays, download our Reagents Brochure or email reagents@randox.com
If you want to find out the status of your own Kidney Health, book a health check with Randox Health today. Speak to our team by phoning 0800 2545 130.
Randox Testing Services: Customer Testimonials from Ireland
At Randox Testing Services (RTS), we pride ourselves on helping our customers improve the health and safety of their working environment. Using our accurate and reliable testing methods and a range of additional services including training and policy reviews, we create tailored packages to meet the needs of our customers. We work with customers all over the world, but this month are highlighting the work we are doing across Ireland.
This month RTS will be attending the Northern Ireland Occupational Health, Hygiene and Wellbeing Conference at Titanic Belfast. This conference brings together companies from a range of industries all across Ireland to discuss the importance of employee health and wellbeing. As a company that began in Northern Ireland, RTS have always had strong connections with local businesses and are continually expanding our reach across Ireland.
Some of the companies with which we currently work, like GRAHAM construction, have recently provided feedback on our services. GRAHAM is based in Hillsborough, Co. Down and is a national construction, asset management and project investment business. They deliver services to a diverse range of clients from a network of regional offices, throughout the UK and Ireland.
“GRAHAM Construction are proud to be partnered with Randox as their main Drug & Alcohol Service Provider. Over the years they have given a consistent, prompt, efficient, and professional service that delivered what was promised, when promised, to the proper agreed standards, which assists us in managing our relevant responsibilities with ease and confidence. I would have no hesitation in recommending them to others.”
This is great feedback to receive from such a reputable company who have a range of different testing needs. The construction industry is becoming more and more proactive when it comes to drug and alcohol testing. At RTS our experience working with GRAHAM and other major construction firms across the UK and Ireland means we are extremely well equipped to deal with the changing needs of this industry.
Another industry which requires a flexible and reliable drug and alcohol testing services provider is the aviation industry, especially when it comes to recruitment. We have been working with CAE Parc Aviation Services, the global leader in the provision of aviation personnel and support services to conduct pre-employment testing.
“We use Randox for Pre-Employment and Random Drug & Alcohol testing for select clients. We would happily recommend their services.”
Again, through working with various industries, the experience our staff possess is second to none. By qualifying the exact needs of our customers we create customised, cost-effective packages to ensure all testing needs are met.
As well as offering drug and alcohol testing services, our complete solution also includes a host of training, educational and consultancy services to equip our customers in tackling drug and alcohol misuse. Including comprehensive chain of custody training programs, which enables employers to conduct on-site collections to the same standard as a Randox Testing Services collection specialist.
The Henderson Group in Newtownabbey are another large company that has availed of the services offered by Randox Testing Services. The Henderson Group are the owners of the SPAR, EUROSPAR, ViVO, ViVOXTRA and ViVO Essentials franchises in Northern Ireland and have been distributing food and grocery-related products to the convenience retail sector for over 100 years.
“We switched provider for our Drug and Alcohol policy almost two years ago, moving to Randox. The switchover was relatively seamless and the impact on our business has been positive. Our tests are now all completed within target and we have realised a saving to boot. We are glad we made the switch.”
Randox Testing Services is committed to tailoring our service to the needs of customers all over the world, and across the island of Ireland.
If your company would like to speak to us, please contact testingservices@randox.com
Alternatively you can contact David O’Regan, the Business Development Executive for Ireland directly: David.O’Regan@randox.com.
Understanding your heart health with Randox Health
Today in the UK, on average, 530 people will be admitted to hospital with a heart attack – even though 75% of heart disease is preventable.
Why wait?
At Randox Health, we believe in preventing disease, instead of waiting for it to occur. We do this through our comprehensive health checks, which use innovative Randox technology to provide you with up to 350 test results, covering over 25 different areas within the body. One of those areas is the heart, by using our ‘Heart Health test panel’. This panel offers up to 21 tests, including a cardiovascular risk score, which assesses your risk of developing cardiovascular disease over the next 10 years.
Our Heart Health panel also measures apolipoproteins, which are proteins which bind cholesterol for transport around the body. Measuring apolipoproteins along with traditional cholesterol markers, such as LDL (bad) cholesterol and HDL (good) cholesterol, gives us a much more detailed understanding of your Heart Health, compared to using traditional cholesterol levels alone. A unique test in our panel can identify damage to heart muscle, which can occur with a heart attack.
It’s in the genes
As well as our comprehensive Heart Health panel, offered within our programmes, Randox Health also offer more specialised cardiac testing.
Taking cardiac risk assessment one step further, our Cardiac Risk Prediction testing can predict your risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) using not only traditional cholesterol and blood pressure measurements, but using advanced genetic testing. Such testing will combine various genetic tests known to be associated with increased risk of CHD, along with measurements such as blood pressure and cholesterol to calculate and provide you with an overall CHD risk score.
If you have high cholesterol, or heart disease runs in your family, you may benefit from our Familial Hypercholesterolaemia (FH) genetic screen. FH is a hereditary condition involving high cholesterol levels and a high risk of having a heart attack or stroke at a younger age. FH occurs in approximately 1 in every 250 people worldwide and it is thought that 90% of individuals with the condition remain undiagnosed! At Randox Health we recognise the importance of detecting this condition as early as possible; therefore, we offer testing which can check simultaneously for several genetic mutations known to be involved in FH. Early diagnosis and treatment of FH significantly improves and lengthens the lives of those affected, as well as saving the lives of their beloved family members.
To find out more, click here or call 0800 2545 130 and one of our team will be able to discuss this in more detail with you.
We are attending Bee Happy Bulgaria 2018 on 1st – 4th March!
Bees and other pollinators are vital to three-quarters of the world’s food crops but have been in serious decline in recent decades. The destruction of wild habitats, disease and widespread pesticide use are all important factors.
Global honey production is projected to reach 2.4 million tons by 2022 this is driven by a growth in consumers demand for a natural and healthy alternative to artificial sweeteners, a rising awareness over the benefits of using honey as a sweetener over cane sugar and the realisation of the antibacterial and inflammatory properties of manuka honey.
The decline in the numbers of bees and rising demand from consumers for natural honey products has created a market for “illegal honey” being produced to supply the demand. Producers ‘cut’ their honey with additives like high-fructose corn syrup and brand it as natural honey, affecting purity and reducing cost.
‘Honey laundering’ has also become an issue, with countries such as China using non FDA approved chemicals within beekeeping and being non-compliant to regulations causing their honey to be banned from entering the USA. To get around this, Chinese honey is being shipped into countries such as Vietnam where it is then re labelled and moved into the USA with a new country of origin on the label. This has created the need for a reliable and accurate way to test honey globally.
In order to help the industry Randox Food Diagnostics developed the Evidence Investigator analyser. The Investigator uses Biochip Array Technology (BAT), a technology that was developed by Randox, to detect multiple residues (up to 45) from a single sample. Tests for honey include a vast range of antimicrobials such as Quinolones, Streptomycin, Chloramphenicol, Nitrofurans and more. Randox Food Diagnostics are also releasing a pesticides array in early 2018. Also offered are a range of ELISA test kits.
Alongside the evidence Investigator Randox Food Diagnostics developed the RX misano for enzymatic analysis of honey. The RX misano is now available for the analysis of diastase, total sugars (glucose/fructose), HMF (hydroxymethylfurfural) & colouration, with sucrose coming in 2018.
Randox Food Diagnostics will be attending Bee Happy Expo in Bulgaria from 1st – 4th March 2018 Stop by booth 25 or catch our presentation on Saturday 3rd March at 14:30 to learn more about our product offering for honey.
For more information visit the Randox Food Diagnostics website at: http://www.randoxfood.com/matrices/honey
Or email: info@randoxfooddiagnostics.com
