Quantitative diagnosis of healthcare conditions using robust scientific techniques and requiring less individual judgement are needed to improve health outcomes. Reliable quantification requires measurement techniques that are traceable to the SI system to ensure accuracy from the lab to the patient. EMRP research has supported research that addresses traceability of chemical and biological measurements across a range of diagnosis methods.

Quantitative diagnosis of healthcare conditions using robust scientific techniques and requiring less individual judgement are needed to improve health outcomes. Reliable quantification requires measurement techniques that are traceable to the SI system to ensure accuracy from the lab to the patient. EMRP research has supported research that addresses traceability of chemical and biological measurements across a range of diagnosis methods. 

 

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Courtesy of BAM

A new ISO standard on the identification of nanoparticles

Nanoparticles (NP), defined as having one or more dimension of 1-100 nm, are used in a range of modern products, including cosmetics, sunscreen, coatings for solar cells, and materials for water treatment. A factor for their extensive use is the greater chemical activity imparted by their large surface area relative to their size. As they are small enough to enter the body through the lung, skin and bypass the blo...
  • BAM
    Vasile-Dan Hodoroaba
    dan.hodoroaba@bam.de
Image showing abstract nanoparticle structure

Measuring nanoparticle shell thickness

Nanoparticles are becoming increasingly used in a wide range of areas, and thus are expected to soon have a significant economic and environmental impact. In health they are used for targeted drug delivery, and in the energy sector they are used in photovoltaic technologies to improve solar cell efficiency compared to conventional materials. Due to the wide range of fields that coated nanoparticles are used in, th...
  • NPL
    Charles Clifford
    charles.clifford@npl.co.uk
Six pictures showing a human brain scan. Three images in upper row showing black and white pictures of the brain and below these the corresponding EPT images in green with orange indicating tissue sub-types

Quantifying the uncertainty of Electric Properties Tomography in medical imaging

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a diagnostic, mainly qualitative, technique used to visualise the soft tissues of a patient. The application of a strong magnetic field causes the protons in a patient’s hydrogen atoms to align with it. Radiofrequency pulses are then used to force the protons to move out of and back into alignment with the field, generating signals characteristic of the tissues in which the hydr...
  • NPL
    Maurice Cox
    maurice.cox@npl.co.uk
Artists impression showing a close up of three pale DNA strands against a dark blue background. The centre strand is being impacted and damaged by a bright beam of light

Simulating the effectiveness of radiotherapy at the nanometre scale

One in two people will develop cancer in their lifetime. Radiotherapy, using external sources of radiation, is a common treatment approach. This includes photon sources, such as x-rays and γ-rays, and particles, such as electrons, protons, and carbon ions. Radiation doses must be carefully calculated – too high a level and healthy tissue can be affected, too low and the cancerous cells may survive. When radiation...
  • PTB
    Hans Rabus
    hans.rabus@ptb.de

New reference material for light scatter-based sizing of extracellular vesicles

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are biological nanoparticles actively released by cells, comprising of an outer lipid membrane, and containing markers indicative of the cell of origin, and housing an inner aqueous core. Most EVs are 100 nm in diameter or less but can range in size from 30 nm to a few micrometres. EVs are found in all body fluids. Moreover, cells affected by disease release altered EV profiles compare...
  • VSL
    Rienk Nieuwland
    r.nieuwland@amc.uva.nl

Ensuring the accuracy of breath analysers to enforce drink driving regulations

Since 1938, when the first instrument for detecting alcohol in breath was developed, the ‘breathanalyser’ has become increasingly sophisticated. These instruments determine if a person has potentially consumed alcohol by measuring the concentration of ethanol in air exhaled from their lungs. They are now used by law enforcement agencies throughout the world to detect offenders and, to do this effectively, it is es...
  • BAM
    Rosemarie Philipp
    rosemarie.philipp@bam.de

An improved method for studying nanometre-sized biological particles

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are small membrane-coated particles (30 nm - 1,000 nm) released from animal and plant cells. Originally thought to be unwanted cellular debris it has since been realised these are actively secreted, contain soluble molecules such as proteins and nucleic acids, and are involved in both normal and pathological conditions. Cancerous or virus infected cells often display altered EV morpho...
  • NPL
    Alice Harling
    alice.harling@npl.co.uk
A driver taking a breath test at the roadside

Sharing metrological knowledge in Europe to reduce alcohol-related road accident

The World Health Organisation has indicated that road traffic accidents are the leading cause of death in children and young adults in the European Region and the EC has estimated that 25 % of such fatalities are due to alcohol. Around 6,500 deaths could be prevented each year in Europe if drivers obeyed drinkdriving regulations. Road safety laws, stipulating permissible level of blood alcohol content, have been ...
  • BAM
    Rosemarie Philipp
    rosemarie.philipp@bam.de
3D illustration of the human eye

A new European centre in the fight against glaucoma

The World Health Organization has named glaucoma as the leading cause of irreversible vision loss, responsible for 37.5 % of blindness world-wide. Glaucoma is a chronic disease, and its rate of incidence and progression increases with age. It has been estimated around 112 million patients will be suffering from this disease by 2040. In its early stages the disease has no symptoms and can only be detected by an in...
  • CMI
    Dominik Prazak
    dprazak@cmi.cz
© Chinnapong

Valid calibration of infusion pumps

Infusion pumps deliver medications at programmed rates or intervals. However, incorrect doses can occur if fluids are delivered at inaccurate flow rates, particularly drugs with narrow therapeutic margins, short half-life, high concentration, or the very low flow rates typical for newborn children. Therefore, accurate and precise control of flow rates can be critical for patient safety, not least as the use of in...
  • IPQ
    Elsa Batista
    ebatista@ipq.pt
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SPOTTING INTER CELL COMMUNICATIONS

Extracellular vesicles are small cell-derived particles present in all body fluids. They are fundamental to biological processes and have been recently shown to be involved in the spread of cancer around the body. The detection and counting of extracellular vesicles gives an opportunity to develop new diagnostic tools and treatments for many diseases. However, these rely on first producing high quality blood samples for analysis using robust, simple and standardised approaches.

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