[27
JUL 99] UNIVERSITY OF WARWICK PRESS RELEASE
New Science Park Company Provides 24 Hour Service For Doctors Seeking Fast Infection
DiagnosesMicropathology Ltd, one of the latest companies to join the
University of Warwick Science Park, is providing a 24 hour clinical advice service for
medical colleagues on all aspects of infectious disease.
This service is available to the medical profession to
discuss suspected acute and chronic infections, vaccination and likely exposure in travel
and on return if unwell.
In individual cases where laboratory investigation is
required the company can provide advice at any time for the patient’s physician to
see if its specialised testing is appropriate for a clinical problem and advise on the
most suitable clinical specimens for laboratory diagnosis.
This service is coupled with an in-house research programme
which allows continuing refinement of the diagnostic processes, independently assessing
the latest developments in infectious disease diagnosis technology. The focus of this
research is on molecular amplification techniques which detect minute quantities of the
nucleic acid of organisms involved in human and animal infectious disease.
Micropathology combines a state-of-the-art diagnostic
service for infectious disease for hospital doctors and general practitioners and
community physicians, with a research programme on infectious organisms in man and animals
including, for example, the presently unresolved problem of the source of Cattle TB
infection in the UK and also infection problems of children in Africa with HIV.
The company works closely with 19 of the UK's public health
laboratories and many hospitals both in the UK and others overseas. The specialist work
includes paediatric research and diagnostic work with the Great Ormond Street Children's
Hospital, and St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington and also with St Thomas's and St
George's Hospitals in London as well as teaching hospitals throughout the country.
UK healthcare providers are increasingly over-stretched in
their ability to rapidly diagnose infectious diseases. The number of clinical virologists
organising this sort of work in UK hospitals has fallen from 40 to around 25 just in the
short period of time Micropathology has existed as a company.
Companies like Micropathology are able to offer the medical
profession an economic, round the clock service that can deliver fast results of
investigation in infection coupled with very high laboratory standards. This service is
provided together with efficient and tailored joint research protocols designed by the
company scientists.
The specialised services also include: occupational health
screening for companies; specialised testing for Transplant Units and patients with
transplants or for those who are immunosuppressed; investigations of infections in mother
and baby both in pregnancy and the new-born, and an infection screen for in-vitro
fertilisation partcipants.
Micropathology Ltd is the only laboratory in the UK to
provide a through-pregnancy testing service for Toxoplamsa gondii infection. This
testing is mandatory in Austria, France and Italy but not available under the NHS. The
Company collaborates with the NHS and PHLS as well as private service laboratories and
will help, where appropriate, with any locally conducted NHS laboratory studies.
MORE INFORMATION:
Dr Colin Fink, Micropathology Ltd
University of Warwick Science Park
Tel: 024 76 323222
Email: micropathology@telinco.co.uk
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