IQC Kits to be launched

Lorne is preparing to launch a new IQC kit for UK based serologists in the coming weeks. Recent trials in the UK have suggested that the kits will be well received and feedback has been very encouraging.

Speaking to many blood transfusion professionals at this year’s BBTS in Harrogate, it was clear that the kit has many advantages over what is currently available in the UK market. It was also clear that there were other issues apart from quality that left UK based blood transfusion specialists crying out for a new IQC kit – reliability and price were two other important issues and both of these will be addressed as this new kit comes to market.

Lorne has been keen to add a quality IQC kit to its product portfolio. This kit belongs alongside Lorne’s blood grouping reagents as it offers a high quality solution to those seeking a different panel in an IQC kit. If you are interested in more information about the IQC kit, drop me a line at james@lornelabs.com and I will give you the good news. Things will only get better when I tell you the price…

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Striking gold

Being in the UK at present, it is hard to escape the Olympic Games. The UK has struck gold time and time again and seems destined (as I write) to finish in third place behind the USA and China. It is a wonderful achievement – last week I mused about Bradley Wiggins’ success and how he might owe some part of it to his blood platelets.

Well, I am going to stick my neck on the line and predict a gold medal for Lorne. OK! Maybe, there isn’t an Olympic category for blood grouping reagents, but that may change some day. This time around, the Olympics have seen some new categories, like women’s boxing. It has also seen some categories have a final outing, like wind-surfing. So, you never know what categories might crop up at some future games.

I can imagine the individual and team medals – best blood reagent (individual), best blood type test kit (team effort), longest reagent shelf life, fastest reagent delivery, highest reagent quality – the list goes on. The main difference, of course, is that I do not see Lorne coming third in any medals table. I like to think it will be gold all the way.

So, until the International Olympic Committee wakes up to the possibility, we will just have to keep on carrying our own torch. Faster deliveries, higher standards and stronger reagents - it’s the Olympic ideal and our everyday promise.
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Lorne Kits

We have had a lot of interest in our kits in recent weeks. Lorne produce a range of quality kits including TPHA, RPR, VDRL, ASO, RA, E Coli, CRP, Strep, Staph & Sickle Cell.

I have recently been to conferences in Scotland and Wales and I received really pleasing feedback about our reagents.We are used to that. However, what was particularly pleasing was the feedback we received for our kits and, in particular, the customer service that accompanies them.

We aim to provide the best quality reagents and kits, backed by a reliable and consistent service, and all offered at a competitive price. It is what Lorne stands for. If you are interested in finding out more about our kits, please contact Lorne at marketing@lornelabs.com or on  01189 212264.

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A Successful Scotblood

It was a real pleasure to attend Scotblood 2012. Stirling University played host to the conference and the weather was better than most had hoped. I managed to speak to so many advocates of the Lorne brand and hopefully some future customers too.

I managed to have a chat with some of the speakers at this year’s conference too. I was particularly impressed to meet Carol Mitchell, who works for the Canadian Blood Service and had come over to speak about her specialism, youth recruitment for blood donation. She added an international flavour to what is a regional affair, although I did chat to a number of other delegates from outside of Scotland, including some from my native Belfast and one or two from south of the borders (Ireland & England).

It was also great to hear from so many delegates about their satisfaction with Lorne products. Lorne prides itself on producing high quality stable wet reagents, with a long shelf life and all at a competitive price. It was wonderful to hear how many of the delegates trust our blood group reagents and kits, and choose Lorne rather than other manufacturers of diagnostic test kits and reagents. That’s what makes attending these exhibitions and conferences such a pleasure: lots of compliments for us with the complaints reserved for some of our competitors.

Next stop is BBTS in Harrogate at the end of September. We look forward to seeing you there.

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Rebecca Ambrose is back

It is a pleasure to say that on the 1st May we welcomed back an important member of the Lorne family. Rebecca Ambrose is back after 9 months maternity leave and is raring to go. Some of our export customers will get to know Rebecca a bit more as she is now one half of our export team.

Fortunately Lorne have bagged a buy one, get one free deal with the addition of Aidan (the little cutie on the right). At first he was slightly rattled but with a few huggies from his mother, he dived straight in to business and has already made an impact in his new management role.

Our blood grouping reagents are now untouchable when it comes to quality and Aidan would like us to believe that it is all down to his perfectionism. As you can see in the picture, Aidan’s gaze was distracted by yet another opportunity to increase sales. He toys around with new ideas and has the bottle to put the best of them to bed. Let me tell you, he doesn’t hold back. What he lacks in stature he more than makes up for by ordering us around, keeping us on our toes while he remains on all fours.

Ok, in all seriousness, Aidan is not in charge of Lorne. But maybe Rebecca will fill him with a love for blood grouping reagents and one day, he may exchange his pram for a seat on the Board. It’s a nice thought anyway. But it is great to welcome back Rebecca. She has the biggest smile in Lorne and her optimism is truly inspiring.

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Harry Potter and the Full Blood Prints

It is not often that the world of fiction inspires an improvement in the field of blood grouping. The BBC reported this week on an extraordinary development, inspired by the self-writing diary featured in the Harry Potter series of books.

To make sure that a correct assessment has been made of a blood grouping assay, paper impregnated with reagents in the shape of letters is exposed to the blood sample. If a blood sample is group A, the Anti-A which has been impregnated in the shape of the letter reacts with the sample and spells out the letter ‘A’. The same goes for group B, again impregnated with Anti-B in the shape of a ‘B’. Group AB will react with both the Anti-A and the Anti-B, and both letters will show.

To cater for group O, the test paper has Anti-A and Anti-B forming a cross in the centre of a circle. If the sample is not group O, a cross will appear in the circle. If there is neither A nor B present, the circle stays in its original state, showing that the sample is group O.

It is all very ingenious. If it works for the ABO blood groups, it may well be expanded to cover the Rhesus blood groups. Blood grouping may never be the same. The trick is getting the various blood grouping reagents to form letters on the special paper.

I wonder if they have the ability to create a self-writing blog. Now, that really would be progress!

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Cold Chain Mission

BBC2 showed the first of two one-hour programmes on Sunday evening, charting the challenges faced by Unicef as it seeks to immunise children in some of the most remote and difficult environments on Earth. In Sunday’s programme, Unicef ambassador Ewan McGregor was on a mission to follow the cold chains necessary to keep polio and measles vaccines in the right conditions before they were administered to children in India and Nepal.

It is not unusual for medical supplies to require a cold chain. At Lorne, we know that Lorne blood grouping reagents and kits require a cold chain in order for them to maintain their stability and remain effective diagnostic tools for the medical profession. They are stored here in a giant refrigerator and upon shipping they require refrigeration en route and at their destination. I have been into UK hospitals and witnessed the cold chain used for blood and blood products. Here in the UK, our hospitals have reliable blood bank fridges (especially those with Lorne fridges). The remote corners of the world that Ewan and the Unicef team were visiting utilised a far less reliable infrastructure.

The vaccines he was transporting hopped from freezer to freezer, often being stored in hotel kitchens, before being moved in cool boxes in the blazing tropical heat. Boats, planes, motorbikes and treks across mountains were required to reach these remote villages, with the integrity of the cold chain being tested along the way. It was a fascinating glimpse into the logistics of cold chain medicine transportation and delivery.

In next Sunday’s episode, Ewan and his team travel up the Congo River following a vaccine cold chain trail. It can be watched on BBC2 at 9pm and is available on BBC iPlayer.
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Donating Blood for the first time

I have never donated blood before. Since joining Lorne, the urge to do so has become more pressing. As a member of the Lorne team, I have visited local hospitals and seen the great work going on in the blood banks. I am aware of the importance of giving blood and I am surrounded on a daily basis with the tools of the trade – blood grouping reagents and blood bank fridges.

So, it is my intention to sign up and do my bit for the community in which I live. Who knows? One day, it might be a friend or a loved one who is in dire need of a transfusion. It could even be me. I am finding it harder and harder every day to put it off.

As someone who works with blood grouping reagents, it may seem rather surprising that I do not even know what blood groups I belong to. I suppose that will change when I sign up and offer my first donation. I will also know something of the process that follows – the use of blood grouping reagents to determine my profile, my blood being stored in a blood bank fridge and the eventual transfusion into someone who needs it.

I will post what happens over the next few weeks. Who knows? Perhaps you might be inspired to do the same.

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New-born Screening Expanded

The testing of new-born babies in the U.K. for a variety of diseases is nothing new. Around 700,000 babies are currently tested each year for a range of genetic conditions such as cystic fibrosis and sickle cell anaemia. The BBC has reported that screening for genetic conditions is to be expanded to cover some rare but important conditions in an attempt to give more children a chance of a long, healthy life.

Some of the new conditions that midwives will be screening for include the exotically named maple syrup urine disease and long chain fatty acidaemia. (I had always wondered how a blood sample was obtained from a baby for such screening, but the BBC article I read solved that little mystery for me – the midwives prick the baby’s heel and obtain drops of blood from the foot).

This adds to the whole screening process that takes place in the NHS designed to ensure that mothers and their children have the best chance in life. Mothers-to-be have their blood routinely screened. Rhesus negative mothers who are carrying Rhesus positive children need to be monitored carefully to prevent Haemolytic Disease of the New-born. I have had the privilege of visiting a hospital laboratory in recent weeks where such screening was taking place and it was quite heart-warming to know that Lorne blood grouping reagents were being used in the process.

Whilst this new expansion of screening is a pilot scheme, it should not be long before it is rolled out nationwide as a matter of routine. It confirms the UK as a world leader in screening policy. Long may it continue!
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What Rhymes with Blood Grouping Reagent?

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I have been around for a few years – more than I care to remember. That’s not the case with everyone here at Lorne. We have some young ‘uns here and like most young people, they have different tastes in music. Our newest member of the team is a dab hand at composing music, though it’s not the sort that Mozart would recognise.

It did get me thinking though. If we were to compose a song about Lorne in the modern style – say, a rap – what sort of upbeat and poetical offering could we come up with? Rap music lyrics are fast and they rhyme, so I thought that I would be best placed to give it a go. Step aside modern rappers – here comes MC Lorne:

We do Anti-A and we do Anti-B, clones 1 and 2 of great Anti-D, Duffy, Cellano and Anti Big K, quality product, what can I say,Stainer's and fridges and excellent freezers, loved by all those laboratory geezers…

Wow! I never realised I had such talent. I am just a little tempted to hang up my suit and get my decks and headphones out. I might even ask the new guy to put a beat to those words. If you need to find the Lorne stand at any exhibitions this year, just follow the music. And if you need to discuss anything, I’ll be the one wearing the sunglasses and bling.

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Team Building – Embracing the Fear!

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The team at Lorne are facing a new challenge this week. It has been decided that we could all do with a bit of team-building, something that everyone has to face at least once in a career. I have been on some pretty madcap happy-huggy team building days in previous jobs and I am aware that they are not to everyone’s taste. I’ve witnessed a few broken bones and plenty of red faces – such things are par for the course.

Still, before I scare anyone off, such days are often a welcome diversion from the usual diet of blood groups and blood grouping. The thing with team building is to embrace the fear and get stuck in. He or she that holds back will find it a tad more uncomfortable than those who just let go. So, I am gearing myself up for crawling, jumping and being carried around by my colleagues, not to mention a host of other exercises that could easily end up in a visit to the local Emergency Room.

If it works – and who am I to doubt it – we will all be back at Lorne the following week, working like a well-oiled machine. And if we need to attend to the business of blood groups and blood grouping, we, the Lorne team, will do so in a team-like display of teamwork. Now that’s what I call a team!

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Medica 2011

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It’s that time of the year again. After weeks of preparation, six of the Lorne team are heading off to Dusseldorf in Germany to fly the flag for the company. For those that have never been, this is the largest trade fair of its kind in Europe, occupying the huge exhibition complex next to the Rhine, just to the north of the city. I suspect that it could be seen from space, but I don’t have the time to go and find out for myself.

Everyone who is anyone in this business will be there. The Lorne team will be there in our capacity as a manufacturer of high quality blood screening reagents as well as being laboratory equipment suppliers. It is a great time to catch up with many of the Lorne distributors who are coming from across the globe to be there. This year, just to add a bit of spice to the proceedings, we will be offering two training sessions – a chance for us to give a little bit more information to the attendees about blood screening, blood grouping reagents, the manufacturing process and a little about the company as well. We might just chuck in something about the excellent blood banks we supply. Well, why wouldn’t we? They are rather good, you know.

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MD AT LORNE LABS DOES MORE THAN BLOOD REAGENTS

Out with Lions Club of Fleet last night we raised £312.93 (plus Australia 5c, Austria 1 Schilling, Isle of Man 2p and USA 25c)

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