We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

LabMedica

Download Mobile App
Recent News Expo Clinical Chem. Molecular Diagnostics Hematology Immunology Microbiology Pathology Technology Industry Focus

New Pregnancy Assay Receives CE Marking and FDA Clearance

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 20 Jan 2014
Image: The new high standard \"Access Total βhCG (5th IS)\" assay for pregnancy determination from Beckman Coulter Diagnostics (Photo courtesy of Beckman Coulter).
Image: The new high standard \"Access Total βhCG (5th IS)\" assay for pregnancy determination from Beckman Coulter Diagnostics (Photo courtesy of Beckman Coulter).
The approved new pregnancy determination assay features a broad dynamic range and is the first to standardize to the World Health Organization's latest international standard.

To help move reproductive health management forward, Beckman Coulter Diagnostics of Beckman Coulter (Brea, CA, USA) has received the CE marking and US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 510(k) clearance for its new "Access Total βhCG (5th IS)" assay. It is the first βhCG assay standardized to the highly purified World Health Organization (WHO) 5th International Standard (IS) for glycoprotein chorionic gonadotropin. The βhCG assay is critical in routine and emergency diagnosis as it is frequently ordered on women of childbearing-age who require treatment, which could potentially be harmful to a fetus. The expanded utility of the assay has also been CE Mark approved for Down syndrome assessment during pregnancy.

“As the first manufacturer to standardize to the WHO 5th IS, the new βhCG assay is an example of Beckman Coulter’s continuing dedication to lead the way in this important diagnostic field,” said John Blackwood, senior vice president of Product Management for Beckman Coulter Diagnostics; “The new assay is just one example of the innovations that comprise Beckman Coulter’s reproductive health portfolio—the most comprehensive immunoassay reproductive panel available on the market.”

The assay features a broad dynamic range with automatic onboard dilution capability, reducing the need for manual sample dilutions. As a part of the standardization, reference ranges have been updated to include additional populations that include women over the age of 40, postmenopausal women, and men. Additionally, in response to changing laboratory environments and the challenges faced in collecting serum samples, Beckman Coulter has further improved the Total βhCG (5th IS) to make it more resilient to preanalytical factors.

"Access" reproductive solutions are part of a comprehensive assay menu featured on the Access and UniCel Immunoassay Systems.

Related Links:

Beckman Coulter


Platinum Member
Automated Coagulation Analyzer
Hemolumi H6
Gold Member
Quantitative POC Immunoassay Analyzer
EASY READER+
New
MR-proADM Test
B•R•A•H•M•S MR-proADM KRYPTOR test
New
Microbiology Laboratory Automation Solution
BD Kiestra™ ReadA+BarcodA

Channels

Clinical Chemistry

view channel
Image Credit: Shutterstock

Blood Test Could Guide Drug Selection to Prevent Repeat Heart Attacks and Strokes

Secondary prevention after myocardial infarction or stroke relies on antiplatelet therapy, yet responses vary widely and both recurrent thrombosis and bleeding remain persistent risks. In the United Kingdom,... Read more

Molecular Diagnostics

view channel
Image: The Avantect Pancreatic Cancer Test combines epigenomic, genomic, and glycan biomarkers with machine learning to detect pancreatic cancer-associated signals in blood (Photo courtesy of ClearNote Health)

Multiomic Blood Test Supports Noninvasive Monitoring and Subtyping in Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma remains difficult to detect early and monitor during treatment, particularly in patients with homologous recombination defects. Clinicians also have limited noninvasive... Read more

Microbiology

view channel
Image: Graphical Abstract (Jose A. Céspedes, Maria I. Montañez, Isabel M. Jiménez, et al. Magnetic nanoparticles enable clinically relevant in vitro diagnosis of beta-lactam allergy. Materials Today Bio (2026). DOI: 10.1016/j.mtbio.2026.103356)

Magnetic Nanoparticles Enable More Sensitive Beta-Lactam Allergy Testing

Penicillin allergy labels are common in clinical practice, yet many are incorrect and can lead to suboptimal antibiotic choices. Although 8%–25% of people report a penicillin allergy, only 1%–10% are truly... Read more

Pathology

view channel
Image: A new study demonstrates that vascular features in colorectal tumors could serve as prognostic biomarkers of disease outcome. (Image Credit: iStock)

Tumor Blood Vessel Features May Help Predict Colorectal Cancer Survival

Colorectal cancer outcomes vary widely, and tumor biology remains a key determinant of prognosis. Because neoplasms depend on a vascular supply, differences in intratumoral vessels may influence survival.... Read more

Technology

view channel
Image: ADLM recommends that emerging AI tools follow the same professional oversight, quality, validation, and monitoring standards as traditional clinical testing within CLIA’s existing framework (Image Credit: Adobe Stock)

ADLM Calls for CLIA Updates to Support Safe AI Use in Laboratory Medicine

Clinical laboratories increasingly use artificial intelligence to verify, interpret, and report results, but safeguards under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) were designed in 1992.... Read more

Industry

view channel
Image Credit: Adobe Stock

Mayo Clinic and Thermo Fisher Launch Multi-Omics Venture to Identify Early Disease Signals

Many diseases begin developing years before symptoms emerge, making early detection difficult for healthcare systems and clinical laboratories. Linking molecular changes with longitudinal health data could... Read more