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).
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
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
Latest Immunology News
- Routine TB Screening Test May Reveal Immune Aging and Mortality Risk
- Biomarkers and Molecular Testing Advance Precision Allergy Care
- Point-of-Care Tests Could Expand Access to Mpox Diagnosis
- T-Cell Senescence Profiling May Predict CAR T Responses
- Finger-Prick Lateral Flow Test Detects Sepsis Biomarkers at Point of Care
- Study Highlights Low Sensitivity of Current Lyme Tests in Early Infection
- Immune Aging Clock Quantifies Immunosenescence and Identifies Therapeutic Target
- Study Finds Influenza Often Undiagnosed in Winter Deaths
- Combined Screening Approach Identifies Early Leprosy Cases
- Antibody Blood Test Identifies Active TB and Distinguishes Latent Infection
- FDA Approval Expands Use of PD-L1 Companion Diagnostic in Esophageal and GEJ Carcinomas
- Study Identifies Inflammatory Pathway Driving Immunotherapy Resistance in Bladder Cancer
- Microfluidic Chip Detects Cancer Recurrence from Immune Response Signals
- Cancer Mutation ‘Fingerprints’ to Improve Prediction of Immunotherapy Response
- Immune Signature Identified in Treatment-Resistant Myasthenia Gravis
- New Biomarker Predicts Chemotherapy Response in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
Channels
Clinical Chemistry
view channel
Urine-Based Nanosensor Tracks Lung Cancer and Fibrosis Noninvasively
Lung cancer remains difficult to monitor for early progression and treatment resistance, while pulmonary fibrosis continues to pose major challenges for early diagnosis. Clinicians need repeatable, noninvasive... Read more
Blood-Based Alzheimer’s Test Gains CE Mark for Amyloid Pathology Detection
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia, yet confirmatory testing remains invasive and hard to access. Diagnosis currently takes an average of 3.5 years, and about 75% of people with dementia... Read moreMolecular Diagnostics
view channel
Breast Cancer-Specific Signatures Link Genome Instability to Outcomes
Genomic instability is a hallmark of cancer, but most genomic analyses have relied on broad signatures shared across multiple malignancies, limiting their precision for individual tumor types.... Read more
Whole-Genome MRD Test Detects Early Recurrence in Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer
Bladder cancer is among the most common malignancies in the United States, with about 85,000 new cases each year. The muscle-invasive form accounts for roughly one quarter of diagnoses and carries a high... Read more
Blood Test Detects Early Nonresponse in Metastatic Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in the U.K., with more than 64,000 men diagnosed and 12,000 deaths each year. For the roughly 10,000 men annually with advanced disease, early assessment of treatment... Read more
FDA-Cleared Genomic Profiling Assay Guides Treatment Selection in Solid Tumors
Datar Cancer Genetics (DCG; Nashik, India), a global precision oncology company, has announced that its tissue-based comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) assay for all solid tumors, CellDx-Tissue, has received U.... Read moreHematology
view channel
Stem Cell Biomarkers May Guide Precision Treatment in Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is an aggressive blood cancer that most often affects older adults and still carries a poor prognosis despite therapeutic advances. Venetoclax-based regimens have improved... Read more
Advanced CBC-Derived Indices Integrated into Hematology Platforms
Diatron, a STRATEC brand, has introduced six advanced hematological indices on its Aquila, Aquarius 3, and Abacus 5 hematology analyzers. The new Research Use Only (RUO) indices include Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte... Read moreMicrobiology
view channel
Study Finds Hidden Mpox Infections May Drive Ongoing Spread
Mpox continues to circulate despite vaccination, and many cases show no known link to a symptomatic partner. The role of people without symptoms has remained uncertain, limiting clarity on how transmission persists.... Read more
Large-Scale Genomic Surveillance Tracks Resistant Bacteria Across European Hospitals
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a growing threat to patient safety, with carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales causing difficult-to-treat infections and leaving clinicians with limited therapeutic options.... Read more
Molecular Urine and Stool Tests Do Not Improve Early TB Treatment in Hospitalized HIV Patients
Tuberculosis is the leading cause of death among people living with HIV, and diagnosis in hospital settings remains difficult. Symptoms are often non-specific, disease can be extrapulmonary, and many patients... Read morePathology
view channel
Rapid AI Tool Predicts Cancer Spatial Gene Expression from Pathology Images
Gene expression profiling can inform tumor biology and treatment selection, but spatial assays remain costly and time-consuming. Results can take weeks and cost thousands of dollars, limiting large-scale... Read more
AI Pathology Test Receives FDA Breakthrough for Bladder Cancer Risk Stratification
Non–muscle invasive bladder cancer has highly variable outcomes, complicating surveillance and treatment planning. Risk assessment typically relies on stage, grade, and tumor size, leaving uncertainty... Read moreTechnology
view channel
Point-of-Care Testing Enhances Health Literacy and Self-Management in Chronic Disease
Limited access to general practitioners and pathology services can delay diagnosis and monitoring for people in regional and remote communities. Rapid, on-the-spot testing can shorten turnaround times... Read more
Fully Automated Sample-to-Insight Workflow Advances Latent TB Testing
Latent tuberculosis remains a substantial testing workload for clinical laboratories as screening programs expand. Despite this growth, only about 40% of testing has shifted from traditional skin tests... Read moreIndustry
view channel
AI-Powered Multi-Functional Analyzer Wins German Innovation Award
Hematology services are increasingly delivered across distributed care settings, where limited staffing and complex workflows can extend turnaround times. Advanced morphology review still often depends... Read more








