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Sebia supporting National Pathology Week
By Tim TonkinNovember 19, 2009
A Blackwater company, which helps produce specialist medical equipment, has shown its support for a national event, following the visit of a local MP.
Sebia (UK) Ltd, which is based at the Meadows Business Park in Blackwater, gave Aldershot MP Gerald Howarth a tour of its facilities on November 6 as part of National Pathology week.
The week, an initiative started in 2008 by the Royal College of Pathology, aims to help raise public awareness of the important role pathology plays in diagnosing and curing disease.
Sebia, who specialises in electrophoresis diagnostics, gave Mr Howarth a guided tour of their laboratory, and an insight into the use of electrophoresis in medicine.
Mr Howarth, MP for Aldershot said he had found the visit both interesting and informative, and stressed the need to raise awareness of the role of pathology within medicine.
He said: “I think that many people understand pathology and its role in forensics, but few of us realise the important role it plays in testing for and establish the cause of disease.
“We go to the hospital or the doctors for tests and it’s easy to get very dependent on these resources.
“We also depend however on the scientists who develop medical equipment.
“Companies like Sebia are making particularly sophisticated devices which contribute to this effort.”
Chris Plows, General Manger of Sebia (UK) Ltd commented: “We were happy to demonstrate our commitment to the industry and, thanks to Mr Howarth, the visit was educational and greatly enjoyed by all involved.
“We share the industry’s commitment to the development of more effective and accurate diagnostic technology to aid and improve patient treatment and outcomes.”
Electrophoresis involves using an electric field to separate simple molecules such as proteins and carbohydrates within the body.
This allows medical professionals to diagnose and monitor a range of medical conditions including sickle cell anaemia, where blood cells become rigid, and beta thalassaemia, a genetic defect resulting in poor haemoglobin production.
Screening for haemoglobinopathies has become increasingly important in the UK, in a bid to identify sufferers and potential carriers of such diseases.
Electrophoresis instruments are also used to help diagnose and monitor multiple myeloma, a condition that affects nearly 4,000 people in the UK each year.
Multiple myeloma is a cancer that affects a sufferer’s bone marrow.
Plasma cells, a type of white blood cell that help to produce antibodies against infection, begin to grow uncontrollably.
Symptoms can include anaemia, fatigue, bruising and frequent infections and headaches.
Although there is no cure for the condition, early diagnosis can help both a patient’s quality and expectancy of life.
Chris Plows said: “Electrophoresis has been in use for some time but the technology has been changing over the years.
“We have gone from having something very manual and labour-intensive to a system that is now fully automated.
“This has improved the quality of results.
“We would certainly consider taking part in the event again next year.
“At the moment there are many challenges within the NHS such as budget cuts.
“It’s an area where we want to try and draw attention to pathology and its use in medicine.”
