enews
International Federation of Clinical Chemistry
and Laboratory Medicine

Communications and Publications Division (CPD) of the IFCC
Editor: Katherina Psarra, MSc, PhD
IFCC Office, Via C. Farini, 81
20159 Milano, Italy
E-mail: enews@ifcc.org

news

№3
March 20241

enewsIn this issue
Editorial
Message from the eNews Editor

4

The voice of IFCC
Message from the IFCC President

5

My experience with the IFCC Professional Scientific Exchange Programme (PSEP)

8– FALL 2023
My Professional Exchange Management Program Experience at the Department

9of Clinical Biochemistry University Hospital in Olomouc, Czech Republic

IFCC: the people
Elizabeth R. Nuqui Obituary

14

Welcome and thanks to the Chairs

15Interview to Prof. Sergio Bernardini, IFCC Secretary

20

Call for Nominations

23

IFCC: the Young Scientists
Activities of the young scientists’ group on digital competence in laboratory

25

medicine

Contribute to IFCC eNews
Improved and accelerated diagnostic pathway for patients that present to the26

emergency department with suspected mild traumatic brain injury
A noninvasive serologic model using an intelligent informatic solution to enhance27

clinical decision-making and improve patient safety
CLSI announces a new Country-Based Pricing Model

28

2News from Regional Federations and Member Societies
News from the Hong Kong Society of Clinical Chemistry29

News from Japan Society of Clinical Chemistry (JSCC) 2023 JSCC Outstanding

32

Young Investigator Award
News from Pakistan: Is there an elephant in the room? A workshop to develop a33framework for integrating AI into clinical practice

IFCC’s Calendar of Congresses, Conferences & Events
IFCC and Regional Federations events

38

Corporate Member events with IFCC auspices

39

Other events with IFCC auspices

39

3Editorial
Dear colleagues
Let’s say that spring is ante portas and we are looking forward tospring or Easter holidays. IFCC Worldlab in Dubai is approaching andevery few days you all get a relevant message full of promises in youremail.
This issue begins with our new IFCC President Prof Tomris Ozben’s
important message. In her message Prof Ozben offers us a lot of
information about the new IFCC EB first meeting. She mentions theimportance of meeting with all IFCC officers, old and new Chairs and ofbeing in touch with all the IFCC members, even the National societies
members. She is describing the draft strategic action plans for theyears ahead as well.

Katherina Psarra, MSc,
PhD, eNews Editor

In this issue we pay tribute to an important IFCC lady Dr Elizabeth R.
Nuqui, who passed away last year, and we learn about her life and herimportant contribution to her national society (Philippines) and to IFCC.
We say goodbye to the old Chairs, thanking them for their services totheir committees and IFCC in general, wishing them every success intheir new positions and we welcome and get to know the new chairs.
Don’t forget, dear colleagues, to read the interview of Prof. Sergio
Bernardini, IFCC Secretary, by Dra Maria del Carmen Pasquel,
where you will learn a lot about his past and new positions and his
commitment to IFCC.
And of course, we have reports from the young scientists and their
dedication to learn everything about digital transformation of our labs
and our lives, reports from many national societies from all over theworld, and from the scientists, who had the opportunity to visit otherlabs and gain a lot from this experience.
And last but not least, I invite you to read articles about the
UNIVANTS awarded teams, where the cooperation between clinicians
and laboratories offers so much to global health.
Go ahead dear colleagues, read and enjoy!

Katherina

4

The voice of IFCC
Message from the new IFCC President - Prof. Tomris
Ozben
March 2024
By Tomris Ozben

Dear Colleagues and Friends,
Dear Colleagues and Friends,
The initial meeting of the IFCC Executive Board (EB) with the newly
elected members for the term 2024-2026 occurred on February 14th and15th at the IFCC office in Milan. The agenda for the first day, February
14th, was dedicated to the Chairs of the four IFCC Divisions, Executive
Board Committees (Congresses and Conference Committee, Nominations
Committee and Awards Committee) and Executive Board Task Forces(Task Force on Ethics; Task Force for Young Scientists; Task Force on
History; Task Force-Corporate Members; Task Force on Global Newborn
Screening; Task Force on Global eLearning/eAcademy; Task Force on
Outcome Studies in Laboratory Medicine; Task Force on Global Reference
Interval Database; Task Force Environmental Impact of Laboratory
Medicine) who convened meetings representing their respectivefunctional units.

Prof. Tomris Ozben
EuSpLM, Ph.D.

Virtual presentations were conducted with designated time slots
allocated from 09:00 to 18:00 CET on the first day of the EB Meeting(February 14th). The objective of these virtual meetings was to enable
the Chairs serving during the 2021-2023 term to deliver presentations,furnishing information to the incoming Executive Board members andnewly appointed Chairs of functional units (in cases of chairmanshipchanges). The presentations encompassed comprehensive details
regarding their Members, Terms of Reference, ongoing and completed
tasks over the preceding 3 years, and recommendations for future plansconcerning the functional units.
During the second day of the closed Executive Board Meeting (February15th), the IFCC President presented the draft Strategic Action Plans (20242026) that she had prepared and engaged in discussions with the EB
members. The IFCC Strategic Action Plans were developed across fourareas:
Area A: Supporting MembershipArea B: Broadening Horizons
Area C: Improving the Quality of Laboratory Medicine
Area D: Improving the Effectiveness of IFCC
Following the Executive Board review, the draft IFCC Strategic Action
Plans will be finalized submitting it in the following sequence to the IFCC
Functional Units, IFCC Regional Federations, IFCC Member Societies, andCorporate Members to gather their comments, proposals, and criticisms.

Article continued on the next page5

Message from the
IFCC President

After addressing the draft Strategic Action Plans on February 15th, Executive Board members
engaged in discussions regarding regular EB matters in accordance with the agenda anddocuments distributed in advance.
In recent years, IFCC’s activities have seen consistent growth. Consequently, the IFCC Executive
Board has decided to conduct online meetings monthly to address the needs of IFCC functional
units and member societies.
The IFCC Executive Board has decided to convene Council meetings annually preceding the
opening ceremonies of EuroMedLabs and WorldLabs.
Given that IFCC organizes either EuroMedLab or WorldLab annually, the IFCC General Conference
will coincide with either EuroMedLab or WorldLab. To gauge support and preferences, a survey
will be conducted among IFCC regional federations, member societies, corporate members, IFCC
committees, and working groups to ascertain their preference and backing for IFCC’s organizationof the General Conference, with a commitment to attend both the General Conference and the
IFCC Congress organized in the same year. The aim is to ensure that the organization of theGeneral Conference does not diminish attendance at the major IFCC Congresses. It should be
noted that IFCC covers only the accommodation expenses of the representatives of the member
societies for the General Conference and the expenses of one annual meeting for the IFCC
committees and working groups.
I am delighted to share with you that the new CLSI Country-Based Pricing Model, effective January2024, will offer significant discounts for IFCC members from low and low-middle income countries(90%), as well as middle-income countries (50%). We have extended this fantastic opportunity to
the IFCC community in numerous countries.
It is my immense pleasure and great honor to extend to you an invitation to attend the 26th
International Congress of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (ICCCLM)-IFCC WorldLab
Congress 2024 which will be organized jointly with the 17th Congress of the Arab Federation ofClinical Biology (AFCB); 10th Annual Meeting of the Saudi Society for Clinical Chemistry (SSCC) and8th International and UAE Genetic Disorders Conference in partnership with MZ Events to be heldin Dubai World Trade Centre (WTC) in May 26-30, 2024. Additionally, the 3rd IFCC Forum for Young
Scientists is scheduled to take place before the congress.
I eagerly anticipate meeting all IFCC members worldwide from the six IFCC Regional Federations
who will participate in this exciting IFCC WorldLab Congress 2024 Dubai. I am confident that you
will find your time rewarding and worthwhile, enjoying an inspirational scientific program, engaging
presentations, discussions, exhibitions, networking opportunities, and social activities.
I am looking forward to fostering productive cooperation with the IFCC Executive Board members
and IFCC officers, as well as establishing collaborations and efficient bridges with the IFCC
Regional Federations, National Societies and Corporate Members in the ongoing and future
activities of IFCC. I sincerely appreciate your cooperation and extend my best wishes for a healthyand successful new term.
With my best regards
Prof. Dr Tomris Ozben
IFCC President

67My experience with the IFCC Professional ScientificExchange Programme (PSEP) – Fall 2023
By Dr. Gramos Begolli, IFCC National Representative, Kosova Association of Clinical Chemistry (KACC), Specialist of Clinical
Biochemistry, Clinic of Medical Biochemistry, University Clinical Center of Kosova, Prishtina Kosovo

I wanted to take a moment to write and tell you how much I appreciated being considered for the
IFCC Professional Exchange program — fall 2023.
I had the good fortune to be selected to work at the University Hospital Osijek from September
17th to December 15th, 2023. While working under the supervision of Prof. Željko Debeljak, I had theopportunity to train on LC-MS/MS and how to incorporate it into my everyday work life. My training
included quantitative and qualitative examination of MS’s mechanism, which includes ion generationand fragmentation, creation of LC-MS/MS procedures, including, but not limited to, calibration, tuning,
sample preparation, etc.
The fundamental LC-MS/MS training was overseen by Professor Ž. Debeljak and his colleagues fromthe Clinical Institute of Laboratory Diagnostics at University Hospital Centre Osijek, who frequently
do steroid research utilizing LC-MS/MS. This introductory theoretical study of clinical LC-MS/MS
applications was followed by the training conducted using a LCMS 8050 (Shimadzu, Japan) and the
LC-MS/MS Steroids kit (Chrom Systems, Germany).
Given the state of laboratory diagnostics in Kosovo, these opportunities to be educated anddevelop clinical biochemistry specialists are vital. As a clinical biochemistry specialist at Kosovo’s
main hospital center, I will be able to apply what I learnt during my time at the Clinical Institute ofLaboratory Diagnostics in Osijek, Croatia, to assist in enhancing the healthcare system there.
On the other hand, working with such a high-quality and well-managed host organization has been
an honour and a remarkable experience. I would like to express my gratitude to Prof. Zeljko Debeljak,
Prof. Vratislav Šerić, Head of the Laboratory and Mag. Tara Rolic for their great support regarding
this professional exchange program, and of course the rest of the staff at the Clinical Institute ofLaboratory Diagnostics in Osijek for all the assistance they provided me throughout my stay. I am
indebted to you with my deepest gratitude.

Dr. Gramos Begolli in the Laboratory with Prof. Debeljak

8

My Professional Exchange Management Program Experienceat the Department of Clinical Biochemistry University
Hospital in Olomouc, Czech Republic
By Nguyen Thi Ngoc Bich (Jade Nguyen), Department of Biochemistry, Hanoi Medical University, Hanoi - Vietnam

Hanoi Medical Univeristy
Department of Biochemistry

Univeristy Hospital Olomouc Depertmentof Clinical BiochemistryFirst of all, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to the IFCC and the Department of Clinical
Biochemistry at the University Hospital Olomouc in Olomouc, Czech Republic. The support andconducive environment provided me with the valuable opportunity to experience this course.
Especially, I would like to express my deepest thanks to Prof. David Friedecký, Head of the
Department of Clinical Biochemistry at the University Hospital Olomouc, and all friends andcolleagues at the Clinical Biochemistry Department for kindly guiding and helping me a lot during mypractice and study here.
Through practical learning at the Department of Clinical Biochemistry of University Hospital Olomouc,
I have acquired a lot of knowledge, skills and valuable experiences, especially with other practicalexperiences compared to Vietnam.
Finally, I would like to thank Hanoi Medical University Board, Graduate Education Management
Department of Hanoi Medical University for facilitating my study and research.
1. General introduction to department of clinical biochemistry
1.1. Organization
Biological material intake section
Section of immunochemical methods
Section of automatic biochemical analyzers

Building I(main)

Urgent analysis section
RIA section
Protein analysis section

Chief:
Prof. David Friedecký

POCT section
Medical section
Buiding Q

Laboratory for Hereditary Metabolic Disorders

Article continued on the next page9

My PMEP at the department of Clinical
Biochemistry University Hospital

1.2. Quality Accreditation
The Department of Clinical Biochemistry at the University Hospital Olomouc follows the ISO 15189
standard and has been accredited since 2013.
2. Compare ISO 15189 implementation between Department of Clinical Biochemistry of
University Hospital Olomouc (OKB) and Laboratory Department of Hanoi Medical University
Hospital (HMUH’S LAB)
Both departments adhere to the ISO 15189 standard, and fundamentally, their ISO 15189
implementations are similar. However, there are some key differences as follows:
Table 1. Compare ISO 15189 implementation between OKB and HMUH’s Lab

No.
1

2

3

4

5

6

Content

OKB

Infrastructure andfacilities

Dividing into multiple
sections, each with its
own responsible person

Centralizing in a single testing room,
divided into different specializedgroups based on the machine system

All tests

Only selected Biochemical and
Immunological tests

ISO 15189:2012
Certified Tests

Laboratory
equipment

Using automation
systems. Utilizing asingle biochemicalimmunological testing
system - Atellica
Integrated Automation.
Having software to
manage the quality ofPoint of Care Testing(POCT) systems.

HMUH’s Lab

No automation system has been
implemented. Utilizing multiple
biochemical-immunological testingmachine systems concurrently, suchas Cobas, Atellica, Alinity. No tool is inplace to manage the quality of Point ofCare Testing (POCT) systems.

Since there are inhouse methods
available, it is advisable
to implement both
validation andverification procedures.

Not utilizing in-house methods, there
is only a verification procedure inplace.

Document control

Mainly managed
through software (level
1, 2, 3 documents) andpaper documents (level
4 documents).*

Mainly managed with paper
documents.

Monitoring both temperature andhumidity .
Managed and monitored manually.

Environmental
conditions control

Not tracking humidity
Managed andmonitored throughautomatic recording
devices linked tosoftware, providing
automatic alerts whentemperature conditions
exceed permissible
limits.

Test method
validation andverification

Article continued on the next page10

My PMEP at the department of Clinical
Biochemistry University Hospital

7

Internal
quality control
management

Biochemistry: 3 levels,
performed every day,and plan to extend to
twice a day.
Immunology: 3 levels,
conducted daily.
Quality control (QC)
range establishment
and Six Sigma in quality
management have notbeen implemented yet.

8

Laboratory
information
management

The Laboratory
Information System(LIS) effectively handles
most tasks within thelaboratory

Biochemistry: 2 levels, conducted daily.
Immunology: 3 levels, frequency of QC
depends on the number of samples
per day.
Quality control (QC) range
establishment and Six Sigma
have been implemented in quality
management.

The Laboratory Information System(LIS) currently does not fulfill sometasks within the laboratory. Internaland external quality control aremanaged manually by Excel.

3. Test method validation and verification at Department of Clincal Biochemistry of University
Hospital Olomouc
Method validation and verification are crucial steps in quality management for laboratory, notonly according to ISO 15189 standards but also in compliance with the IVD Directive 98/79/EC.
This directive outlines the requirements for in vitro diagnostic medical devices intended for theEuropean market. Validation focuses on confirming the capabilities of a new diagnostic tool and is
the responsibility of the manufacturer, while verification assesses the performance characteristics
before implementing a test system for patient testing. The below table outlines the study design formethod validation and verification at the Department of Clinical Biochemistry of University Hospital
Olomouc:
Table 2. Test method validation and verification study design
Test method
validation

Test method
verification

Choosesamples

Repeatability(within-run
precision)

Repeatability(within-run
precision)

Patient samples
or commercial
samples

Bias

Bias

Number ofsamples

Study design

At least 2
different
concentrationlevels (onesample within
the reference
range, thesecond above or
below the upper/
lower reference
limit).

10 x 2 or 10
x 1 depends
on financial
conditions.
Calculate Mean,
SD and CV
10 x 2 or 10
x 1 (for someimmunologicaltests ordependingon financial
conditions).
Calculate Bias

Article continued on the next page11

My PMEP at the department of Clinical
Biochemistry University Hospital

Table 2. Test method validation and verification study design
Test method
validation

Reportable
range

Test method
verification

Choosesamples-

LoD-

Blank sample or“zero” calibrator
sampleLoQ--

Measurement
uncertainty

Methodcomparison

Measurement
uncertainty--

Patient samples

Number ofsamples

Study design

At least 5different
concentrationlevels. Sample
1 and sample
5 each haveconcentrations
near the lower
and upper limitsof the reportable
range.

Run each sample
three times.
Plot the graphand calculate R:
R(%) = Measured
Value/Expected
Value) x 100

01

Run sample atleast 10 times.
Calculate LoD:
LoD = 3 x SDblank-

LoQ is calculated
based on LoD:
LoQ = 3 x LoD-

Themeasurement
uncertainty must
be carried out
by calculations
based on data
provided by the
manufacturer
and data
obtained during
the validation/verification
process

For method
verification,a minimum of
10 samples isrequired, andfor method
validation,
at least 40
samples areneeded. Sample
collection needto cover theentire reportable
range.

Run each sample
simultaneously
on both thestandard
system andthe comparison
system. Createa Bland-Altman
plot and analyze
the results.

12

– PATIENTS –61%– CLINICIANS –in the diagnosis of previously
undetected HCV-infections

1

80

%

REDUCTION

in patient wait times

2

11

%

INCREASE– PAYORS –19,109,800

INCREASE

in clinical satisfaction– ADMINISTRATION –Kenyan Shilling in recovered
revenue per half annum

35-FOLD REDUCTION

in medical errors with laboratory
led point-of-care program
7

5

100

%

INCREASE

of surveyed clinicians had
increased decision confidence
through use of the nodule risk
model for risk stratification

250K

80K

€

$

in mitigated costs
and proceduresof incremental
revenue over
3 years

6

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© 2023 Abbott. All rights reserved. ADD-129492-GBL-EN 9/23.

13

IFCC: the people
Farewell to Elizabeth R. Nuqui
February 4, 1946 - August 22, 2023
With deepest sorrow, the Philippine Council for Quality Assurance in Clinical Laboratories (PCQACL)
would like to let everyone know that our dear “Beth” Nuqui passed away last year. She was achampion of laboratory quality assurance, a past president (2015) and headed the Committee onExternal Relations of PCQACL for the longest time. She was also part of International Federation for
Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (IFCC-LM) task force Ethics (2014-2016) and instrumental
to strong international relations of the Philippines in the field of laboratory medicine. She has held
various prominent positions and awards in the Philippines from different professional organizations,educational institutions, and hospitals, including the Lifetime Achievement Award from PCQACL
in 2022. Dr. Nuqui also loved poetry, music, arts, literature, Philippine handcrafts, and plants…aloving wife to Bong, caring mother to her four children (Anissa, Ian, Corinna and Martin) and doting
grandmother to her grandchildren. Her brilliance, dedication and compassion profoundly impacted
not just the institutions where she practiced pathology but also the broader medical community.
She leaves behind a legacy that is monumental yet personal, expansive yet intimate. As we move
forward, her teachings, ideals and spirit will continue to guide and inspire every facet of our mission.

Elizabeth Y. Arcellana-Nuqui, MD, FASCP, FPSPNews from the website

14

Welcome and thanks to the Chairs
The IFCC extends a warm welcome to the new Chairs of its functional units while expressing
gratitude to those who have concluded their tenure in office.
We present here the first group of IFCC Chairs who began their time in office in 2024. A second groupof them will be presented in the next issue of our eNews.

Working Group on Standardization of Procalcitonin assays (WG-PCT)
Welcome to the new Chair, Dr. Amandine Boeuf (France) and thanks for his commitment to Dr.
Vincent Delatour (France), who led the committee until December 2023 and now is a member of the
Scientific Division Executive Committee.
Dr. Amandine Boeuf is a research scientist at Laboratoire National de Métrologie et d’Essais (LNE),
the French National Metrology Institute. She is a project leader involved in bioanalysis and manages
projects aiming at the production of certified reference materials and the development of reference
methods for the absolute quantification of peptides, proteins and hormones by mass spectrometry.
She also coordinates the European project ProMET on fundamental protein metrology to support
the definition of measurands, analytical targets, and their associated measurement uncertainty.
This project has received funding from the European Partnership on Metrology and will start in thesummer of 2024.
In the domain of sepsis protein biomarkers, she has supervised two PhD students and the work that
led to the publication of the candidate reference method for quantifying procalcitonin in humanserum using a characterized recombinant protein as a primary calibrator. She is a member of the WGPCT since its creation in 2018.

Dr. Amandine Boeuf, new Chair of the Working

Dr. Vincent Delatour, Chair of the Working

Group on Standardization of ProcalcitoninGroup on Standardization of Procalcitonin

assays (WG-PCT)

assays (WG-PCT) for two terms (2019-2023)

Article continued on the next page15

Welcome and thanks to the Chairs

Task Force Corporate Members (TF-CM)
Welcome to the new Chair, Dr Jean-Sébastien Blanchet (Beckman Coulter) and thanks to Tricia
Ravalico (Abbott) for her commitment and leadership of the Task Force until December 2023.
Congratulations for her new role as Corporate Representative within the IFCC Executive Board.
Dr Jean-Sébastien Blanchet, PhD is Director Global Medical and Scientific Affairs at Beckman
Coulter Diagnostics. He holds a PhD in Immunology, awarded by the University of Toulouse in France,in recognition of his research contributions to the development of an immunotherapeutic approachfor melanoma. Subsequently, he dedicated five years of his career as a Clinical Immunologist at the
GlaxoSmithKline Medical Research Center in the United Kingdom, where his primary focus was on theearly clinical development of DNA therapeutic vaccines. His professional journey led him to Beckman
Coulter, where he has been a dedicated member of the European medical and scientific affairs teamfor the past 17 years. He currently holds the position of Director of Global Medical and ScientificAffairs. In conjunction with global leadership, he is defining and executing the medical evidence
generation strategy necessary for the clinical adoption of the company’s IVD test portfolio. He acts
as an expert and represents the medical and scientific point of view when defining the strategy forthe identification and development of new IVD products in various medical fields. Dr Blanchet also
contributes to product development and lifecycle management processes through involvement indevelopment and clinical trials, in coordination with R&D and clinical affairs.
Additionally, he has been Beckman Coulter’s corporate representative at the International
Federation of Clinical Chemistry (IFCC) since 2010. In this capacity, he actively oversees andcoordinates Beckman Coulter’s participation in various IFCC committees and working groups
dedicated to advancing the standardization of laboratory medicine practices on a global scale.

Dr Jean-Sébastien Blanchet (Beckman

Tricia Ravalico (Abbott) new Corporate

Coulter) new Chair of the Task Force Corporate

Representative within the IFCC Executive

Members (TF-CM)

Board, chaired the Task Force Corporate
Members (TF-CM) until December 2023.

Within the Task Force Corporate Members we also welcome the new Task Force’s Secretary, Dr Yan
Liu (Mindray) and thank the previous TF-CM Secretary, Dr Alessandro Ortisi (Siemens).
Dr Yan Liu, Ph.D., holds the position of Senior Medical and Scientific Affairs Manager at Shenzhen
Mindray Bio-medical Electronics Corporation, bringing over ten years of research expertise fromacademia in the United States to her role. She has worked both domestically and internationallyin research and development for clinical research collaborations, managing trial sites, strategizing
research initiatives, and overseeing both study management and publications. Dr. Liu also serves
as Mindray’s representative to professional societies worldwide. Having represented Mindray at the
IFCC for two years, she has now been named the secretary to the TF-CM and her involvement also
extends to the IFCC Emerging Technologies Division (ETC EC) to explore the application of emerging

Article continued on the next page16

Welcome and thanks to the Chairs

technologies for clinical advancements. Dr. Liu is interested in enhancing collaboration between IFCC
and its Corporate Members, addressing their unique needs and challenges. She is also passionately
advocating for the integration of Chinese experts with the IFCC community.

Dr Yan Liu (Mindray), new Secretary of the Task
Force Corporate Members (TF-CM).

Task Force on Ethics (TF-E)
Welcome to the new Chair, Dr Joesph Wiencek (US) and thanks to Dr Nilda Fink (Argentina) for her
outstanding results in leading the Task Force until December 2023. Congratulations on her newrole as Member of the Awards Committee on behalf of the Latin American Confederation of Clinical
Biochemistry (COLABIOCLI).
Joe Wiencek, PhD, D(ABCC), is an associate professor in Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology at
Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. Additionally, he serves as Vanderbilt’s Service Line Medical
Director of the Core Laboratory and Co-Director of their ComACC-accredited clinical chemistry
fellowship program.
Dr. Joe Wiencek is an active member of the laboratory medicine community. Currently, he serves
the Task Force on Ethics Chair for the International Federation for Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory
Medicine as well as the document development Chair for the first edition of the Clinical andLaboratory Standards Institute’s (CLSI) PRE06-Ed1 document, which will emphasize best practicerecommendations for external specimen transport systems. Moreover, he is a member of the Policy
and External Affairs Core Committee (PEACC) of the Association for Diagnostics and Laboratory
Medicine (ADLM).
Dr. Wiencek has authored over 40 indexed articles on various topics such as preanalytical variation,
sustainability, and ethical considerations in laboratory medicine. He has received numerous awards
recognizing his excellence in teaching and research, including his prestigious acknowledgement as
an American Society of Clinical Pathology 40 under Forty honoree.

Article continued on the next page17

Welcome and thanks to the Chairs

Dr Joesph Wiencek, Vanderbilt University

Nilda Fink (Argentina) , chaired the Task ForceSchool of Medicine, The Vanderbilt Clinic

on Ethics (TF-E) until December 2023.

Nashville, TN (US), new Chair of the Task Force
Ethics (TF-E).

Emerging Technologies Division (ETD)
Welcome to the new Chair of the Emerging Technologies Division Executive Committee (ETD EC),
Prof. Damien Gruson (Belgium) and thanks for his commitment to Prof Sergio Bernardini (Italy), who
initiated the project and led the Group until December 2023. We are grateful to Prof Bernardini who
continues to serve the IFCC as IFCC Secretary.
Prof. Damien Gruson serves as the Head of the Department of Laboratory Medicine at the Cliniques
Universitaires Saint Luc in Brussels. Additionally, he holds teaching position and a membership in the
research unit focusing on Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Nutrition at UCLouvain.
He holds the esteemed position of Chair within the division on Emerging Technology at theInternational Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (IFCC). Furthermore, Professor
Gruson serves as a board member for the Royal Belgian Society of Laboratory Medicine and of theBelgian Thyroid Club. Prof. Gruson holds fellowships in the European Society of Cardiology, the Heart
Failure Association, and the American Association of Clinical Chemistry Academy.
Notably, Professor Gruson is the President of the upcoming Euromedlab Congress scheduled to beheld in Brussels in 2025.

Prof Damien Gruson (BE), new Chair of theProf Sergio Bernardin (IT), past Chair of theEmerging Technologies Division (ETD-EC).

Emerging Technologies Division (ETD-EC) andcurrent Secretary of the IFCC

Article continued on the next page18

Welcome and thanks to the Chairs

Emerging Technologies in Pediatric Laboratory Medicine (C-ETPLM)
Welcome to the new Chair, Dr. Lianna Kyriakopoulou (Canada) and thanks for to Dr. Tim Lang (UK)for his commitment as Chair of the committee until December 2023.
Dr. Lianna Kyriakopoulou is a Clinical Biochemist and a Clinical Molecular Geneticist. She led
the Metabolic Diseases laboratory for almost 10 years before she became a director of Genome
Diagnostics at the Hospital for Sick Children. She is an Associate Professor at the Department ofLaboratory Medicine and Pathobiology at the University of Toronto, Project Investigator at the
Research Institute at the Hospital for Sick Children and a member of the Translational Genomics
Program.
Her research interests are focusing on the development of functional genomic platforms andtranslation of high complexity omics-testing in the clinical laboratory. Her more recent research has
focused on developing a clinical RNA seq platform which is validated to be used in the clinical space
as a new tool for precision diagnostics. The assay and the bioinformatic pipelines are currently used
for the diagnosis of rare diseases and to identify biomarkers in pediatric cancers and are carving apath for Precision Child Health initiatives within the Hospital for Sick Children.
Dr. Kyriakopoulou is a CSCC representative to the International Organization for Standardization(ISO) and the Canadian Standards Association. In this capacity, she has co-led and participated inseveral initiatives to provide guidance for the validation of Laboratory Developed Tests, Emerging
Technologies and Incidental Findings.
She has also served as the Chair of the board of the Canadian Academy of Clinical Biochemistry
and in several other positions within the board of the CACB and the Canadian Society of Clinical
Chemists.
Dr. Kyriakopoulou joined the Committee on Emerging Technologies in Pediatric Laboratory Medicine(C-ETPLM) in 2022 and assumed the role of the committee Chair in 2024.

Lianna G Kyriakopoulou, Laboratory Director,

dr Tim Lang, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle

Genome Diagnostics, Hospital for Sick Children,

upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust,

Toronto Canada, Chair of the IFCC Committee

Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, Chair of the IFCC

on Emerging Technologies in PediatricCommittee on Emerging Technologies inLaboratory Medicine (C-ETPLM)

Pediatric Laboratory Medicine (C-ETPLM) until
December 2023.

19

INTERVIEW WITH PROF. SERGIO BERNARDINIIFCC SECRETARY 2024-2026

Prof. Sergio Bernardini, (MD,Dra .BQF. María Pasquel-Moxley

PhD). IFCC Secretary

Chair C-PR/CPD-IFCC
Member WG-IANT/RIA-CPD-Interviewer

Prof. Sergio Bernardini, is a full professor of Clinical Biochemistry and Clinical Molecular Biology at
the Department of Internal Medicine of The University of Rome Tor Vergata, and the head physicianof the Clinical Molecular Biology Unit at the Tor Vergata University Hospital.
He received his degree in Medicine in 1986 and the PhD in Pediatric Sciences in 1995. He has
specialized in Pediatrics (1990) and in Clinical Chemistry and Biochemistry (1998).
Professor Bernardini serves as the president of the undergraduate course in “Diagnostic laboratory
techniques in the medical field” and as a clinical laboratory research consultant in Bambino GesùChildren’s Hospital in Rome.
He is a member of (1) the Italian Society of Clinical Biochemistry (SIBioC), (2) the SIBioC Committee ofClinical Molecular Biology, (3) the Italian Society of Biochemistry (SIB) and (4) the Italian Society ofAllergology and Immunology (SIAIC). His international activities include membership of the Editorial
Advisory Board of The Encyclopedia of Life Sciences.
Prof Bernardini served his first term on IFCC EB between 2012 and 2014 as IFCC Secretary and as
Chair of the Emerging Technologies Division (ETD) from 2018 to 2023.
As a professor he has several teaching responsibilities including a Bachelor’s course in diagnostic
laboratory techniques in the medical field, degree courses in medicine, medical biotechnologies,
movement sciences and postgraduate courses in Clinical Biochemistry, Gastroenterology,
Neurology, Medical Genetics, Allergology and Immunology, and Pediatrics. Professor Bernardini’s
research interests are diverse in nature and have included work in pediatric endocrinology withparticular interest in growth hormone and insulin like growth factors and their binding proteins.
He has also worked on apoptotic pathways in oncology, in particular neuroblastoma, as well as on
glutathione transferases, a family of enzymes involved in cell detoxification and in the control ofthe programmed cell death. Also, he has collaborated in the application of molecular biology andproteomic methods and techniques in research applied to neurodegenerative diseases, oncology
and pharmacogenetics. Since 2009 he has collaborated in the application of molecular biology andbiochemical methods in monitoring of sport training and performance.
Sergio is married to Elisabetta since 1998 and has a son, Andrew 21 years old, and a daughter Marta
aged 19. His personal interests include football, theatre and travelling.
information taken from IFCC Executive Board: 2012-2014 Biographies - IFCC

Article continued on the next page

20

Interview with Prof. Sergio Bernardini

INTERVIEW:
Dear Dr. Sergio Bernardini, we congratulate you on your new position in the Executive Bureau (EB)IFCC, and we wish you the best success in the performance of this important position. We also
appreciate your time for this short interview.
1.

Could you please give us a short summary of your activities carried out at IFCC?
I’m serving IFCC in the last 12 years, in particular I was Secretary of the Executive Board from 2012
to 2017, then Chair of the Emerging Technology Division from 2018 to 2023 and then to date I’mhonored to start a new term as Secretary of the EB.
I attended the Executive Boards under the Presidency of great Scientists like Graham Beastall,
Howard Morris and Maurizio Ferrari. I made many friends and I improved my knowledge thanks to
them.

2.

You have had very pleasant experiences in all these years at IFCC, would you like to tell us
about one of them?
Of course, I had so many pleasant experiences, for sure the most exciting has been the
Presidency of the Rome WorldLab/EuroMedLab with more than eleven thousand attendants inpresence and many others by distance.
The way to realize a joint WorldLab/EuroMedLab in my City, Rome, was very long and engaging
but also very rewarding.

3.

IFCC is growing more and more every day in the global context of Laboratory Medicine. As
Chair of the Emerging Technologies Division, what could you tell us about the contributionthat IFCC has made in this novel and important field.
When six years ago I was honored to be nominated Chair of the ETD, Artificial Intelligence andMobile Health were not topics of Laboratory Medicine Conferences and debates. To date in every
Conference about Health and/or Laboratory Medicine there are sessions related to those topics.
There are many opportunities and pitfalls, IFCC can play a leading role. Moreover in the context
of Emerging Technologies, Ethics and Equality will be great challenges and again IFCC can be aland marker.

4.

What is your message to the readers of this important IFCC electronic magazine, from yournew position at IFCC?
During my second experience as IFCC EB Secretary, I would like to increase the global mission of
IFCC and encourage the participation in IFCC activities and functional units by Professionals fromevery Country, even Countries that, to date, are not so involved. IFCC is a Federation of Countries
and each of them has a great value that should be further enhanced. We need more Young
Scientists, more participation, more inclusivity.

Dear Prof. Dr. Sergio Bernardini, we are pleased to meet you and learn about your successful
professional career and your valuable human qualities.
Thank you very much and congratulations again on your new activity at IFCC.
Maria Pasquel-Moxley.

Article continued on the next page

21

Interview with Prof. Sergio Bernardini

Prof. Sergio Bernardini with authorities during WorldLab/

Prof. Sergio Bernardini during the opening ceremony,

EuroMedLab, Rome 2023

WorldLab/EuroMedLab, Rome May 21, 2023.

Prof. Sergio Bernardini at the dinner offered during WorldLab/
EuroMedLab, at the beautiful Villa Dino, Rome on May 22,
2023

22

IFCC Calls for Nominations
PParticipate in IFCC activities and give your contribution! Review theopen positions and, if interested, contact your National or Corporate
Representative. Currently following calls for nomination are open:
Task Force on Global Lab Quality (TF-GLQ)
1 position: Member - Call for nominations letter
Please send TF-GLQ nominations to cardinale@ifcc.org by 29th February
2024
EMD Committee on on Clinical Molecular Biology Curriculum (C-CMBC)
1 position: Member - Call for nominations letter
Please send the C-CMBC nominations to cardinale@ifcc.org by 10th March 2024
Task Force Corporate Members (TF-CM)
1 position: Member - Call for nominations letter
Please send TF-CM nominations to paola.bramati@ifcc.org by 15th March 2024
Committee on Traceability in Laboratory Medicine (C-TLM)
2 positions: Members - Call for nominations letter
Please send C-TLM nominations to paola.bramati@ifcc.org and elisa.fossati@ifcc.org by 25th March
2024

23

www.dubai2024.org

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DO NOT MISS THIS OPPORTUNITY!
24

e

IFCC: the Young Scientists
Activities of the young scientists’ group on digitalcompetence in laboratory medicine
Marie Lenski, IFCC-TF-YS member
Jakob Adler, IFCC-TF-YS corresponding member

This initiative was initiated after EuromedLab Munich 2022 by Jakob Adler(Germany) and Marie Lenski (France), and supported by the IFCC Task Force– Young Scientists. A first survey was distributed by IFCC in June 2022 toassess needs of young scientists regarding digital competence on a global
scale. The results, published in 2023 in Journal of Laboratory Medicine,highlighted the necessity of establishing an international working groupon digital competence. The aim is to build a learning environment andpropose common international resources such as tutorial articles, videos,
exercises, technical articles to enhance digital skills in laboratory medicine.
Using a dedicated mailing list with nearly 120 subscribers, a second survey
was conducted in September 2022. This survey allowed young scientists toexpress their expectations and needs to improve their digital competence.
Results included:•
Programming language and version control (R, Python, Git…)•
Statistics and data science•
Collaborative work•
IT Buzzword Bingo (short explanation of IT buzzwords)•
Concrete application for laboratory medicine (reference intervals…)
After an intensive creation of the platform and resources by Jakob Adler,
the first online meeting of the young scientists’ group on digital competencein laboratory medicine took place on January 24th, 2024. Twelve young
scientists participated in the launch of the activities, engaging incollaborative work and setting future objectives on:•
GitHub: An online platform for code hosting and collaborative work,featuring a dedicated group focused on digital competence in laboratory
medicine•
Markdown Language: An article covering the Markdown markup
language, accompanied by a toolbox of Markdown tools was presented•
R Programming: An introduction to R programming and resources
covering basic operations and functions•
CryptPad: A presentation of this collaborative office suite, which is endto-end encrypted and open-source
The group of young scientists aims to combine Markdown and R, hosting
its work on GitHub, and covering various topics such as programming, data
analysis, and practical applications in laboratory medicine.
The next online meeting of this young scientist group on digital competencein laboratory medicine is scheduled for March and will continue monthly
thereafter. The mailing list now serves as a newsletter tool. To stay
informed, you can visit the Digital Competence in Laboratory Medicine pageon pageflow.io and subscribe by sending an email to digcomplabmed@gmx.
de.
Information on all mentioned activities, objectives and projects of the TF-YS
are available on IFCC website https://ifcc.org/task-force-young-scientists-tfys/, or follow us on instagram (/ifcc_tfys), facebook (/ifccYOUNG), linkedin (/groups/3049837/)

Marie Lenski,
French YS(Société
Française deBiologie Clinique
SFBC), IFCC-TF-YS
memberJakob Adler,
German YS(Deutsche
Gesellschaft fürKlinische Chemie
und Laboratoriumsmedizin DGKL),IFCC-TF-YS
corresponding
member25

Contribute to IFCC eNews
Improved and accelerated diagnostic pathway for patientsthat present to the emergency department with suspected
mild traumatic brain injury
Everyone has experienced, in one way or another, the uncertainty associated with a head injury,
whether from a bump to the head to something more serious. The ability to triage head injuries
or traumatic brain injuries (TBI) quickly and safely, is a crucial step for not only reducing patientanxiety in the emergency department (ED), but for helping to accelerate patient flow and mitigate
resource utilization. The gold standard to assess TBIs in the ED to determine severity and the needfor additional care is through computed tomography (CT scan). CT scans use radiation as part ofthe imaging process to identify intracranial injury. In milder TBI cases (mTBI), widespread use of CT
scans may not be necessary as CT-detected intracranial injury is <10% for patient with mTBI, andmay unnecessarily expose patients to radiation, put unnecessary strain on hospital resources andincrease costs of care.
Recognizing that newly available blood biomarkers can help rule-out the need for head CT in patientswith suspect mTBI, an integrated clinical care team from Hospital Universitario Virgen de las Nieves,in Spain implemented a novel TBI panel [GFAP (Glial fibrillary acidic protein) and UCH-L1 (Ubiquitin
C-Terminal Hydrolase L1)] for use in conjunction with other clinical information to assist in determining
the need for a head CT scan in patients ≥8 years, who present with suspected mild traumatic brain
injury (mTBI, Glasgow Coma Scale score 13-15) within 12 hours of injury.
Implementation of this new panel has dramatically changed the way mTBI patients are managed
and triaged through the ED at Hospital Universitario Virgen de las Nieves. Within the first 3 monthsof implementation there has been a 10% reduction in CT scans for patients with suspected mTBI,
enabling €4568.85 in mitigated healthcare costs, within 9 months of implementation. It has alsoenabled a 2-fold reduction in wait-times for patients who have been ruled-out for TBI, saving a totalof 132 patient hours over 9 months. Lastly, clinicians noted that the added insights from the panel
helped reduce the uncertainty related to the absence of brain lesions, particularly in the non-elderly.
For their efforts, this integrated clinical care team was awarded the UNIVANTS of Healthcare
Excellence Recognition of Achievement. Congratulations to Gemma Álverez Corral, ClinicalLaboratory Specialist, Maria Isabel Romero Manjon, Radiologist. Department Director, Francisco RuizCabello Osuna, Clinical Laboratory Specialist, Department Director, Eva Gutierrez Pérez, Emergency
Medicine Specialist, Maria Molina Zayas, Clinical Laboratory Specialist.
For more information on this best practices and others please visit www.UnivantsHCE.com

From left to right: Gemma Alvarez Corral, Maria Isabel Romero
Manjon, Francisco Ruiz-Cabello Osuna, Eva Gutierrez Pérez

26

A noninvasive serologic model using an intelligent
informatic solution to enhance clinical decision-making andimprove patient safety.
Cancer. That 5-letter word that can change everything. Now imagine that a cancer diagnosis doesn’t
have to be a death sentence because it was caught early. An integrated clinical care team at theSecond Norman Bethune Hospital of Jilin University has that vision, where hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) can be screened for and identified early in high-risk patients, enabling early treatment andbetter outcomes.
In China, HCC is 4th most common malignant tumor, with a 5-year survival rate of only 12.1%.
Recognizing that early identification and treatment of patients at risk of HCC and/or those with earlystage cancer can improve survival, the integrated clinical care team at the Second Norman Bethune
Hospital of Jilin University sought to implement a new screening program using the ASAP model tomaximize identification of high-risk patients, while protecting precious healthcare dollars.
The ASAP model is a risk stratification tool that uses serological tests and demographics (age, sex,
AFP, and PIVKA-II) to predict the presence of HCC. The model itself was validated in a large, multicenter Chinese cohort study in 2019, and is considered a convenient, relatively noninvasive, andeasily available tool that has been shown to accurately predict the presence of HCC.
Following implementation of the ASAP model into their new diagnostic pathway, this team was able
to improve patient safety and reduce unnecessary invasive examinations, while also maximizing
the diagnosis and treatment for patients, all at reduced costs. For their efforts and outcomes, thisintegrated clinical care team was awarded the UNIVANTS of Healthcare Excellence Recognition ofAchievement. Congratulations to Chunmei Hu, Vice Director, Oncology/Hematology, Yang Yongsheng,
Director Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Zhenjin Jin, Director, Hepatobiliary & Pancreatic
Medicine Yinlong Zhao, Director, Nuclear Medicine, Yan Zhao, Director, Physical Examination.
To learn more about this best practice and others, please visit www.UnivantsHCE.com

From left to right: Chunmei Hu, Yang Yongsheng, Zhenjin Jin,
Yinlong Zhao, Yan Zhao

27

CLSI announces a new Country-Based Pricing Model

On 4th January 2024, CLSI announced an historic initiative. Starting from that date a new CountryBased Pricing Model will be implemented.
The Country-Based Pricing Model offers substantial discounting on all CLSI products and services forcustomers from low and middle income countries. CLSI standards and guidelines are in use in morethan 150 countries around the world, and clinicians, laboratorians, IVD manufacturers, and regulators
rely on CLSI standards to provide practices and procedures that are critical for ensuring public healthand safety.
Dr Barb Jones, CEO CLSI, said: “This initiative is incredibly important for fulfilling our mission todevelop and promote global laboratory practices by dramatically increasing access to expert
guidance and best practices”.
The tiered pricing structure, based on World Bank GNI tiers, adds transparency and fairness to thepricing model and will benefit organizations and individuals in 136 countries. Users from low and lowmiddle income countries will receive a 90% discount on all CLSI products, those from middle-income
countries will receive a 50% discount.
Prof Tomris Ozben, IFCC President commented: “I am happy for this new initiative of CLSI “CountryBased Pricing Model” that will provide a great discount for the IFCC members from the low andlow-middle income countries (90%) and middle-income countries (50%). We have informed all thesecountries. I hope that our members from these countries may benefit from this opportunity”.
More information about the policy and FAQs can be found here.

28

News from Regional Federations and Member
Societies
News from the Hong Kong Society of Clinical Chemistry
By Iris Chan, HKSCC President

HKSCC Dinner Lecture – 16th November 2023
Assessment of Analytical Characteristics of New High Throughput Immunoassay Analyzer
The Clinical Application of phi on Prostate Cancer Diagnosis
A dinner lecture was held on 16th November 2023 by Hong Kong Society of Clinical Chemistry
and Beckman Coulter Hong Kong Limited. There were two presentations by invited speakers:‘Assessment of Analytical Characteristics of New High Throughput Immunoassay Analyzer’ by Mr.
Bobby TAGORE, Laboratory Manager, Pathlab Bay of Plenty, Tauranga Hospital, New Zealand, and‘The Clinical Application of phi in Prostate Cancer Diagnosis’ by Prof. Peter CHIU, Associate Professor,
Urology, CUHK. The lecture was attended by 120 members and guests.

Dinner Lecture (16 November 2023): Mr Bobby Tagore

Dinner Lecture (16 November 2023): Prof. Peter Chiu

Audience participating in Q&A session

Article continued on the next page

29

News from the Hong Kong
Society of Clinical Chemistry

HKSCC Annual Scientific Meeting and Annual General Meeting – 20th January 2024
Advancements in Generative AI and Implications for the Future of Work and Talent Cultivation
Artificial intelligence in Chemical Pathology: signs of life, and cosines of diseases
The year 2024 was started with the Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM) held on 20 January 2024. The
theme of the ASM was “Current Advances in Artificial Intelligence”. There were two presentations
by invited speakers: (1) “Advancements in Generative AI and Implications for the Future of Workand Talent Cultivation” by Prof. Helen ML MENG, Patrick Huen Wing Ming Chair Professor, Systems
Engineering and Engineering Management; Director, Stanley Ho Big Data Decision Analytics
Research Centre, The Chinese University of Hong Kong; and (2) “Artificial intelligence in Chemical
Pathology: signs of life, and cosines of diseases “ by Dr Calvin YK CHONG, Consultant (Pathology),
Toxicology Reference Laboratory, Department of Pathology, Princess Margaret Hospital. These were
followed by six industrial presentations by Abbott Laboratories Ltd., Grandtech Scientific Hong Kong
Ltd., QuidelOrtho, Roche Diagnostics (Hong Kong) Ltd., Waters Corporation and Radiometer. The ASM
was well attended by 174 HKSCC members and guests. There were also sixteen industrial partners
participating in the industrial exhibition.

ASM 2024 (20 Jan 2024): Prof. Helen ML Meng

ASM 2024 (20 Jan 2024): Dr Calvin YK Chong

Industry exhibition

HKSCC Council Members (Term 2024 – 2025)

30

Registrations will open soon

31

News from Japan Society of Clinical Chemistry (JSCC)
2023 JSCC Outstanding Young Investigator Award.
By Hideo Sakamoto, Ph.D. International Exchange Committee of JSCC

The Outstanding Young Investigator Award of the Japan Society of Clinical Chemistry (JSCC) is given
to a person who has made outstanding academic research in clinical chemistry. In 2023, Kai Kudo,
Ph.D. and Yasunori Tokuhara, Ph.D. were winners of the Outstanding Young Investigator Award.
At the 63rd Annual Meeting of JSCC in Tokyo, Japan from October 27 to 29, 2023. Award winners
Dr. Kudo and Dr. Tokuhara were congratulated by Dr. Takashi Miida, President of JSCC for theiroutstanding work in clinical chemistry. In this issue, we would like to introduce Dr. Kudo one of thewinners of the Outstanding Young Investigator Award to distribute his outstanding work.
Kai Kudo, Ph.D. (Department of Innovative Medical Science, Tokai University School of Medicine) is
the winner of the 2023 JSCC Outstanding Young Investigator Award, entitled “Discovery of New
Roles of Phospholipids in Extracellular Vesicles - Modification of Extracellular Vesicles by Secreted
Phospholipase A2”.
Extracellular vesicle (EV)-mediated crosstalk in microenvironment is of interest in a wide varietyof biological phenomena and diseases. In the field of oncology, EVs are known to be utilized fortumor formation and expansion in various types of cancers. In malignant lymphoma, one of thehematopoietic tumors, many reports indicate that EVs are deeply involved in pathogenesis. However,
the mechanism of its action, especially the function of EV-lipids, has not been fully clarified. Dr.
Kudo and his colleagues focused on the composition of EV-lipids and found that EVs derived fromlymphoma cells are rich in ω-3 unsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in their phospholipids. [Ito M andKudo K et al. FASEB J. 2021.] Interestingly, they found that tumor-derived EVs are hydrolyzed in
the extracellular milieu by sPLA2-X, and that this hydrolysis leads to the production of fatty acids,
lysophospholipids, and their metabolites, resulting in a dramatic increase in the functions of EVs,
such as cytokine induction, anti-inflammatory effects, and promotion of tumorigenesis through thelipid-driven non-canonical mechanism. Then, EV hydrolytic products enhance G protein-coupled
receptor signaling, suggesting the existence of a novel mode for the action of EV biology. In addition,
pharmacological inhibition of endogenous sPLA2 suppressed lymphoma growth in Epstein–Barr virus(EBV)-infected humanized mice, a model that mimics lymphoma development in humans, whereas
treatment with sPLA2-modified EVs reversed this phenotype. Furthermore, they revealed that EVs
derived from EBV-positive patient sera (including patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma) areeasier to hydrolyze by sPLA2-X compared with those of healthy individuals, and sPLA2 expression
in human large B-cell lymphomas is inversely correlated with patient survival. [Kudo K et al. Cell
Metabolism, 2022.] This study demonstrated that non-lymphoma-derived EVs are also hydrolyzed
by sPLA2. Therefore, further investigation of the detailed mechanism of the new immune checkpoint“sPLA2-EV axis” is expected to lead to the development of new therapeutic and diagnostic tools for avariety of cancers.

Kai Kudo Ph D, winner of the 2023 JSCC
Outstanding Young Investigator Award32

Is there an elephant in the room? A workshop to develop
a framework for integrating AI into clinical practice.
By Dr Lena Jafri and Mr Aqueel Kapadia, Section of Chemical Pathology, Department of Pathology andLaboratory Medicine, Karachi - Pakistan

This report presents a recap of the insightful workshop held on January 30, 2024, at the Aga Khan
University (AKU) in Pakistan. The workshop was conducted in collaboration with the Network of
Quality, Teaching and Learning (QTL_Net) at AKU. The primary objective of the workshop was tothoroughly examine the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on healthcare. The focus extended
beyond theoretical discussions, delving into the practical aspects of implementation challenges, andemphasizing the essential competencies required by healthcare providers in this rapidly evolving
landscape.
A varied assembly of 22 individuals, spanning from research analysts and faculty to PhD students,
and undergraduate and postgraduate medical students of AKU, from diverse departments such as
information technology, internal medicine, oncology, pathology, and psychiatry, were thoughtfully
chosen to provide their unique perspectives. The interactive format of the event promoted open
dialogue and collaborative activities, strategically crafted to stimulate the generation of ideas for theeffective implementation of AI in healthcare.
The workshop commenced with a compelling introduction by Ayesha Mansoor and Dr. Lena Jafri,
who shared her experiences and insights from AI implementation studies. A fun energizer activity
followed, shedding light on the complexities of adapting to change and underlining the substantial
efforts needed for sustainable AI incorporation.
A highlight of the workshop was the engaging World Café activity, facilitated by Dr Hafsa Majid, Dr
Sibtain Ahmed, Aqueel Kapadia and Ayesha Mansoor. The dynamic format encouraged participants
to move between ‘café-style’ tables, fostering discussions on specific questions related to AI
implementation. Despite the challenges posed by the movement of participants, this approachproved fruitful, unveiling numerous new insights. The World Café session scrutinized criticalaspects of AI integration in healthcare, focusing on educators’ pivotal role and identifying key
stakeholders for successful implementation. Participants emphasized the need for cultural shifts
and accountability mechanisms within hospitals to fully embrace AI, highlighting the importance offostering a collaborative and adaptive educational environment.
The workshop further introduced the switch change management method, challenging participants
to craft their management plans based on the rider, the elephant, and the path concept. In thediscussion, participants identified successful or promising areas of AI integration within the hospitaland brainstormed strategies to cultivate positive emotional responses to AI integration. Additionally,
concrete steps were proposed to ensure smooth transitions and competency in using AI tools,
while considerations were made for establishing ethical policies and procedures. Furthermore,participants explored methods to acknowledge and celebrate small wins and success stories in AI
implementation.
This workshop not only offered a platform for knowledge exchange but also fostered a collaborative
spirit among diverse healthcare professionals. The shared insights and action plans generated
during the workshop lay a strong foundation for navigating the complexities of AI in healthcare.

Article continued on the next page33

Is there an elephantin the room?

Workshop Participants and Facilitators

World Café Small Group Discussions Among Participants

Small Group Discussion Amongst Workshop Participants toLarge Group Discussion to Draft the Collaborative Action

Chalk Out The Action Plan For AI Integration

Plan for AI integration in education, research and service forhealthcare industry in Pakistan

34

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from major instrument manufacturers• Rapid, accurate and easy to perform• Liquid-stable reagents, calibrators,
and controls• No sample pretreatment

To learn more visit mycaretests.com

35

New IFCC Members
IFCC WELCOMES A NEW CORPORATE MEMBER: Greiner Bio-One

Greiner Bio-One specializes in the development, production and distribution of high-quality plastic
laboratory products. The company is a technology partner for hospitals, laboratories, universities,
research institutes, and the diagnostic, pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.
The Preanalytics business division, with headquarters in Kremsmünster (Austria), develops andproduces innovative collection systems for human and veterinary blood and urine samples, with theaim of making day-to-day, routine tasks in hospitals, laboratories and doctors’ practices easier andsafer.
Greiner Bio-One’s BioScience division, with headquarters in Frickenhausen (Germany), is one of theleading providers of specialist products for the cultivation and analysis of cell and tissue cultures.
Based on decades of experience in the cryopreservation of samples, Greiner Bio-One also offers
solutions for automated storage systems in biobanks. In addition, the division also develops andproduces microplates for high-throughput screening, which ensure the quickest and most efficienttesting of substances and materials in both industry and research.
As an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), Greiner Bio-One is also a solid partner for industry
clients working in pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, diagnostics and medical technology and offers
customized design development and production processes.
For more information: www.gbo.com

36News from the IFCC Website

Machine Learning in Laboratory Medicine Part I – Recommendation of the IFCC Working GroupThe On Demand content is now available

Machine Learning in Laboratory Medicine Part II:
Case Study Analysis
Tuesday 20th February 2024
The On Demand content is now available

37

IFCC’s Calendar of Congresses,
Conferences & Events
IFCC and Regional Federation
Events
Date

Title

Place

March,
2024

AFCC CONGRESS 2024

Cairo,EG

May 25,2024

XVII ICPLM - INTERNATIONALCONGRESS OF PEDIATRICLABORATORY MEDICINE

Dubai,UAE

May 26 - Jun 30,
2024

XXVI IFCC WORLDLAB Dubai 2024

Dubai,UAE

May 26, - Jun 30
2024

AFCB Congress in conjunction
with the XXVI IFCC WorldLab
Dubai 2024 Congress

Dubai,UAE

Oct 3 - 6,
2024

XXVI COLABIOCLI 2024

Cartagena,
CO

October 31 Nov 3, 2024

APFCB 2024 Sydney

Sidney,AU

May 18 - 22,
2025

XXVI IFCC-EFLM
EUROMEDLAB 2025

Brussels,
BE

October 25 30, 2026

XXVII IFCC WORLDLAB 2026

New Dehli,IN

October 10 13, 2027

APFCB 2027 KUALA LUMPUR

Kuala
Lumpur, MY

Article continued on the next page38

Corporate Member Events with
IFCC Auspices
Date

Title

Place

Feb 25,2024

International Symposium on
Laboratory

Snibe,
Shenzhen, CN

Mar 8,
2024

International Symposium on
Laboratory

Snibe,
Warsaw, PL

Apr 4 - 5,
2024

Point-of-Care Testing: State-of-the
Art and Perspectives

Venice, IT

Jun 2 - Mar 26,
2024

Quality Management for ClinicalLaboratories according to ISO
15189:2022

Quality
Academics,
online, MX

Other events with
IFCC auspices
Click here

39

Published ten times a year:

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IFCC eNews!
Showcase your products and initiatives
to more than 51.000 laboratory medicine
specialists throughout Europe, North
America, Asia- Pacific, Middle East, Africa
and Latin America: laboratory directors,
clinical chemists, and other clinicallaboratory specialists and technologists,
leading manufacturers, distributors anddealers in the field.
• Ten issues per year
• Free-of-charge to readers• Interactive digital edition

No 1/2
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on how your company can gain unique access\tointernational markets through advertsingwith IFCC, please email us at enews@ifcc.org.
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40

IFCC Executive Board 2024 - 2026

TomrisOZBEN
President

Khosrow
ADELI
Past-President

SergioBERNARDINI
SecretaryAlexander
HALIASSOS
Treasurer

TriciaRAVALICO
Corporate
Representative

T. BADRICK
Asia-Pacific Fed
for Clin Biochem
and Lab Med(APFCB)

M. PLEBANI
European Fed ofClin Chem andLab Medicine(EFLM)

E. FREGGIARO
Latin-American
Confederationof Clin
Biochemistry(COLABIOCLI)T. PILLAY (ZA)
Communications
andPublications
Division Chair

D. GRUSON (BE)
Emerging
Technologies
Division Chair

P. LAITINEN (FI)Congresses andConferences
Committee Chair

Regional Representatives

R. ERASMUS
AfricanFederation ofClinical Chemistry(AFCC)

O. NAJJAR
ArabFederation ofClinical Biology(AFCB)

D. GRENACHE
North American
Fed of Clin
Chem and Lab
Med(NAFCC)IFCC Divisions and C-CC Chairs

C. COBBAERT (NL)
Scientific
Division Chair

N. RIFAI (US)
Education andManagement
Division Chair

IFCC Office Staff(L-R) Elisa Fossati, Paola Bramati, Silvia Colli Lanzi,
Silvia Cardinale, Smeralda Skenderaj, Sofia Giardina

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IFCC Membership
Full members

Albania (AL)
Algeria (DZ)
Argentina (AR)Armenia (AM)Australasia and New
Zealand (AU/NZ)
Austria (AT)Azerbaijan (AZ)
Belgium (BE)Bolivia (BO)
Bosnia Herzegovina (BA)
Brazil (BR)
Bulgaria (BG)
Canada (CA)Chile (CL)
China Beijing (CN)China Taipei (TW)
Colombia (CO)Croatia (HR)Cuba (CU)
Cyprus (CY)
Czech Republic (CZ)
Denmark (DK)
Dominican Rep (DO)
Ecuador (EC)Egypt (EG)Estonia (EE)
Ethiopia (ET)Finland (FI)France (FR)Georgia (GE)Germany (DE)Greece (GR)
Guatemala (GT)Hong Kong (HK)
Hungary (HU)
Iceland (IS)India (IN)Indonesia (ID)
Iran (IR)Iraq (IQ)
Ireland (IE)
Israel (IL)
Italy (IT)Japan (JP)Jordan (JO)
Kazakhstan (KZ)
Kenya (KE)
Korea (KR)Kosovo (XK)Corporate members

Latvia (LV)
Lebanon (LB)
Libya (LY)
Lithuania (LT)
Luxembourg (LU)
Malawi (MW)Malaysia (MY)Mexico (MX)Montenegro (ME)
Morocco (MA)
Myanmar (MM)
Nepal (NP)
Netherlands (NL)
Nigeria (NG)North Macedonia (MK)Norway (NO)Pakistan (PK)Palestine (PS)Panama (PA)Paraguay (PY)
Peru (PE)Philippines (PH)Poland (PL)Portugal (PT)
Romania RO)
Russia (RU)
Saudi Arabia (SA)Serbia (SRB)
Singapore (SG)Slovak Republic (SK)Slovenia (SI)South Africa (ZA)
Spain (ES)Sri Lanka (LK)
Sudan (SD)
Sweden (SW)Switzerland (CH)
Syrian Arab Republic (SY)
Thailand (TH)Tunisia (TN)Türkiye (TR)Ukraine (UA)United Arab Emirates (UAE)
United Kingdom (UK)
United States (US)Uruguay (UY)
Vietnam (VN)
Zambia (ZM)
Zimbabwe (ZW)

Regional Federations

Arab Federation of Clinical Biology (AFCB)
African Federation of Clinical Chemistry (AFCC)
Asia-Pacific Federation for Clinical Biochemistry
and Laboratory Medicine (APFCB)
European Federation of Clinical Chemistry
and Laboratory Medicine (EFLM)
Latin America Confederationof Clinical Biochemistry (COLABIOCLI)North American Federation of Clinical Chemistry
and Laboratory Medicine (NAFCC)

Abbott Laboratories
Agappe Diagnostics Ltd
Arkray Inc.
Asahi Kasei Pharma Corp.
Autobio Diagnostics Co. Ltd.
Bd Diagnostics-Preanalytical
Systems
Beckman Coulter, Inc.
Bio Rad Laboratories
Biomasterclin Laboratorios
Venezuela
Brooks Automation Italy Srl
Controllab
C.P.M. Compagnia Per La
Medicina® Srl
Dia Sys Diagnostic Systems
Gmbh
Diagnostica Stago
Diasorin Spa
Et Healthcare Inc.
Fujifilm Wako Pure Chemical
Corporation
Fujirebio-Europe
Gentian As
Greiner Bio-One
Helena Biosciencies Europe
Hemas Hospital Pvt
Hytest Ltd.
Immunodiagnostic Systems
Instrumentation Laboratory
I-Sens, Inc.
Jiangsu Bioperfectus
Technologies Co. Ltd.
Labor Team W Ag
Lumiradx Uk Ltd.
Maccura Biotechnology Co.,Ltd.
Medicalsystem Biotechnology
Co., Ltd.
Medix Biochemica
Menarini Diagnostics
Mindray
Nittobo Medical Co. Ltd.
Oneworld Accuracy
Quidelortho
Perkinelmer
Phc Europe B.V.
Quality Academics
Radiometer Medical Aps
Randox Laboratories Ltd.
Roche Diagnostics Gmbh
Sansure Biotech Inc
Sebia S.A.
Sentinel Ch Spa
Shanghai KehuaBioengineering Co., Ltd.
Shenzhen Yhlo Biotech
Siemens Healthcare
Diagnostics
Snibe Co., Ltd
Synlab International Gmbh
Sysmex Europe Gmbh
Technogenetics
The Binding Site Group Ltd.
Thermo Fisher ScientificTosoh Corporation
United Robotics Group Gmbh
Wisplinghoff
Laboratoriumsmedizin Koeln
Wuhan Life Origin Biotech Joint
Stock Co., Ltd. - Sybio

Affiliate Members

Botswana: Institute of Clinical Laboratory Professionals
Brazil: Sociedade Brasileira de Patologia Clínica / Medicina
Laboratorial (SBPC/ML)
China: Lab Medicine Committee, China Association of Medical
Equipment (LMC)
Egypt: Egyptian Association of Healthcare Quality and Patient
SafetyFrance: French National Network of Accredited Laboratories ofMedical Biology (LABAC)
India: Association of Medical Biochemists of India (AMBI)
Iran: Iranian Association of Clinical Laboratory Doctors (IACLD)
Jordan: Society for Medical Technology & Laboratories (SMTL)
Kazakhstan: Public Association - Federation of Laboratory
Medicine (FLM)
Mexico: Federación Nacional de Químicos Clínicos (CONAQUIC
A.C.)
Mexico: Colegio Nacional de Químicos Clínicos en Medicina deLaboratorio (CONQUILAB)
Mexico: Federación Nacional de Colegios Profesionales de laQuímica Clínica, A.C. (FENACQC)
Nepal: Nepalese Association for Clinical Chemistry (NACC)
Philippines: Philippine Council for Quality Assurance in ClinicalLaboratories (PCQACL)
Romania: Order of the Biochemists, Biologists, Chemists in
Romanian Health System (OBBCSSR) Serbia: Serbian Society for
Clinical Laboratory Medicine and Science (SCLM)
Spain: Andalusian Society for Clinical Analysis and Laboratory
Medicine (SANAC)
Spain: Asociación Española de Biopatología Médica - Medicinade Laboratorio (AEBM-ML)
Spain: Asociación Española de Farmacéuticos Analistas (AEFA)
Sri Lanka: College of Chemical Pathologists of Sri Lanka (CCPSL)
Türkiye: Society of Clinical Biochemistry Specialists (KBUD)
Ukraine: Association for Quality Assurance of Laboratory
Medicine (AQALM)
United Arab Emirates: Genetic Diseases Association (UAEGDA)

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enewsPublisher
Communications and Publications Division(CPD) of the IFCCThe Communications and Publications
Division publishes ten editions of the e-Newsper year, including two double issues.
EditorKatherina Psarra, MSc, PhD
Department of Immunology Histocompatibility Evangelismos Hospital,
Athens, Greece
E-mail: enews@ifcc.org
The eNews is distributed to all IFCC
members registered on-line to receive it andto all IFCC sponsors.
Deadlines for submissions to the eNews
N° 1/2 – January/February: by mid January
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N° 11 – November: by mid October
N° 12 – December: by mid November
If you want to submit an article oradvertisement to be published in the eNews,
send it to: Katherina Psarra, Editor, IFCC
eNews
E-mail: enews@ifcc.org

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Contents may not be reproduced without
the prior permission of the Communications
and Publications Division (CPD) of the IFCC.

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