European Laboratory Network Research Articles

The EPOS Multi-Scale Laboratories: A FAIR Framework for stimulating Open Science practice across European Earth Sciences Laboratories

The Multi-scale Laboratories (MSL) are a network of European laboratories bringing together the scientific fields of analogue modeling, paleomagnetism, experimental rock and melt physics, geo- chemistry and microscopy. MSL is one of nine (see below) Thematic Core Services (TCS) of the European Plate Observing System (EPOS). The overarching goal of EPOS is to establish a compre- hensive multidisciplinary research platform for the Earth sciences in Europe. It aims at facilitating the integrated use of data, models, and facilities, from both existing and new distributed pan European Research Infrastructures, allowing open access and transparent use of data. The TCS MSL network allows researchers to collaborate with other labs and scientists. By becoming part of the rapidly growing TCS MSL network, new laboratories are offered a platform to showcase their research data output, laboratory equipment and information, and the opportunity to open laboratories to guest researchers through the Transnational Access (TNA) program. The EPOS Multi-scale laboratories offer researchers a fully operational data publication chain tailored to the specific needs of laboratory research, from a bespoke metadata editor, through dedi­ cated, (domain­specific) data repositories, to the MSL Portal showcasing these citable data publica- tions. During this process the data publications are assigned with digital object identidiers (DOI), published with open licenses (e.g. CC BY 4.0) and described with standardized and machine-read- able rich metadata (following the FAIR Principles to make research data Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable. The TCS MSL is currently working on linking these data publications to the EPOS Central Portal1, the main discovery and access point for European multi-disciplinary data, and on increasing the number of connected data repositories.

COMBACTE LAB-Net: building a European laboratory network for clinical trials on anti-infectives.

LAB-Net, the laboratory network of COMBACTE, has established itself as an indispensable network for clinical trials in infectious diseases that plays a crucial part across 30 clinical studies not only within, but also outside the COMBACTE consortium. Since its official launch in January 2013, LAB-Net has expanded more than threefold and in Q4 2020 it encompasses 841 labs across 41 countries in Europe. In addition, LAB-Net has crossed the European borders and collaborates with more than 300 laboratories spread across the globe. The tight collaboration with partners within COMBACTE and beyond contributed tremendously to the growth of LAB-Net over the years. A sustainable infrastructure beyond COMBACTE-NET is needed to ensure the smooth handover and continuity of the achievements made by the project.

The European human biomonitoring platform - Design and implementation of a laboratory quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) programme for selected priority chemicals.

A fundamental objective of the human biomonitoring for Europe initiative (HBM4EU) is to progress toward comparable and robust exposure data for a wide variety of prioritized chemicals in human samples. A programme for Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) was designed in HBM4EU with the purpose of creating a network of European laboratories providing comparable analytical data of high quality. Two approaches were chosen for two sets of prioritized chemicals with different timelines: (i) Scheme 1, where interested candidate laboratories participated in multiple rounds of proficiency tests (ii) Scheme 2, where selected expert laboratories participated in three rounds of interlaboratory comparison investigations. In both cases, the results were used to identify laboratories capable of generating consistent and comparable results for sample analysis in the frame of HBM4EU. In total, 84 laboratories from 26 countries were invited to participate in Scheme 1 that covered up to 73 biomarkers from Hexamoll® DINCH, phthalates, bisphenols, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, halogenated flame retardants (HFRs), organophosporous flame retardants (OPFRs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), cadmium, chromium and aromatic amines. 74 of the participants were successful for at least one biomarker in Scheme 1. Scheme 2 involved 22 biomarkers and successful results were obtained by 2 expert laboratories for arsenic, 5 for acrylamide, 4 for mycotoxins, 2 for pesticides and 2 for UV-filters in skin care products. The QA/QC programme allowed the identification of major difficulties and needs in HBM analysis as well of gaining insight in the analytical capacities of European laboratories. Furthermore, it is the first step towards the establishment of a sustainable European network of HBM laboratories.

Standardized Nanomechanical Atomic Force Microscopy Procedure (SNAP) for Measuring Soft and Biological Samples

We present a procedure that allows a reliable determination of the elastic (Young’s) modulus of soft samples, including living cells, by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The standardized nanomechanical AFM procedure (SNAP) ensures the precise adjustment of the AFM optical lever system, a prerequisite for all kinds of force spectroscopy methods, to obtain reliable values independent of the instrument, laboratory and operator. Measurements of soft hydrogel samples with a well-defined elastic modulus using different AFMs revealed that the uncertainties in the determination of the deflection sensitivity and subsequently cantilever’s spring constant were the main sources of error. SNAP eliminates those errors by calculating the correct deflection sensitivity based on spring constants determined with a vibrometer. The procedure was validated within a large network of European laboratories by measuring the elastic properties of gels and living cells, showing that its application reduces the variability in elastic moduli of hydrogels down to 1%, and increased the consistency of living cells elasticity measurements by a factor of two. The high reproducibility of elasticity measurements provided by SNAP could improve significantly the applicability of cell mechanics as a quantitative marker to discriminate between cell types and conditions.

Operational guidance for radiation emergency response organisations in Europe for using biodosimetric tools developed in EU MULTIBIODOSE project.

In the event of a large-scale radiological emergency, the triage of individuals according to their degree of exposure forms an important initial step of the accident management. Although clinical signs and symptoms of a serious exposure may be used for radiological triage, they are not necessarily radiation specific and can lead to a false diagnosis. Biodosimetry is a method based on the analysis of radiation-induced changes in cells of the human body or in portable electronic devices and enables the unequivocal identification of exposed people who should receive medical treatment. The MULTIBIODOSE (MBD) consortium developed and validated several biodosimetric assays and adapted and tested them as tools for biological dose assessment in a mass-casualty event. Different biodosimetric assays were validated against the 'gold standard' of biological dosimetry-the dicentric assay. The assays were harmonised in such a way that, in an emergency situation, they can be run in parallel in a network of European laboratories. The aim of this guidance is to give a concise overview of the developed biodosimetric tools as well as how and when they can be used in an emergency situation.

Integrated laboratory networks for a successful biomarker implementation strategy in personalized medicine.

e21158 Background: Much work has been done to ensure that biomarkers research and the development of targeted therapies in Oncology can be translated into a better stratification of patients. However, when it comes to the implementation of those biomarkers into the clinical setting, laboratories are not commonly consider an essential stakeholder. Unfortunately, the laboratories are often the forgotten third arm of a successful foundation in personalized medicine (PM), for molecular diagnostics in oncology. In order to truly enhance the power of companion diagnostics, and to better meet healthcare demands and finally, patient needs, superior integrated laboratory services are crucial. This presentation will provide a brief introduction from Labceutics highlighting the need for highest quality laboratory networks across Europe. In addition it would feature results of a Delphi survey of leading EU laboratories on the gaps and shortfalls they face in implementing companion diagnostics Methods: Delphi survey study conducted over a representative sample of the +120 partners in the Labceutics European Laboratory network. Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS software. Results: this research reveals that that fewer than 10% of these laboratories had been contacted directly by pharmaceutical companies to discuss the future implementation issues they may face in introducing companion diagnostics in their Lab. Additionally, the study confirmed that 25% of the laboratories surveyed, preferred to begin their testing service of a novel diagnostics with an IVD kit purchased from a diagnostic company. On the other hand, 77% either preferred to develop their own in house method or consider the business case, since so many of the new diagnostics have very low volumes in the initial 3 to 5 years. Conclusions: this exhaustive will provide the audience with insights into the main issues about best practices for laboratories to ensure appropriate implementation of testing services. It will reveal as well, the importance and sequence of "early prelaunch" engagement with a laboratory network to accelerate post launch diffusion of testing.

Culture-based detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus by a network of European laboratories: an external quality assessment study

Twenty-three hospital laboratories from Europe and Israel participated in an external quality assessment (EQA) of the culture-based detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Participants also reported the MRSA prevalence in clinical cultures and patient screening specimens, as well as the MRSA screening practices employed at their hospitals. An EQA panel of 18 samples consisting of two MRSA harbouring SCCmec IV and I, and one strain each of methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative S. epidermidis, methicillin-sensitive S. aureus and Escherichia coli as pure strains or in mixtures at 10(7)-1 cfu absolute loads was analysed by the 23 participants. Seventeen (74%) participants identified 17 or more samples correctly. Of these, 15 (88%) utilised a chromogenic medium alone (ChromID, bioMérieux; BBL CHROMagar, BD Diagnostics; MRSA Select, Bio-Rad Laboratories) or combined with a conventional medium and up to three confirmatory tests. Proportions of MRSA among S. aureus isolated from clinical cultures varied widely, even among hospitals within countries, ranging from 11-20% to 61-70%. MRSA carriage rates were less variable (0-20%) between countries. Almost all participants (n=22, 96%) screened patients for MRSA carriage during 2009-2010, of which 15 (68%) screened intensive care unit (ICU) patients alone or combined with other targeted high-risk groups, and 10 (45%) combined nasal screening with another body site.

Migration of bisphenol A from polycarbonate baby bottles purchased in the Spanish market by liquid chromatography and fluorescence detection

During the last decade the safety of bisphenol A (BPA) monomer in polycarbonate baby bottles has drawn the attention of both the public and the scientific community. This paper presents the results of BPA migration from polycarbonate baby bottles bought in the Spanish market, into simulant B (3% acetic acid), 50% ethanol and into real food (reconstituted infant formula). Furthermore, it was also the objective of this study to assess the suitability of 50% ethanol as a simulant for infant formula. BPA was analysed by a multi-analyte liquid chromatography method with fluorescence detection and mass spectrometry confirmation. The method was in-house validated and accredited by the national accreditation body. The validation results for this analyte in the previous mentioned matrices were: LOD = 0.004–0.007 mg kg–1; LOQ (validated) = 0.03 mg kg–1; RSD% = 3.4–5.8; and recovery = 106.6–118.2%. A collection of 72 different baby bottle samples from 12 different brands were analysed. Baby bottle material was identified by FTIR. The migration test conditions used were those recommended for baby bottles in the Guidelines on testing conditions for articles in contact with foodstuffs (with a focus on kitchenware), prepared by the European network of laboratories for food-contact materials. In most of the migration assays the results were below the LOD. In four of the commercial brands there was detectable migration into the simulant 50% ethanol and BPA was detected in only two samples of infant formula (0.01 mg kg–1). Migration results obtained were in compliance with European Union regulations.

Human Enteric Viruses Occurrence in Shellfish from European Markets

Different sources were consulted to obtain information on the occurrence of viruses in bivalve molluscs on the European market. Twenty-six peer-reviewed articles were identified reporting on the molecular detection of viral RNA in 4,260 samples in total. The data obtained will be presented geographically on virus types detected, the origin and treatment of the shellfish, and the detection technique applied. The data demonstrate that viral RNA can be detected in shellfish from polluted areas, in depurated shellfish as well as those for human consumption. The European Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) database was consulted as another source. Twenty-eight notifications were identified on the presence of hepatitis A virus or norovirus in shellfish on the European market. The most recent report of the European laboratory network was referred to, to gain insight into the laboratory capability at present for the analyses of shellfish on the presence of viruses. Approximately 67% of 27 participating laboratories obtained intended results for all samples, consisting of lenticules loaded with 103 copies norovirus (genogroup I (GGI) and/or genogroup II (GGII)) and/or 1 × 105–8 × 104 copies of hepatitis A virus. From 1993, there has been a continuous development of molecular detection techniques and tools have been described to ensure quality assurance. End product testing will, however, not be achievable. As depuration has been shown not to be effective for the complete elimination of viruses, shellfish should not be in contact with faecal contaminated water in order to minimise the risk of shellfish-transmittable viral diseases.

A European laboratory network for sequence-based typing of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) as a communication platform between human and veterinary medicine – an update on SeqNet.org

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First Proficiency Testing To Evaluate the Ability of European Union National Reference Laboratories To Detect Staphylococcal Enterotoxins in Milk Products

The European Commission has designed a network of European Union-National Reference Laboratories (EU-NRLs), coordinated by a Community Reference Laboratory (CRL), for control of hygiene of milk and milk products (Council Directive 92/46/ECC). As a common contaminant of milk and milk products such as cheese, staphylococcal enterotoxins are often involved in human outbreaks and should be monitored regularly. The main tasks of the EU-CRLs were to select and transfer to the EU-NRLs a reference method for detection of enterotoxins, and to set up proficiency testing to evaluate the competency of the European laboratory network. The first interlaboratory exercise was performed on samples of freeze-dried cheese inoculated with 2 levels of staphylococcal enterotoxins (0.1 and 0.25 ng/g) and on an uninoculated control. These levels were chosen considering the EU regulation for staphylococcal enterotoxins in milk and milk products and the limit of detection of the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay test recommended in the reference method. The trial was conducted according to the recommendations of ISO Guide 43. Results produced by laboratories were compiled and compared through statistical analysis. Except for data from 2 laboratories for the uninoculated control and cheese inoculated at 0.1 ng/g, all laboratories produced satisfactory results, showing the ability of the EU-NRL network to monitor the enterotoxin contaminant.

Kluyveromyces lactis and the 14th workshop 'Biology of Kluyveromyces'.

This annual workshop is one of the few yeast meetings dedicated to a non-conventional species. Its 14th meeting was held on July 6–8, 2001, at the Orsay campus of the University of Paris XI. Originally, the workshop was created in 1988 as an instrument for the network of European laboratories involved in the European Biotechnology programmes. With its modest size (generally oscillating around 50–80 participants), the meeting is conveniently held at different European cities. Although it receives a small ad hoc contribution from a few companies, the cost is mostly covered by the participants. On some occasions the workshop took the form of a satellite meeting parasiting large yeast conferences like ICYGMB, because this allows the scientists of other continents to participate without additional costs. In the 1960s, H.O. Halvorson (Wisconsin) began to use Kluyveromyces lactis to study β-glucosidase regulation. Since then, this organism always had its advocates, but remained in the shadow of the prestigious Saccharomyces cerevisiae . It is only after 1980 that K. lactis research became more visible, probably due to the interest of three unrelated topics: (i) the killer system based on linear DNA plasmids, (ii) the lactose metabolism and (iii) the secretion of recombinant proteins. At present an increasing number of people working on S. cerevisiae try to extend their thematic enquiries to other yeasts, but the choice is limited. K. lactis is practically the only alternative that can offer all the possibilities of a genetic approach, the other ‘genetic yeasts’, Schizosaccharomyces pombe and Yarrowia lipolytica , being too distant from S. cerevisiae . Rather than providing a report dealing only with the last meeting (which was much troubled by an airline strike), I may give below a quick summary, admittedly partial and biased, of the topics which have often been discussed in the Kluyveromyces …

Reproducibility testing of RAPD, AFLP and SSR markers in plants by a network of European laboratories

A number of PCR-based techniques can be used to detect polymorphisms in plants. For their wide-scale usage in germplasm characterisation and breeding it is important that these marker technologies can be exchanged between laboratories, which in turn requires that they can be standardised to yield reproducible results, so that direct collation and comparison of the data are possible. This article describes a network experiment involving several European laboratories, in which the reproducibility of three popular molecular marker techniques was examined: random-amplified fragment length polymorphism (RAPD), amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) and sequence-tagged microsatellites (SSR). For each technique, an optimal system was chosen, which had been standardised and routinely used by one laboratory. This system (genetic screening package) was distributed to different participating laboratories in the network and the results obtained compared with those of the original sender. Different experiences were gained in this exchange experiment with the different techniques. RAPDs proved difficult to reproduce. For AFLPs, a single-band difference was observed in one track, whilst SSR alleles were amplified by all laboratories, but small differences in their sizing were obtained.

Astrometric Standard Fields for CCD Observations of Double Stars

The number of known double stars is steadily increasing, thanks to ground-based and space observations. Therefore the ratio of known double to single stars has to be revised upwards continuously. With the Hipparcos parallaxes it will be possible to get stellar statistics for precisely defined volumes of space. This will lead to strong constraints on all astrophysical calibrations of masses, spectral types and luminosities in the solar neighbourhood. A European network of laboratories was created in August 1990 in order to remedy the lack of photometric data for close visual double stars. This network intends to study all aspects of formation and evolution of double and multiple star systems. The immediate goal of the group is to provide the scientific community with a compilation of known photometric data on a large selection of close visual double stars and to significantly enlarge this information by new observations with modern devices. A photometric database of stellar systems is being compiled from most widely used photometric systems in collaboration with the ‘Centre de Données Stellaires’ of Strasbourg.

Development of a low-cost PC-based image-processing and mapping GIS within the frames of the EEC Joint Research Center's Collaborative Program

The Collaborative Program on European Marginal Areas—Remote Sensing in Land Use Planning and Environmental Protection is a network of European laboratories and institutes, led and managed by the Joint Research Center. The network is presently organized into five main themes. The general program objectives are to develop and define remote sensing related tools and methods by means of which rural, less favored, areas and marginal land can be identified, classified, and mapped in a quantitative way in order to protect the environment and stimulate development of such areas. At the same time the program seeks to analyze and develop fields where remote sensing can supply new and constructive insight into environmental processes. Within the frame of theme 5, the Department of Physics, University College Dublin, has developed software packages PC_IMega and IM-X, which are especially geared towards applications where facilities are almost lacking or at a premium, and for training, too. The hardware requirements are small. The software runs on almost any PC with a standard EGA- or VGA-board with corresponding color monitor. The software supports a variety of printers and is easily interfaced to plotters and digitizers as well.

Observational Programme for Classical and CCD Photometry of Visual Double and Multiple Systems

Complementary accurate photometric data with astrophysical content are needed for a well-chosen sample of binaries and multiple systems for which good-quality astrometric data already exist or will soon be available. The observational programme, started in the context of the European Network of Laboratories “Visual Double Stars” (Oblak et al. 1992), is therefore based on samples extracted from the “Catalogue des Composantes d’Etoiles Doubles et Multiples” (CCDM, Dommanget, 1989) and reported in Annex 1 (Double and Multiple Systems) of the HIPPARCOS Input Catalogue (C. Turon et al. 1992).Systems with components in the HIPPARCOS Input Catalogue are selected for which the present photometric information is poor, i.e. not all components have been observed or they have colour indices and/or magnitudes of insufficient quality for extraction of astrophysical quantities (Figure 1).Observations, performed in various observatories located in both hemispheres, must yield both classical and CCD photometric campaigns.