Abbott Features Novel Biomarkers and Laboratory Automation at International Federation of Clinical Chemistry Congress

DELKENHEIM, Germany, May 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Abbott (NYSE: ABT) announced today the company's schedule of key workshops and scientific presentations at the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine Congress (IFCC), May 15-19, in Berlin, Germany. The company will sponsor five scientific industry workshops covering a range of clinical diagnostic research in areas such as heart and renal disease, cancer, hepatitis, and vitamins D and active B12. The company also will present its total customer solution offering for Information Technology (IT), automation, e-learning and instrument demonstrations at the Abbott exhibit booth (Hall 13).

"As a global leader in diagnostics, Abbott is committed to scientific excellence and developing technologies and customer-focused solutions that enable laboratories to be more efficient and provide better clinical outcomes," said Brian Blaser, senior vice president, Diagnostics, Abbott. "The IFCC meeting will provide Abbott the platform to showcase many of the solutions we offer our customers to address the increasing demands on the lab."

    
    Abbott's IFCC Workshops (all times are Central European)
    --------------------------------------------------------

    -- Importance of Biomarkers in Optimizing the Treatment of
       Patients with Heart and Kidney Disease, May 16, 13:00 to
       14:00 p.m., Hall 7

       Nicolas Mills, M.D., Ph.D., a cardiologist at the British
       Heart Foundation Centre for Cardiovascular Science and
       Simon Walker, M.D., Ph.D., a senior lecturer and honorary
       consultant in Clinical Biochemistry in the Department of
       Clinical Biochemistry at Edinburgh University, will discuss
       their recently published research in the Journal of the
       American Medical Association (JAMA) demonstrating that for
       patients with suspected acute coronary syndrome (ACS), the
       use of more sensitive troponin assays can increase
       diagnosis of myocardial infarction (MI) by a third. The
       ARCHITECT Troponin assay can identify patients who would
       not have received treatment for myocardial infarction, but
       were at high risk of recurrent MI and death.

       Implementation of this assay and diagnostic reclassification
       of these patients was associated with improved clinical
       management, fewer death and fewer admissions with recurrent
       MI.

       Kai M. Schmidt-Ott, M.D., Charite Universitatsmedizin in
       Berlin, will also review results of a multi-center study
       in Europe and the United States of emergency department
       patients tested for neutrophil gelatinase-associated
       lipocalin (NGAL). The research showed that urine NGAL
       facilitates an early diagnosis of acute kidney injury (AKI)
       and can distinguish pre-renal from intrinsic acute kidney
       injury.

       AKI is a major cause of renal failure and must be diagnosed
       quickly to prevent kidney damage. Urine NGAL levels, alone
       or when combined with other clinical information, will be
       important for optimal patient management and for the
       development of novel therapeutic strategies based on an
       early detection of AKI. Per Venge, M.D., Ph.D., Head of
       the Department of Medical Sciences, Clinical Chemistry,
       University Hospital Uppsala in Sweden, will chair the
       workshop.

    -- Ovarian Cancer Biomarkers in the Clinical Context:
       Stratification and Monitoring, May 16, 16:45 to 17:45 h,
       Hall 7

       Jalid Sehouli, M.D., from University Hospital Charite in
       Berlin, will discuss why an optimal referral of ovarian
       cancer patients based on their cancer risk can improve
       survival rates. Inga Laursen, M.D. from Statens Serum
       Institut in Copenhagen, will review a prospective study
       designed to validate the Risk of Ovarian Malignancy
       Algorithm (ROMA), a combined use of HE4 and another cancer
       marker, CA125, for identifying patients at risk for ovarian
       malignancies. Christian Marth, M.D., Medical University of
       Innsbruck, will discuss the role of the ovarian cancer
       biomarker CA125 in follow-up monitoring of patients.

    -- Laboratory Diagnosis of Hepatitis C: What Are We Looking
       For?

       May 17, 13:00 to 14:00 p.m., Hall 7

       Jacques Izopet, Ph.D., PharmD, from the University of
       Toulouse, France will summarize current knowledge on HCV
       infections, especially in immunocompromised patients.

       Additionally, Paul Holder, MSc, clinical scientist at
       University College Dublin, will present data on the
       ARCHITECT HCV antigen assay, and its ability to detect
       cases missed by HCV-antibody tests alone. In Ireland, HCV
       Ag testing has recently been added to the set of markers
       used to test patients requiring regular hemodialysis and
       other high-risk groups to prevent infections in the
       antibody negative diagnostic window. Moreover, the assay is
       used to confirm an active disease in HCV antibody positive
       samples and can help to reduce costs for other confirmatory
       assays such as immunoblot assays.

    -- Automation and Workflow Improvement To Ensure Your Lab's
       Efficiency,

       May 17, 16:45 to 17:45 h, Hall 7

       Matthias Orth, M.D., Marienhospital, Stuttgart, will provide
       an overview of the workflow and cost benefits of automated
       immunoassay systems. Mats Nybo, M.D. will discuss the
       implementation and adoption Abbott's Total Laboratory
       Automation System and how it increased efficiency and
       helped to deliver improvements and productivity for Odense
       Universiteshospital in Denmark.

    -- Vitamin D and B12: Immunoassays in Preventative Medicine,

       May 18, 13:00 to 14:00 h, Hall 7

       Etienne Cavalier, Ph.D., University Hospital of Liege,
       Belgium, will review data on the performance of Abbott's
       ARCHITECT 25-OH Vitamin D Assay. The benefits of the Abbott
       test will be compared with other vitamin D test methods.
       Wolfgang Herrmann, M.D., Ph.D., Saarland University,
       Germany, will report data showing that a specific test for
       the biologically active form of B12 may provide earlier
       detection of individuals at risk for B12 deficiency.

    Abbott will also participate in an IFCC-sponsored workshop hosted
    by IFCC President Graham Beastall, Ph.D. about the value of
    laboratories and best practices.

    -- Adding Value to the Laboratory (IFCC-sponsored):

       May 19, 13:00-14:00 h, Hall 8

       Sarah Jarvis, principal Clinical Biochemist at Wishaw
       General Hospital in NHS Lanarkshire, U.K., will host a
       discussion of best practices from the U.K. and highlight
       activities from National Pathology Week which promote the
       importance of laboratory professionals to the healthcare
       community. Dr. Graham Beastall, Ph.D. president of IFCC,
       will present on good practices among laboratories and the
       importance of lab professionals engaging with other health
       care practitioners to improve patient care.

About Abbott Diagnostics

Abbott is a global leader in in vitro diagnostics and offers a broad range of innovative instrument systems and tests for hospitals, reference labs, molecular labs, blood banks, physician offices and clinics. With more than 69,000 customers in more than 100 countries, Abbott's diagnostic products offer customers automation, convenience, bedside testing, cost effectiveness and flexibility. Abbott has helped transform the practice of medical diagnosis from an art to a science through the company's commitment to improving patient care and lowering costs.

About Abbott

Abbott is a global, broad-based health care company devoted to the discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of pharmaceuticals and medical products, including nutritionals, devices and diagnostics. The company employs nearly 90,000 people and markets its products in more than 130 countries.

Abbott's news releases and other information are available on the company's Web site at http://www.abbott.com.