OGT

It’s here! We can hardly contain our ox-citement as the OxTrail has officially begun. From 6th July until 29th August, discover 138 large and mini Ox sculptures on display throughout Oxfordshire. Take part in the trail by downloading the app or picking up a map!

We are honoured to reveal our sponsored Ox is ‘RobOx’, who will be located at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre. The artist, Morgan, is very interested in technology and wanted to create a cyborg, starting as mechanical from the ground but then following the sinews of the muscles and swells of the body: engineering with organic influence.

Find out about RobOx here; https://oxtrail2024.co.uk/sculptures/RobOx/

Are you ready to join the herd? 🐂 🤖

At OGT, we’re committed to furthering the understanding of haematological malignancies and our bi-monthly quizzes are a great way to keep your knowledge sharp!

This month the focus is on Multiple Myeloma (MM), a type of cancer that affects white blood cells called plasma cells, which are responsible for producing antibodies to help fight infection. If these plasma cells become cancerous and grow out of control, forming tumours in the bone, this can lead to symptoms such as bone pain, weakness, fatigue, frequent infections and bone fractures.

Ready to put your MM knowledge to the test? Try our quiz: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FXNXX9X

The countdown is on! It’s only 10 days until you will be able to come and visit our Ox on the OxTrail for yourselves. We are so excited for the big reveal, but in the meantime, here is a little sneak peek of what our Ox will look like. 🐄

Find out more here: https://oxtrail2024.co.uk/events/oxtrail-begins/

We are sad to say goodbye to Cowley from 😢

Over the past few weeks, Cowley has been an incredible help within our lab. We’ve enjoyed having you here, Cowley, and we wish you the best of luck on your next adventure! 🐄✨

And thank you Sobell House for loaning him to us.

This week, Cowley from has been getting his hooves around the lab equipment. 🧪🔬

From sequencing DNA to pipetting samples, Cowley is proving to be a fast learner and has contributed ox-tensively to our latest NGS experiments.

OGT would like to voice our support for .

We know that the fight for everyone’s right to be seen for who they are and to be treated equally still has a long way to go.

At OGT we strive to create a company culture that is inclusive and shows support to everyone. Not only do we believe this is simply the right thing to do, we also believe it creates an atmosphere in which employees can flourish and feel empowered.

This week, we came together to raise awareness for Mental Health Awareness week in both our Cambridge and Oxford offices. We had tea and cake to pause and create open conversations, a reminder to extend kindness to others and ourselves.

We also raised money for MIND; a mental health charity which gives support and advice face-to-face, the end of the phone or online.

Click here for more information; https://www.mind.org.uk/get-involved/mental-health-awareness-week/

We are Ox-cited to announce, in partnership with Oxford Technology Park, we’re sponsoring an ox for .

For eight weeks, Oxford’s streets will home over 30 beautiful ox sculptures for a fun and free art trail. Once over, the oxen will be auctioned off to raise funds for Sobell House Hospice.

Sobell House provides vital palliative care, support for families and education on end-of-life issues. We’re proud to support their dedication to compassionate care in our community, looking after around 3,000 families per year and 500 patients at any one time.

Each commissioned ox represents parts of Oxfordshire’s culture, and we can’t wait to show you ours! Last week a VIP from Sobell House, known by the name of Oxley, visited our Oxford R&D lab to give us an update on how our ox is progressing!

Ready to join the herd? Watch this space...

For more information, visit https://oxtrail2024.co.uk/ and be part of this ox-traordinary journey!

At OGT, we’re committed to furthering the understanding of haematological malignancies and our bi-monthly haematological cancer quizzes are a great way to keep your knowledge sharp!

This month the focus is on Acute Lymphocytic Leukaemia (ALL), a rapidly progressing cancer of the blood and bone marrow characterised by the overproduction of immature white blood cells.

Ready to put your ALL knowledge to the test? Try our quiz: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/67X8TSB

We are excited to be attending the AACR Annual Meeting in San Diego, CA this week! Visit us at booth #1354 where our experts will be around for a chat about our full range of NGS myeloid malignancy solutions. Also, be sure to ask about our SureSeq™ Myeloid MRD Panel which harnesses our SureSeq hybridization-based approach for: enhanced detection of mutations & complex structural variants, better coverage uniformity and clearer genetic profile of your sample.

We can’t wait to see you there!

This March is multiple myeloma awareness month. Patients with multiple myeloma have more treatment options and better survival rates today than ever before , thanks to cancer research and awareness towards improving patients’ everyday wellbeing. That’s why at OGT, we think it’s important to know the signs and symptoms of multiple myeloma, take our quiz to test your knowledge.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/M8978XW

Spring has arrived, flowers are blooming 🌷, and the latest edition of DNA Dispatch is here! Check it out now: https://www.ogt.com/resources/dna-dispatch/dna-dispatch-march-2024/

Our spring edition includes:

· Exciting news about our shiny new state-of-the-art facility in Oxford
· A new milestone for our CytoCell myProbes® custom FISH probe service, with over 5,000 projects now delivered to customers all over the world
· A thought-provoking presentation by our esteemed speaker Prof. Dr. med. Klaus H. Metzeler, MD, from the University of Leipzig, about his experience utilising our SureSeq™ Myeloid MRD Panel

We're back with more array advice for your lab! Discover the latest troubleshooting tip from our array experts.

Find out how to identify and resolve the problem of high A260/280 values during array DNA sample QC: https://www.ogt.com/resources/array-resources-support/array-tips-troubleshooting/what-s-wrong-with-my-arrays/

British Science Week is taking place from the 8th to the 17th March. We’d like to highlight this year’s theme by celebrating the diversity of people and careers in science and engineering!

Find out more about British Science Week’s campaign here: http://bsa.sc/smashing-stereotypes

It's the beginning of the work week! All of us at OGT send you a big FISHy smile to thank you for the amazing work you do to reach the right decisions for each patient, every time.

It’s that time again - let’s go FISHing for another troubleshooting tip! Find out how to identify and resolve the problem of under-denaturation: https://www.ogt.com/resources/fish-resources-support/fish-tips-troubleshooting/what-s-wrong-with-my-haematology-fish/

Here at OGT, we want to celebrate International Day of Women and Girls in Science! 🔬

Our support for the women in our company isn’t just limited to a day! Click here to hear from just a few of the women from OGT that are thriving in their scientific careers; https://www.ogt.com/about-us/ogt-blog/celebrating-the-women-of-ogt/

Last week OGT expert Dan Leigh supported our Sysmex colleagues at the Medlab Middle East conference at the Dubai World Trade Centre in Dubai, UAE 🇦🇪.

A productive couple of days, we enjoyed attending!

We are proud to announce the opening of our new state-of-the-art facilities within the Oxford Technology Park! 🥳

The move represents a multi-million-pound investment, fuelled by consistent company growth and growing customer demand. Learn more: https://www.ogt.com/about-us/news/ogt-expands-ngs-operations-to-state-of-the-art-facility-in-oxford-technology-park/

This World Cancer Day’s theme of ‘Close the Care Gap’ is about raising our voices to engage our leaders to eliminate health inequities by addressing their root causes. Ensuring that everyone has access to high-quality health services when, where and how they need them.

At OGT we believe that access to life-saving cancer diagnosis, treatment and care should be equitable for all regardless of where you live, what your income, your ethnicity or gender.

Find out more here: https://worldcancerday.org/

At our latest UK CytoCell® FISH user group meeting our customers shared some fin-tastic FISH protocol tips (excuse the pun!). Below you can find some of the best ones.

For more FISH tips from our OGT experts please visit the FISH tips and troubleshooting section of our website: https://www.ogt.com/resources/fish-resources-support/fish-tips-troubleshooting/

We’re here at the Festival of Genomics & Biodata, ExCel London! 🔬 Find us at booth #28 and speak to our NGS and FISH experts Alex and Chris to find out more about our SureSeq™ MRD and Fusion panels (coming soon!). We’re also excited to be able to talk about our partnership with ASI and how their digital pathology platform is fully compatible with CytoCell® FISH probes.

See you there!

No more stress, here’s another troubleshooting tip for your NGS! Find out how to identify and resolve the problem of low on-target coverage: https://www.ogt.com/resources/ngs-resources-support/ngs-tips-troubleshooting/what-s-wrong-with-my-ngs/

Our latest blog series “Old biomarkers, new tricks” continues with Leila Luheshi, VP Pharma Partnering, highlighting the ongoing efforts to bring BCL-2 inhibitors to the forefront in t(11:14) translocation cases of multiple myeloma, and how FISH probes can support clinical investigations.

Read Part 2 of this series here: https://www.ogt.com/about-us/ogt-blog/ogt-s-insights-from-ash-2023-part-2-old-biomarkers-new-tricks/

Missed Part 1?
Catch up here: https://www.ogt.com/about-us/ogt-blog/ogt-s-insights-from-ash-2023-part-1-old-biomarkers-new-tricks/

We're looking forward to next week where we will be in London for the Festival of Genomics!
Meet Alex and Chris, our FISH and NGS experts, on booth #28

We are also excited to talk about our partnership with ASI! One of the leading providers of a unique digital pathology platform, fully compatible with our CytoCell FISH probes ensuring you have diagnostic confidence in your results at a reduced cost.

Can’t wait to see you there!

Didn’t get a chance to talk to us at ? Read the first part of our latest blog series “Old biomarkers, new tricks” which discusses our insights from the December meeting!

Leila Luhesi, VP Pharma Partnering, describes the potential of menin inhibitors for acute leukaemia, including the use of IVDR approved FISH probes in clinical trials.

Read Part 1 of this series here: https://www.ogt.com/about-us/ogt-blog/ogt-s-insights-from-ash-2023-part-1-old-biomarkers-new-tricks/

FISH health checks with our OGT experts are becoming increasingly popular. Here’s a few reasons why it might be useful for your lab to have one…

- Your protocols could need updating
- Your equipment may be sub-optimal
- You’d like help and support to train new staff
- You are interested in support for specific projects

Do any of the above apply to your lab?

If yes, why not request a FISH health check today by sending a request to our support team here: https://www.ogt.com/contact/contact-support/

From all of us at OGT, it has been a privilege to partner with you this year. We would like to thank you for your loyalty and we look forward to continuing to work together in 2024.

It’s back, just in time for the holiday season! The latest edition of DNA Dispatch has arrived: https://www.ogt.com/resources/dna-dispatch/dna-dispatch-december-2023/

Our winter edition includes:
• A thought-provoking presentation from AMP 2023 by our esteemed speaker, Dr. Klaus Metzeler, MD, about his experience utilising our SureSeq™ Myeloid MRD Panel
• A hot-off-the-press announcement about the latest three CytoCell® FISH probes to achieve IVDR certification
• A new scientific poster from our NGS experts on targeted CNV NGS detection in CLL