Tasks
We develop and investigate optically supported quantitative measurement and imaging methods for medical diagnostics and therapy control, mostly in collaboration with clinical partners. The focus of activities of the working group 8.31 is on optical spectroscopy and imaging for non-invasive quantitative determination of important biomarkers (e.g. hemoglobin concentration, oxygen saturation) in tissue in vivo as well as for the visualization of disease-related molecular changes by means of fluorescence-labeled probes. In addition, microscopic imaging techniques are developed and studied for the characterization and differentiation of single biological cells in flow. In working group 8.32, flow cytometric and microscopic measurement methods for cells and quantification of other particles (e.g. viruses such as HIV, or bacteria) are investigated for metrology in laboratory diagnostics. Working group 8.33 applies measurement methods for molecular detection of pathogens and genetic tumor markers. The measurand is the concentration of viruses or bacteria (e.g. SARS-CoV-2, MRSA). Digital PCR is mostly applied for this purpose. One aim is the development of reference measurement methods as well as the determination of reference measurement values for cells and pathogens for external quality assurance schemes that are legally required for medical laboratories.
The Nucleic Acid Working Group (NAWG) of the CCQM organised an international interlaboratory study called "fire drill". The aim of this pilot study is to prepare national metrology institutes for the next pandemic. This builds capacity for rapid development of standardised reference methods. The model chosen for this study is an influenza virus. The aim is to develop a reference method for...
