Organised by BioDot, a market leader in the manufacturing of today’s most advanced diagnostics, the three-day conference featured speakers and workshops covering the latest technical developments in lateral flow testing.  

The biannual event was held at the college due to WCUC’s specialism in the area of lateral flow testing, including research projects being undertaken at its Agri-Tech Research Centre, based at Pershore College, into creating lateral flow tests for the early diagnosis of pests and diseases in crops. 

The research looks at how the tests can be used to detect pathogens and enable growers to intervene earlier and save crops from being wasted as a result of spoilage. 

Professor Roy Kennedy, of WCUC, was also a speaker at the 2018 BioDot event, held in Spain. 

He said: “It was fantastic to host this year’s BioDot conference and welcome international industry experts to WCUC. 

“The conference has been running for around 20 years, so is a well-established event which demonstrates our presence in this technical area. 

“We at WCUC are interested in lateral flow testing from an agricultural point of view and we have ongoing research contracts in this area which are looking to reduce the impact of deadly plant diseases. 

“It was therefore excellent to hear more about the new technical developments in the area which may impact some of our research and also gave us an insight into the wider field.” 

Roy added: “The event also demonstrates WCUC’s ability to host large-scale technical events held over a number of days featuring a variety of speakers and practical sessions. 

“We would like to thank all of those in attendance as well as the event organisers and sponsors.” 

Further information about the Agri-Tech Research Centre is available at https://wcg.ac.uk/page/486/agri-tech 

Pictured: WCUC’s Agri-Tech Research Centre, based at Pershore College.