With the support of the national program on measurements, standards, and evaluation of quantum technologies MetriQs-France, a part of the French national quantum strategy, the BACQ project is dedicated to application-oriented benchmarks for quantum computing. The consortium gathering THALES, EVIDEN, an Atos business, CEA, CNRS, TERATEC, and LNE aims at establishing performance evaluation criteria of reference, meaningful for industry users.
The Joint Committee for Traceability in Laboratory Medicine (JCTLM) supports worldwide equivalence and comparability of measurement results in laboratory medicine to improve health care and facilitate national and international trade in in vitro diagnostic (IVD) medical devices. The 2025 biennial members and stakeholders' workshop focused on the expectations and benefits of harmonized results among medical laboratories, as well as the challenges associated with achieving this goal. Harmonization of results from end-user IVD measurement procedures (IVD-MPs) can be achieved by applying the principles of metrological traceability; however, there are several historical examples of standardization efforts that did not achieve the required level of harmonization. The reasons for these failures can be found in various elements of the calibration hierarchy including: a) an unclear definition of the measurand, b) differences in selectivity of the IVD-MPs, c) issues with the commutability characteristics of secondary certified reference materials (CRM), d) inconsistencies in handling of CRMs to prepare calibrators, and e) lack of adoption and implementation by the IVD manufacturers. The lack of harmonized results can lead to confusion, treatment delays, errors in medical decisions, and increased healthcare costs. There are still assays in common use that lack metrological traceability because they lack CRMs, reference method procedures (RMPs), and/or reference method services (RMSs). Producing and maintaining reference measurement system components is complex and expensive. There are multiple regulatory frameworks and requirements that IVD manufacturers must meet worldwide. There is a vital role for External Quality Assessment (EQA) providers to assess the agreement status of results across different IVD-MPs and identify any changes in their equivalence. However, EQA materials must be commutable with clinical samples for each of the examined IVD-MDs for results to reflect the status of harmonization of clinical sample results. The future will need leadership and cooperation between bodies such as JCTLM, the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (IFCC), and IVD manufacturers.
A paradigm shift in achieving (sub-)Kelvin environments is currently underway with the democratization of cryogen-free cryocoolers. This transition is driven by their user-friendly, continuous operation and the elimination of liquid helium, which is becoming increasingly scarce and expensive. Thanks to their large sample space and high cooling power, these systems can host superconducting magnets, making them an ideal platform for quantum technologies, materials science, low-temperature detectors, and even medical applications. The drawback is that this type of system is inherently based on gas compression that induces a certain level of vibrations and electromagnetic perturbations, which can potentially prevent the determination of low amplitude signals or spoil their stability. In this paper, we demonstrate that pulse-tube based cryocoolers can be used for electrical precision measurements under a high magnetic field, using a commercial cryomagnetic system combined with a customized coaxial cryoprobe. A parts-per-billion level of measurement uncertainty in resistance determination, based on the quantum Hall resistance standard, is achievable, matching the state-of-the-art involving conventional cryostats based on liquid helium. We performed an extensive characterization of the cryomagnetic system to determine the levels of vibrations and electromagnetic perturbations, revealing the drastic effect of the magnetic field on the electromagnetic noise level. While interferences can occur in some measurements, others appear immune to the perturbations, meaning that the cryogen-free system is not inherently a source of disturbance. The set of characterization measurements presented here is easily implementable in laboratories, which can help to determine the vibrations and electromagnetic pollution generated by any cryocooler.
The use of iron oxide nanoparticles as contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) poses key questions regarding accurate determination of particle size and chemical composition within micro-heterogeneous systems. Here we present the first systematic study on homogeneity for particle size and chemical composition on the nanoparticle-based MRI contrast agent FeraSpin™ R, combining complementary analytical tools across a multidisciplinary consortium, clustered around the EURAMET project MetrINo. Our results indicate that, depending on the target measurand, sizing methods can provide consistent values for the particle colloidal diameter and for the size of the particle core, independently of the effective volume of the sample probed. Conversely, the evaluation of homogeneity for chemical composition depends on the length-scale of the sampling, in agreement with Benedetti-Pichler description of multicomponent systems. This case study highlights the importance of measurement length-scale for comparison and integration of data from complementary analytical methods, opening new avenues for standardization to support regulatory positioning of emerging nanomedicines.
In ultrapure water production, maintaining low Total Organic Carbon (TOC) levels (below 5 & micro;g/L of carbon (& micro;g/ L-C)) is essential. For high TOC levels, calibration typically involves standard solutions. However, for low TOC levels, standards cannot be used due to susceptibility of aqueous samples to trace-level contamination and adsorption artefacts and offline measurement challenges. Therefore, best practices recommend using TOC analyzers as reference instruments in a dedicated setup to calibrate within a selected range (up to 300 & micro;g/L-C). To evaluate the performance of TOC analyzers in Milli-Q (R) products, extensive measurements using a selection of TOC analyzers were undertaken. The results emphasized the importance of repeatability and bias for optimal performance and led to the development of a procedure for selecting TOC analyzers as future reference instruments. The procedure involved: 1) selecting a pool of potential reference TOC analyzers using the 90-th percentile of the deviations; 2) identifying the best-performing TOC analyzers based on precision and bias criteria; 3) characterizing TOC values linearity over the range 0-1000 & micro;g/L-C and 4) verifying recovery with 500 & micro;g/L-C solutions of sucrose and 1,4-benzoquinone. The ability to select between 6 to over 20 TOC analyzers with fit for purpose performance was demonstrated and their long-term stability over 6 months in routine operating mode was evaluated. The novel procedure was then applied, and the interoperability of reference TOC instruments was confirmed. This proposed methodology was found to be suitable for low TOC levels and could be applied to other measurements lacking metrological reference instruments or standard solutions.
