Apr 6, 2011 | Digital Pathology, Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology
Goal is to map genetic, transcriptomic, and epigenomic changes in various cancer types
Surgical pathologists are likely to gain great benefit from a worldwide research collaboration that has $500 million in funding, and whose participants plan to identify and publish data about the genetic complexities involved in at least 50 different types of tumors. It is a research project that will directly contribute to the development of new and more precise clinical laboratory tests.
This research is being conducted by geneticists from around the globe. They are collaborating to describe the genomic, the transcriptomic, and the epigenomic changes in 50 tumor types. Expectations are that this research will produce an unprecedented leap in knowledge and launch a new age in cancer research.
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Aug 20, 2010 | Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology
Clinical pathology laboratories often find it difficult to get accurate information about various molecular and genetic assays
Because of advances in automated molecular systems and less complex technologies, it is now possible for more clinical pathology laboratories in community hospitals to establish their own molecular diagnostics testing program. This is particularly true of testing for infectious disease and cancer.
At the same time that local pathology and clinical laboratories have this opportunity to provide useful new molecular and genetic tests to physicians in their community, questions often remain about how to assess the clinical value of performing a molecular diagnostic test versus the cost of performing that assay. Adequate reimbursement is another equally important part of the decision to offer a new molecular or genetic test.
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Mar 24, 2010 | Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology
OncoPet Diagnostics hopes to create revenue stream while testing human RECAF technology
Genetic cancer testing for dogs is now available. A clinical pathology laboratory in Canada performs the tests on specimens referred by veterinarians. The molecular diagnostics test for dogs uses a blood specimen and can detect 85% of canine cancers. Pre-market studies showed the standard 95% specificity level.
Owners of the 72 million pet dogs in the United States are often as anguished over possible cancer in their dogs as they would be over the possibility of cancer in a human loved one. That is why OncoPet Diagnostics of Richmond, British Columbia, believes the availability of a cheap ($40) cancer test will be welcome news. According to some surveys, about half of dog owners view their pets as members of the family.
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Mar 8, 2010 | Digital Pathology, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology
CRO Company Adds Anatomic Pathology Testing Services to Serve China’s Pharma and Biotech Industries
Quintiles announced that its Beijing medical laboratory will offer an enhanced menu of anatomic pathology testing services to the Chinese biopharmaceutical industry. With this action, global CRO (clinical research organization) giant Quintiles is responding to the increasing sophistication of the pharmaceutical industry in the world’s most populous country.
Quintiles says the new service will help biopharma firms develop more effective cancer treatments. The lab also offers pathology assay development, digital pathology, and core lab test offerings that help customers comply with China’s restrictions on tissue import/export.
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Dec 4, 2009 | Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology
Nano-technology Breakthrough May Prevent Cancers from Metastasizing
With the goal of removing tumor cells from the bloodstream, a biomedical engineering team at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) in Little Rock has discovered a non-invasive way to identify cancer and to capture tumor cells in the bloodstream. This landmark discovery, could dramatically improve early cancer diagnosis and prevent deadly metastasis. It could also provide a framework for a new type of diagnostic test that could detect metastatic cancer from a blood sample.
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