New $52 Million Biosafety Level 3 Laboratory to Be Constructed in Dallas County, Texas

Level 3 bio labs handle Ebola, smallpox and other deadly diseases, and may play a role in research into the human genome Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a concerted effort to improve public health laboratories and increase the growth of bioresearch. Clinical laboratories across the country are required by law to send specimens of certain infectious diseases to public health labs for testing and analysis. The results of those tests are then reported to the federal Centers for Disease...

Media Reporting Shows Some Clinical Laboratories Charge Significantly Higher than Average Prices for COVID-19 Tests—and It Is Perfectly Legal

When people receive COVID-19 testing at an out-of-network facility, federal law requires insurers to pay that clinical laboratory’s posted ‘cash price’ when negotiated prices have not previously been established In the latest example that some COVID-19 testing companies are charging significantly higher prices than others, The New York Times (NYT) recently reported that one COVID lab company with “more than a dozen testing sites” throughout the US was charging $380 for a COVID-19 rapid test...

COVID-19 Pandemic Tied to Historically Low Influenza Cases, Leading to Uncertainty about Next Winter’s Flu Vaccine

Clinical laboratories may see increase in flu and COVID-19 specimen processing as people return to pre-pandemic social behaviors, experts predict While SARS-CoV-2 infections continue to ravage many parts of the world, influenza (flu) cases in North America have hit a historic low. As winter approached last year, infectious disease experts warned of a “twindemic” in which the COVID-19 outbreak would combine with seasonal influenza to overwhelm the healthcare system. But this did not happen, and...

Clinical Trials Find Success with Use of Next-Generation Gene Sequencing; Could Lead to More Precise Clinical Pathology Laboratory Tests

Pathologists and medical lab scientists may do more consults with interdisciplinary teams in connection with biomarker-based phase I clinical trial selection Scientists are beginning to incorporate next-generation gene sequencing into a growing number of clinical trials. This is an important development because knowledge developed in clinical trials often forms the foundation for the evidence-based medicine guidelines issued following a successful clinical trial. Further, these new uses for...

Mobile DNA Testing Van Cruises New York City Streets and Asks “Who’s Your Daddy?”

Mobile testing truck makes DNA testing approachable and accessible to the community while competing with established clinical laboratories You may have seen recent news coverage of a van cruising the streets of New York City that was offering on-the-spot DNA testing with signs plastered on sides reading “Who’s Your Daddy”—“DNA Testing.” Certainlyany passing pathologist or clinical chemist might do a double take. According to abc News coverage of the story, passersby can hail the 28-foot...
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