News, Analysis, Trends, Management Innovations for
Clinical Laboratories and Pathology Groups

Hosted by Robert Michel

News, Analysis, Trends, Management Innovations for
Clinical Laboratories and Pathology Groups

Hosted by Robert Michel
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Major Biobanking Center Planned for Kannapolis, North Carolina, in Tandem with a Multi-Decade Study of the Role of Genetics in Chronic Disease

Pathologists and clinical laboratory scientists may see this research initiative—dubbed the MURDOCK Study—produce knowledge that results in new diagnostic medical lab tests

Can molecular biomarkers do for a North Carolina town what silicon chips did for California’s Silicon Valley? At least one city in the Tar Heel State hopes that it can develop into a major hub for research, development, and the commercialization of molecular science and next-generation gene sequencing.

The unlikely contender pursuing this goal is the city of Kannapolis. With a population of 43,000 and located about 25 miles northwest of Charlotte, the city fathers of Kannopolis appear to be positioning the community as an up-and-coming global center for biobanking. (more…)

Sonic Healthcare Limited Selected to Provide $3-Billion in Medical Lab Services to Edmonton and Parts of Central and Northern Alberta

Other clinical laboratory organizations responding to the RFP were Laboratory Corporation of America, Quest Diagnostics Incorporated, and Mayo Clinic

Last Friday, Alberta Health Services (AHS) in Edmonton, Alberta, announced that Sonic Healthcare Limited (SHL.AX), of Sydney, Australia, has been selected as the medical laboratory testing provider to serve Edmonton and parts of central and northern Alberta. This agreement is worth $3 billion Canadian over 15 years and is believed to be the world’s biggest clinical laboratory testing contract currently out for bid.

Competition for this clinical laboratory testing contract was intense. Last April, four organizations were identified as having submitted responses to Alberta Health Service’s (AHS) request for proposals (RFP). They were: (more…)

LabCorp to Buy MEDTOX Scientific, Inc., for $241 Million

More consolidation in the clinical laboratory and pathology testing industry

It was announced yesterday that MEDTOX Scientific, Inc. (NASDAQ:MTOX), of New Brighton, Minnesota, will be acquired by Laboratory Corporation of America (NYSE:LH) of Burlington, North Carolina. The purchase price is approximately $241 million and represents a 37% premium over Medtox’s closing price of $19.70 on Friday, June 1.

Significantly, LabCorp’s purchase of MEDTOX removes one more independent laboratory company from the market. This continues the trend of medical laboratory consolidation that has marked the lab testing industry for the past 25 years. (more…)

MountainStar–PAML Lab Joint Venture Doubles in Size in 24 Months

Hospital/commercial lab JV finds success in competitive Salt Lake City market

DATELINE: SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH—Since its formation less than two years ago, MountainStar Clinical Laboratories, LLC, has more than doubled in size. This unique laboratory outreach joint venture is a partnership between MountainStar Healthcare and Pathology Associates Medical Laboratories (PAML).

To learn more about this fast-growing joint venture, last week, Dark Daily traveled to Salt Lake City to visit MountainStar Clinical Laboratories, LLC . First, some background about this partnership.

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James Peter, M.D., Ph.D., Founder of Specialty Laboratories, Dies of Cancer

Peter Built His Company into a Major National Esoteric Laboratory

One of laboratory medicine’s most successful scientist-entrepreneurs died last Friday, October 30, 2009. James B. Peter M.D., Ph.D., Founder of Specialty Laboratories, Inc., died in his home in Santa Monica, California of complications from cancer. He was 76 years old.

A native of Omaha, Nebraska, it was 1958 when Peter earned his M.D. from St. Louis University. He then went to the University of Minnesota where he earned a Ph.D. in Biochemistry in 1963. It was here that he worked with Professor Paul D. Boyer, Ph.D., a laureate for the 1997 Nobel Prize in chemistry. Peter also worked with Boyer at UCLA. At UCLA, Peter served as Professor, Clinical Professor, and College of Letters and Sciences Advisory Board Member. He had a strong interest in clinical chemistry and immunology.

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