Apr 6, 2010 | Instruments & Equipment, Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology
Cherry Blossom Symposium attracts pathologists from across the globe
Many of the world’s most innovative pathologists and experts in clinical laboratory automation are about to gather in Yokohama, Japan, for the 7th International of Conference of Clinical Laboratory Automation and Robotics —also known as the Cherry Blossom Symposium. The conference will take place on April 16-17, 2010.
In the United States, few clinical laboratory professionals and pathologists are aware that the Cherry Blossom Symposium takes place every other year in Japan. Yet, since its inception in 1998, it has been a “must-attend” event for North American laboratory automation innovators. Such well-known clinical laboratory automation experts as Charles Hawker, Ph.D., of ARUP Laboratories; Rodney Markin, M.D., Ph.D., of University of Nebraska Medical Center; and Robin Felder, Ph.D., of University of Virginia, make a point to participate at every Cherry Blossom Symposium.
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Mar 29, 2010 | Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology
Multi-marker pathology cancer tests likely to be developed from this research
Pathologists and other clinical laboratory scientists can expect to see a number of multi-biomarker genetic tests for cancer as a result of research that is identifying specific gene abnormalities that are common to certain cancers and promote the growth of these cancers. Variations in these mutations make a difference in the effectiveness of certain treatments.
With the aid of recent advances in genomic mapping technology, an international team led by researchers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Broad Institute have found that many of these aberrations in the genetic code are shared by a variety of cancers occurring in many different types of tissues. The study appears in the February 18 issue of Nature.
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Mar 22, 2010 | Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology, News From Dark Daily
Some clinical labs use new pathology lab test technologies to deliver added value to physicians, patients, and payers
Clinical pathology laboratories in the United States and other developed countries across the globe face an unprecedented double-whammy. On one hand, the ongoing explosion of genetic and molecular knowledge gives pathologists and clinical laboratories incredible new tools for diagnosing disease and guiding therapy.
On the other hand, funding for government health programs in the United States and other developed countries is failing to keep pace with demand for health services and the need to pay for all the sophisticated molecular diagnostics and complex therapies now coming to market.
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Mar 10, 2010 | Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology
Appropriate use of clinical pathology laboratory tests to detect and treat cancer will be a scorecard factor
One primary goal of pay-for-performance programs is to reduce or eliminate the variability of care that physicians provide to their patients. Getting physicians to follow the recommended care protocols 100% of the time with 100% of their patients would contribute to improved outcomes, while reducing overall healthcare costs.
Pathologists and clinical laboratory professionals are well positioned to see this variability in care, since they regularly handle the laboratory test requests from client physicians. Over time, they can recognize the good and bad practice patterns of individual doctors, since it is reflected in both the lab test orders and the laboratory test results for that doctor’s patients.
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Mar 5, 2010 | Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology
After Laboratory Tests are Conducted, Newborn Screening Cards are Saved for Research
For decades, pathologists and clinical laboratory scientists have been part of a seemingly innocuous public health practice begun in the 1960s: newborn blood testing. Now, because of recent advances in genetic tests and molecular diagnostics, growing numbers of parents are concerned about how the government handles the DNA of their newborn babies.
Laboratories and clinical data warehouse facilities across the nation are in possession of millions of cards, each which carries spots of heel-prick blood taken from a newborn baby. These cards contain the samples used to perform laboratory tests required by law to screen newborn infants for a number of devastating genetic diseases. This screening identifies about 5,000 babies each year that require early treatment appropriate to their condition to minimize or prevent damage or even death.
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