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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The Scientist’s Top 10 Scientific Innovations for 2014 Offer Powerful New Research Tools to Advance Diagnostics and Possibly Find Uses in Clinical Laboratories

Many of these new technologies could help pathologists develop new diagnostic tests and offer medical laboratories opportunities to expand their services

Pathologists and clinical laboratory scientists tracking the hottest new diagnostic technologies may be in interested in the 2014 list of “Top Ten Innovations” recently published by The Scientist.

This is a competition and each year The Scientist has a panel of five experts in life sciences review the entries. Among this year’s Top Ten Innovations are promising diagnostic tools and new technologies with the potential to disrupt the current state of healthcare. In the near future, most of these technologies will be used by researchers to better understand the underlying, genetic cause of diseases and advance new treatments. However, some of these innovative technologies have already been adopted for clinical use. Others are probably several years away from becoming the basis for new medical laboratory tests.

Here is a short overview of The Scientist magazine’s list of “Top Ten Innovations for 2014.” (more…)

Researchers at Livermore National Laboratory Develop Microbial Detection Array Capable of Detecting Thousands of Known and Unknown Pathogens in a Single Rapid Test

Developed to detect pathogens missed in wounds of soldiers, this technology was licensed to a company for development into a test for use by clinical laboratories

Diagnostic technology developed for rapid detection of pathogens in the wounds of soldiers has been licensed to a private company that intends to use it to create new medical laboratory tests. This new technology is capable of identifying thousands of bacteria and viruses in a single test.

Scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory developed what is called the Lawrence Livermore Microbial Detection Array (LLMDA). Within 24 hours, this single test can detect multiple viruses and bacteria. The LLMDA technology has been licensed to St. Louis, Missouri-based MOgene LC, a supplier of DNA microarrays, according to a report published by UC Health. (more…)

Digital PCR Poised to Give Traditional Real-Time PCR a Run for Its Money in Gene Sequencing and Development of New Medical Laboratory Tests

Adoption of digital PCR is slow at this time, but pathologists may want to track how researchers use this technology in the new clinical laboratory assays they use

Molecular pathologists will be interested to learn that there is a new contender in the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) arena. It is digital PCR, and it has specific advantages over traditional real-time PCR methods.

For example, digital PCR can target specific DNA sequences in just one molecule of DNA. This new tool allows researchers to isolate rare genetic mutations too difficult to segregate with real-time PCR, noted a report from Insight Pharma Reports. (more…)

British Teen Builds DNA Testing Analyzer in His Bedroom, Wins Award as UK Young Engineer of 2013

PCR testing moves out of the clinical pathology laboratory and into a teen-aged boy’s bedroom laboratory

In a demonstration of how evolving technologies make it easier and cheaper to operate clinical laboratories, a teen-age boy in Yorkshire, England, has built his own DNA analyzer and identified the gene mutation that gives his brother red hair.

That demonstration allowed Fred Turner, age 17, to silence the endless teasing from friends about how he and his red-haired brother, Gus, probably had different fathers. It also won for Fred the award of “UK Young Engineer of the Year 2013.” (more…)

‘Medical Laboratory Without Walls’ Takes Molecular Diagnostics Testing to Remote Places Down Under

Taking molecular biology into the field is a big step forward in moving molecular diagnostics to the gold standard of microbiology laboratory testing

An Australian pathologist is pioneering a new approach for showcasing the role of pathology and demonstrating the dramatic potential of mobile medical laboratories. His technique: take a molecular diagnostics laboratory on the road—in a suitcase!

High-tech Molecular Pathology Lab Goes Mobile

The concept is a portable molecular microbiology lab, consisting of a series of modules. Timothy Inglis, B.M., D.M., Ph.D., Clinical Microbiology Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia (RCPA) and fellow scientist, Adam J. Merritt, are demonstrating high-tech clinical laboratory equipment in a fully mobile laboratory expedition. Both are employees of PathWest Laboratory Medicine W.A.. A recent story published at virtualmedicalcentre.com reported on the program. (more…)

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