New Insights into Genetic Mechanisms Common to Humans and Simpler Species May Form the Basis for New Diagnostic Tests Performed by Clinical Pathology Laboratories

Scientists participating in the modENCORE study have the goal of understanding the causes of hereditary genetic diseases in humans

New discoveries about the interaction of genes and transcription factors in creating different types of RNA will be of interest to pathologists and clinical chemists performing genetic tests and molecular diagnostic assays in their medical laboratories.

The goal of this research is to better understand hereditary genetic disease in humans. The new knowledge is based on studies of the common fruit fly, or Drosophila melanogaster (D. Melanogaster), and to a lesser extent a tiny worm Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans). Both have been used as research models to study the human condition.

Research Could Give Pathologists New Diagnostic Tools (more…)

Researchers Produce First Map of Human Proteome, Generating Promise for Developing Novel Medical Laboratory Tests and New Therapeutics

The human proteome map provides a catalog of proteins expressed in nondiseased issues and organs to use as baseline in understanding changes that occur in disease

Given the growing importance of proteins in medical laboratory testing, pathologists will want to know about a major milestone recently achieved in this field. Researchers have announced that drafts of the complete human proteome have been released to the public.

Experts are comparing this to the first complete map of the human genome that was made public in 2000. Clinical laboratory managers and pathologists know how the availability of this information provided the foundation for rapid advances in understanding different aspects involving DNA and RNA.
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Israeli Researchers Create Tiny, Programmable, Genetic Test Device that Can Roam the Body and Diagnose and Treat Diseases on the Spot

The genetic device holds promise for developing cancer-specific gene therapies and could create new consulting opportunities for pathologists and clinical laboratory scientists

In Israel, researchers are making progress on the futuristic concept of biologic, medically-savvy computers that are so small they can fit inside human cells and roam the body detecting and treating diseases in vivo. This is another example of how new technologies can shift diagnostic testing away from clinical laboratories.

This groundbreaking work is being done at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot. The research team has designed a genetic device that is inserted into bacteria cells where it operates independently. This device is programmed to identify certain disease parameters and mount an appropriate response, according to a story published by Science Daily. (more…)

Aptamer-Based Blood Protein Detection Technology May Soon Be Used By Medical Laboratories in Tests for Cancer, Diabetes, and Other Diseases

Researchers believe that clinical laboratory assays that use aptamers would have multiple advantages when compared to diagnostic tests utilizing anti-bodies

New diagnostic technology has been developed that has the potential to accurately detect such diseases as cancer and diabetes, even when the patient is pre-symptomatic. Not only would medical laboratory tests using this technology be low cost and portable, but some experts think that diagnostic assays using this technology could make it through the regulatory process and be cleared for clinical use in just five years or less.

This highly-sensitive diagnostic technology is able to detect specific proteins in human blood. It was developed by a research team at the University of Toledo in Ohio. Last fall, they published their findings in the Optical Society’s (OSA) open-access journal, Biomedical Optics Express.

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New Technology Stores DNA at Room Temperature, Eliminates Need for Specimen Storage Freezers

There’s a green bonus: GenVault’s new storage systems can reduce a clinical laboratory’s carbon footprint

Innovative laboratory technologies continue to disrupt the status quo as new products and services enter the marketplace. Among them is new dry-storage technology from Carlsbad, California-based GenVault Corp. that allows biological specimens to be stored at room temperature. It is a technology that has applications for medical laboratories and pathology groups.

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