Feb 5, 2014 | Digital Pathology, Instruments & Equipment, Laboratory Instruments & Laboratory Equipment, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology
Partners HealthCare and Geisinger Health are among health systems making investments and developing the clinical utility of genome sequencing
Next-generation gene sequencing is making fast inroads among the nation’s largest academic centers and health systems. This is an auspicious development for the clinical laboratory industry. It positions pathologists to play a greater role in clinical care and genetic medicine.
News accounts and published research suggest that mega systems—including Partners HealthCare, Geisinger Health System, Scripps Health, and Medical College of Wisconsin—are among first movers investing in genome-sequencing equipment and assembling the medical expertise necessary to establish genetic-testing programs and help physicians utilize gene sequences where appropriate for patient care. (more…)
Dec 13, 2013 | Digital Pathology, Laboratory Instruments & Laboratory Equipment, Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology
Pathologists and clinical laboratory managers can expect environmental microbiome detection and monitoring to play an increasingly important role in disease diagnosis, treatment and prevention
For decades, microbiologists and clinical laboratory professionals have prowled the corridors of hospitals to swab physicians’ neckties, the hands of nurses and staff, and various surfaces. These swabs were then cultured to demonstrate how easily infectious microbes can be transmitted in everyday activities.
Now researchers, including microbiologists, are combing the New York City subway system to swab surfaces, collect specimens, and create a map of the urban microbiome. Researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City want to use the microbiome to pioneer a new method for city-level pathogen monitoring. (more…)
Nov 27, 2013 | Digital Pathology, Instruments & Equipment, Laboratory Instruments & Laboratory Equipment, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Management & Operations
A new approach to genetic testing of critically ill children, developed by researchers at Children’s Mercy Hospital, can be a road map other medical laboratories can follow
In Kansas City, a medical team at Children’s Mercy Hospital has demonstrated that rapid whole human genome sequencing, when combined with interpretative software, can return clinically actionable answers quickly enough to be of value to physicians who are diagnosing patients showing symptoms of genetic conditions.
As many pathologists and clinical laboratory managers know, childrens’ hospitals across the nation are often at the vanguard of using molecular diagnostics and genetic tests to guide diagnosis and treatment of pediatric patients. Having the capability to make fast and accurate diagnoses of genetic conditions gives physicians at these institutions the ability to significantly improve the outcomes of their patients.
A report published by Medpagetoday.com reported the findings of researchers at Children’s Mercy Hospital. (more…)
Nov 11, 2013 | Digital Pathology, Instruments & Equipment, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology
The Center brings together scientists from around the city to translate promising research into medical innovations to treat, prevent and manage disease
Gene sequencing is going big time in the Big Apple. Last month the New York Genome Center (NYGC) moved into a state-of-the-art, 170,000-square-foot genome sequencing and biometrics research building. New York City is putting down its marker to claim a leading role in advancing genetic knowledge.
What makes this development notable for the clinical laboratory industry and the anatomic pathology profession is the fact that cities across the nation are investing substantial amounts of capital to create their own genetic and biotech research and development hubs. Their common objective is to bring together all the expertise, financial support, and business acumen needed to create a job-creating critical mass in the fields of biotech and genetic medicine. (more…)
Jul 19, 2013 | Digital Pathology, Instruments & Equipment, Laboratory Instruments & Laboratory Equipment, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Management & Operations
Smaller, more affordable sequencers and genome sequence interpretation computers are catching the interest of pathologists and medical laboratory scientists
In the field of whole human genome sequencing, the technology continues to improve at a remarkable pace. Products now entering the research and clinical marketplace offer speedier, more accurate gene sequencing capabilities at prices that are within the budget reach of many clinical laboratories and anatomic pathology group practices.
Miniaturization and lower cost is driving genomic medicine ever closer to the routine clinical setting. The combination of next generation gene sequencers with a smaller footprint and advances in genomic data analysis technology mean that genomic testing will increasingly migrate to smaller lab settings. Dark Daily offers its readers a look at some of the latest gene sequencing products and what their manufacturers say about the capabilities of these gene-sequencing systems. (more…)
