Feb 21, 2014 | Digital Pathology, Instruments & Equipment, Laboratory Instruments & Laboratory Equipment, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Laboratory Sales and Marketing, Management & Operations
This price includes all costs except overhead, but without a high volume of customers, Illumina’s $10-million price for the HiSeq X Ten machine may not be a wise investment
Competition continues to be fierce in the race to the $1,000 whole human genome. Most recently, Illumina announced the availability of its latest gene sequencing system, along with the claim that it can deliver a whole human genome at a cost of just $1,000. But, as most pathologists know, the devil is in the details, since not every Illumina customer is likely to achieve that price point.
When Illumina, a San Diego-based technology company, announced its new HiSeq X Ten genetic-sequencing machine in December, 2013, Illumina CEO Jay T. Flatley claimed the company’s system can deliver “full-coverage human genome sequences for less than $1,000,” down from $500 million 10 years ago. The new system is expected to ship in the first quarter of 2014.
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Sep 18, 2013 | Compliance, Legal, and Malpractice, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Management & Operations
Family of Henrietta Lacks, who died in 1951, will have a say in the research use of the HeLA cancer cells
Patient privacy rights involving genetic information has gone to a new level. Pathologists and clinical laboratory managers will want to understand the legal precedents and new standards established in an unprecedented agreement between the family of a woman who died in 1951 and the growing research establishment studying her cervical cancer cells following her death.
It is a human interest story that attracted global media attention this summer. The immortal cancer cells of Henrietta Lacks—known in research laboratories as “HeLA” cells—are finally coming under legal protection after more than 60 years of travelling the globe.
It was 1951 when Lacks died of an aggressive form of cervical cancer, but her cancer cells were grown without consent of relatives and have been used worldwide in cancer research since her death. Lacks’ living relatives sought and recently obtained a legal agreement with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to protect their DNA privacy, according to a story published in USA Today. (more…)
Aug 12, 2013 | Coding, Billing, and Collections, Laboratory Instruments & Laboratory Equipment, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology
Technology breakthrough might eventually be used by pathologists to help diagnose disease using in vivo diagnostic testing methods
Researchers at Stanford University are another step closer to understanding how to make DNA and RNA function like computer chips fabricated from silicon. Their work could eventually form the basis for new types of diagnostic services that could be offered by clinical laboratories and anatomic pathology groups.
Stanford Bioengineers Develop Final Component for Biological Computer
Bioengineers at Stanford University have engineered a genetic circuit to behave like a transistor in individual living cells, according to a story published by the San Jose Mercury News. The achievement represents the final component of a simple biological computer that functions within individual cells of the body.
These biological computers could be used in several ways. They could screen for cancer, or be used to detect the presence of toxic chemicals. Some experts believe they could be used to guard against disease, reported the Mercury News. (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…)
May 29, 2013 | Digital Pathology, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Management & Operations
Pathologist Mark Rubin, M.D., is named to direct this early effort to adapt diagnostic and gene sequencing technologies to support personalized medicine
Following several years of experience with whole genome sequencing of tumors, two premier medical institutions announced their intent to move to the next step and establish an institute to support precision medicine. A prominent pathologist was named to head up this new institute.
Weill Cornell Medical College and New York-Presbyterian Hospital established a new, cutting-edge translational medicine research facility. It is called the Precision Medicine Institute and will use patients’ unique genetic profiles to develop individualized approaches for treating prostate cancer. (more…)
