Dec 1, 2014 | Instruments & Equipment, Laboratory Instruments & Laboratory Equipment, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Management & Operations
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…)
Apr 23, 2014 | Digital Pathology, Instruments & Equipment, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology
Findings may help physicians tailor cervical cancer therapies to specific gene mutations and improve the accuracy of diagnostic screening tests for this disease
New scientific knowledge about the role of human papillomavirus (HPV) in the growth of cervical cancer is creating excitement within the medical community. Among other things, these findings could encourage more widespread vaccination against HPV. That in turn would lead to reduced Pap smear testing by pathology laboratories over time.
For these reasons, cytopathologists and cytotechnologists will be particularly interested in the research findings that were published as a first-ever, international genomic study of cervical cancer, which was published online December 25, 2013, at Nature.com. Researchers discovered that the location where HPV integrates itself into the human genome, is where it causes amplified gene expression that promotes and elevates mutated gene activity that may cause cervical cancer to develop. (more…)
Feb 26, 2014 | Digital Pathology, Instruments & Equipment, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology
Researchers at Penn State identified 160,000 ‘transcription initiation machines’ throughout the human genome
DNA “dark matter” may have something in common with comedian Rodney Dangerfield, who liked to say, “I don’t get no respect!” As many pathologists know, for years the human exome that has been the focus of most research. This is the 1% of the human genome that contains the genes that produce proteins and do other useful functions.
Meanwhile, the remaining 99% of the human genome—sometimes called “junk DNA” and generally known as dark matter—got relatively little attention from researchers. But that is changing. At Pennsylvania State University, a research team has discovered that coding and noncoding RNA, or genomic dark matter, originates at the same types of locations along the human genome.
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Jan 8, 2014 | Instruments & Equipment, Laboratory Instruments & Laboratory Equipment, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Management & Operations
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…)
Nov 6, 2013 | Coding, Billing, and Collections, Digital Pathology, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology, Management & Operations
Medical laboratories could benefit by fewer customers for U.S tissue diagnostics products
Even as anatomic pathology laboratories in the United States see a decline in reimbursement for many pathology testing services, the demand for tissue diagnostics products will continue to be robust in coming years. There are at least three reasons why this will be true.
Research analysts at Frost & Sullivan predict that global sales of tissue diagnostics products will grow from $2.4 billion in 2012 to $3.5 billion by 2017. They attribute this to the increased use of anatomic laboratory automation.
These predictions were made in a new report issued by Frost & Sullivan. About 79% of the global tissue processing market is in the United States and Europe. (more…)
