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Diagnostic technology
Diagnostic technology involves tests, assays and equipment that allow clinical labs to diagnose diseases. New diagnostic technologies are currently transforming both infectious disease testing and cancer testing. Rapid molecular tests, for example, make it possible for medical labs to deliver an accurate answer back to a referring physician in just hours—compared to the several days that are required for most long-standing microbiology test procedures.
Even more disruptive technologies include digital pathology and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. Digital pathology is an image-based information environment that is enabled by computer technology to allow for the management of information generated from a digital slide. Digital pathology is enabled in part by virtual microscopy, which is the practice of converting glass slides into digital slides that can be viewed, managed, and analyzed on a computer monitor. With the advent of Whole-Slide Imaging, the field of digital pathology has exploded and is currently regarded as one of the most promising avenues of diagnostic medicine in order to achieve even better, faster and cheaper diagnosis, prognosis and prediction of cancer and other important diseases.
MALDI-TOF (matrix assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight) mass spectrometry allows clinical laboratories to identify small aerobic gram-positive bacilli more accurately, faster, and in a more cost-effective manner than ever. It enables the analysis of biomolecules (biopolymers such as DNA, proteins, peptides and sugars) and large organic molecules (such as polymers, dendrimers and other macromolecules), which tend to be fragile and fragment when ionized by more conventional ionization methods.
Even as pathologists are working to develop more sensitive and accurate diagnostic tests for cancer, similar efforts are underway in radiology and imaging. In fact, one research team has developed a self-assembling nanoparticle that can adhere to cancer cells, thus making them visible in MRI scans and possibly eliminate the need for invasive tissue biopsies.
Researchers have developed a self-assembling nanoparticle that targets cancer cells and makes them visible on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. The new nanoparticle improves MRI scanning efficacy by “specifically seeking out receptors that are found in cancerous cells,” according to researchers. Were this development to become a reality, it has the potential to alter anatomic pathology’s role in diagnosing cancer.
“May 8, 2000 Intelligence: Late Breaking Lab News”
There’s another healthcare Ecommerce company starting up. This one’s directed at the clinical laboratory industry. To be called “LabPortal.com,” it’s connected to Golder, Thoma, Cressey, Rauner Inc., Park City Solutions, and American Medical Laboratories. L…
Shared Lab Organizations Evolving Into New Forms
CEO SUMMARY: For two decades, the limited number of laboratory joint ventures that appeared were invariably partnerships between commercial labs and hospital labs. Today’s hostile healthcare environment makes it tougher for these types of joint ventures to prosper and meet the needs all…
Developing Technology Expected To Fuel Boom In Anatomic Pathology
CEO SUMMARY: Established demographic trends point to a coming boom in the demand for anatomic pathology services. Greater number s of senior citizens, living longer lives, will raise the number of cancer cases diagnosed annually in the United States. New diagnostic technology will increas…
Diagnostics Companies React To Changing Lab Marketplace
CEO SUMMARY: During the last five years, extensive consolidation among in vitro diagnostics (IVD) manufacturers has created a new class of industry giants. Their increased dominance of the IVD marketplace promises significant change to how laboratories acquire and use reagents, test kits,…
AmeriPath, Cytyc, Unilab, Naiad
AMERIPATH INKS PACT WITH MEDAPHIS, BUYS FLORIDA PATH PRACTICE Things are busy at AmeriPath, Inc. of Riviera Beach, Florida. The pathology practice management company announced a number of accomplishments. First, it signed an agreement with Medaphis Corporation…
“April 26, 1999 Intelligence: Late Breaking Lab News”
Think turnover among laboratory executives and administrators is high? Get a load of this! Among CEOs at the nation’s 4,838 general, non-federal acute-care hospitals, the turnover rate was 16.9% during 1998. This was up from 12.1% in 1997. It means that one of every six hospitals got a new CEO last…
Movers & Shakers For ’99 Demonstrate Leadership
EACH YEAR IT BECOMES more difficult to make final selections for our annual Movers & Shakers awards. The reason is simple. Today there are more examples of leadership in the laboratory than when we first started these selections three years ago. This is a good omen. It means that the crucible of…
Bayer Acquires Chiron In Consolidation Move
CEO SUMMARY: As expected, consolidation within the diagnostics industry continues. This time it is Bayer, spending $1.1 billion to acquire Chiron’s diagnostics business. Once completed, Bayer will be the fourth-largest diagnostics company in the world. Laboratory customers of both firms…
Chiron Is Biotech Firm, Respected For Innovation
CEO SUMMARY: Chiron is respected for its leadership in branched DNA and viral load technologies. The company had high expectations for its diagnostics group, particularly after its purchase of Ciba Corning. But rapid consolidation of the diagnostics industry changed Chiron’s opportunity…
Lab Industry Briefs
MONOLAYER PAP SMEAR TEST In travels to laboratories around the United States, THE DARK REPORT is getting interesting, but anecdotal, feedback about Cytyc Corp.’s ThinPrep® monolayer Pap smear test. Pathologists and laboratory directors are noticing two perceived benefits …
CURRENT ISSUE
Volume XXXII, No. 6 – April 21, 2025
Now that a federal judge has vacated the FDA’s LDT rule, The Dark Report analyzes the judgement and notes the various steps the FDA could take in response. Also, lab testing at pharmacies is proving to be less successful than was once anticipated.
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