ADVANCE Outlook: Lab Professionals

The Quick Chip

2013-06-19T15:01:00Z

Treatment for a bacterial infection can all come down to a question of time. According to a recent story from Medical News Today , researchers from the University of Toronto (UT) in Canada have developed a chip to identify the problem and the best course of action in treatment for a specific patient. Unless like current standards in testing, the new chip takes minutes to assess a sample rather than days, time that’s important to patients facing serious infections. “The chip reported accurately on...(read more)

Groundbreaking Trial at the Mayo Clinic

2013-06-12T17:53:00Z

In a ground-breaking trial for researchers and physicians at the Mayo Clinic, stem cells will be put to use in their first clinical trial on patients with a rare early-childhood heart disease. Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) is a defect characterized by the left side of the heart being severely underdeveloped at birth, and usually requires multiple surgeries or, in some cases, a heart transplant. An article from Newswise chronicled the beginnings of the trial and its potential impact on the...(read more)

The Data Pool

2013-06-05T19:16:00Z

As genetic sequencing continues to become less expensive, more people are considering taking a closer look at their genes. The prospect of a deepening data pool has left researchers looking for different, more universal methods of information sharing. According to a recent story from the New York Times , health organizations around the world have recently agreed to create a database that would be accessible to physicians and scientists on a global scale. “We are strong supporters of this global alliance,”...(read more)

Medicine Goes Mobile

2013-05-31T16:21:00Z

Smartphones are amazing pieces of technology. Not only can we organize our calendars, surf the internet, listen to music, play scrabble and communicate with our friends and family using any number of social networking platforms -- let alone the actual telephone function -- but we can do all of these things at once. As the role of digital medicine solidifies its place in the healthcare industry, our phones and other wireless technologies could play an even larger role in our lives. Eric Topol, MD,...(read more)

Strides in Stem Cell Survival

2013-05-29T15:13:00Z

Recent research conducted in the treatment of blood diseases and cancers showed a marked improvement in survival rates for patients after receiving stem cell transplants. A Newswise article chronicled the study from the Center for international Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR), the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) and Be The Match. “This study shows that we are making significant progress, on a national level, in survival after transplantation,” said Theresa Hahn, PhD, associate...(read more)

The TERT Gene

2013-05-24T17:02:00Z

We’ve discussed dark matter before . Understanding the unobserved and unknown areas of the human genome could ultimately lead to a better understanding of cancer and, subsequently, better treatment options. A Dark Daily news briefing reported recent studies in dark matter, which cited the telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) gene as being linked to melanoma. Separate research projects in Germany and at Harvard Medical School noted the role of an overactive TERT gene in cancerous cells. According...(read more)

Internal War Zone

2013-05-22T19:59:00Z

The more we learn about our own bodies, the more it seems like there’s just an endless war going on in there. Scientists have long since known about helpful bacteria inside of our bodies that help prevent infections, but an article from Medical News Today cited a US study from researchers at San Diego State University that noted viruses within the human body that also perform defensive tasks. Post-Doctoral Fellow, James Barr, and his research team dubbed the protective viruses “bacteriophages.” “Taking...(read more)

AACC Urges Action

2013-05-21T15:43:00Z

The AACC is urging laboratory professionals to contact their members of Congress and request that they support H.R.1248, the Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act, which would preserve recent advances in state newborn screening programs. Earlier legislation contributed to a dramatic expansion in newborn screening for treatable core conditions, according to an AACC release. In 2007, only 10 states and the District of Columbia screened for 29 of the 31 treatable conditions. That number...(read more)

A Medicinal Redbox

2013-05-17T18:17:00Z

QuiqMeds, a Pennsylvania-based company located outside of Philadelphia, deals in a very different type of vending machine. With 6 machines located in local physician’s offices in the area and plans to increase that number in the region before expanding outside of Pennsylvania to other states that allow prescription drugs to be provided by physicians directly, the company stands to change the practice of medication distribution. An article from Philadelphia Business Journal details the company, its...(read more)

Dark Matter

2013-05-15T21:08:00Z

“Dark matter” sounds like something George Lucas would tell us is at the heart of the empire. In reality, it’s the parts of the human genome that science has yet to identify -- which still sounds like it belongs in a sci-fi movie, but the discovery could provide researchers with a new type of specimen with which to analyze the human genome. A news briefing from Dark Daily notes the potential of the unknown genes and the impacts of the methods used to study it. According to the briefing, researchers...(read more)

A Trip Down Memory Lane

2013-05-10T16:22:00Z

There’s a scene in the 60s-era AMC series “Mad Men” that involves a pregnant woman smoking and drinking while her friend’s child runs around with a dry cleaning bag over her head. All of this happens in the space of about a minute, and there are so many things done wrong during that time that, by today’s standards, you can’t help but wonder how anyone even managed to survive the 1960s unscathed. A recent and somewhat horrifying news briefing from Dark Daily took us on a similarly cringe-inducing...(read more)

Knowing

2013-05-08T15:51:00Z

ADVANCE Discourse: Lab Knowing Let’s forget about money for a second. I know that can be difficult – what, with all of those pesky adult responsibilities and everything, but bare with me. If money wasn’t an object, and your physician wanted to order a test that you knew wouldn’t be covered under your insurance, would you get it? Of course you would – who wouldn’t? Now, factor the money back in. Has your answer changed? A recent Siemens Healthcare survey yielded interesting results for people in the...(read more)

Full Circle

2013-05-03T15:11:00Z

The rise of personalized treatment has healthcare professionals completely rethinking the way they treat cancer. At the molecular level, each is different and should be treated accordingly, but similarities shouldn’t be ignored either. A study from the Cancer genome Atlas (TCGA) Research Network on endometrial tumors divided the cancer types into for groups, and examined how we can treat specific cases by studying work on different cancerous tissue with similar properties. “This study highlights...(read more)

Lab-on-a-Chip, Round 2

2013-05-02T16:13:00Z

Imagine a healthcare facility where a small sample of blood is taken as you walk in the door, just .25 attomoles -- you’d barely notice. They drop your sample into a small, handheld device and, by the time your physician has come to see you, they are ready to tell you if they would like further testing for diseases like Alzheimer’s or cancer based on the early-detection results from their handheld test. A Dark Daily news briefing recently announced that scientists in Japan have developed a device...(read more)

The Reanimator

2013-04-26T15:34:00Z

With genetic research has come the realization that cancers are unique -- not just in terms of where they are in the body, but in their molecular make up. Although the industry is focusing on personalized medicine as a treatment option recently, some researchers can’t help but wonder about the prospect of a universal treatment, a drug to fight multiple cancers. According to a recent article from the New York Times, this might not be completely out of the realm of possibility. It all comes down to...(read more)