ADVANCE Outlook: Lab Professionals : Diagnostics

The Quick Chip

Michael Jones — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 15:01:00 GMT

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...(read more)

Groundbreaking Trial at the Mayo Clinic

Michael Jones — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 17:53:00 GMT

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...(read more)

The Data Pool

Michael Jones — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 19:16:00 GMT

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....(read more)

Medicine Goes Mobile

Michael Jones — Fri, 31 May 2013 16:21:00 GMT

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...(read more)

The TERT Gene

Michael Jones — Fri, 24 May 2013 17:02:00 GMT

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...(read more)

AACC Urges Action

Kerri Penno — Tue, 21 May 2013 15:43:00 GMT

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...(read more)

Dark Matter

Michael Jones — Wed, 15 May 2013 21:08:00 GMT

“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...(read more)

Knowing

Michael Jones — Wed, 08 May 2013 15:51:00 GMT

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...(read more)

Full Circle

Michael Jones — Fri, 03 May 2013 15:11:00 GMT

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...(read more)

Lab-on-a-Chip, Round 2

Michael Jones — Thu, 02 May 2013 16:13:00 GMT

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...(read more)

Stem Cells and ALS

Michael Jones — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 22:31:00 GMT

Most of us know amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) by its other name, Lou Gehrig’s disease. After a recent preliminary trial at Emory University yielded positive results, a phase II trial has been approved by the FDA. An article from Newswise described...(read more)

Of Mice and Rats

Michael Jones — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 20:16:00 GMT

I’ve discussed the introduction of human genes into test mice before , but apparently rats are showing much more promise in Alzheimer’s research. A recent article from NPR discussed the need for a better model for humans in the study and, potentially,...(read more)

Genomic Research and EMR

Michael Jones — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 21:41:00 GMT

With so many new technologies emerging in recent years, trying to combine multiple advances can be challenging, especially when those advances haven’t been standardized yet. In a recent article from Newswise, doctors and researchers from both the Mayo...(read more)

Handheld Testing

Michael Jones — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 21:01:00 GMT

The handheld testing application has always been something I’ve only ever imagined as a bad plot device in science fiction. For researchers at Columbia University’s The Flu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science, it was apparently much,...(read more)

Alzheimer's and Menopause

Michael Jones — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 21:32:00 GMT

A story from Medical News Today noted that a variant of the gene ApoE, ApoE4, is carried in 15 to 20 percent of Americans, putting them at increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. In a study from PLOS ONE , lead author Natalie Rasgon, MD, PhD,...(read more)