Issue

A portable, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) device that requires no lab processing for results and a paper-based lateral flow immunoassay that operates similarly to a home pregnancy test are among nine new technologies that have joined the National Institutes of Health’s Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx) initiative. NIH…

An international panel of experts has proposed a diagnostic and treatment algorithm based on three levels of C-peptide for individuals with latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA). Their consensus statement, which appears in Diabetes, directs clinicians to screen patients (especially when presenting younger than age 50 with symptoms) for glutamic…

Saliva shows potential as a medium in detecting the presence of cardiac troponin (cTn) in patients with myocardial injury (MI). At the European Society of Cardiology’s 2020 Congress, researchers described how they used a saliva-based cTn assay to identify cTnI in just 10 minutes with 96% sensitivity and 89% specificity.…

A Q&A in the October issue of Clinical Chemistry delves into the role labs play in reducing health disparities, which have endured despite efforts at the federal level and by researchers. Biological factors such as genetic variants might play a part in health disparities, but systemic racism in healthcare, education,…

When looking for cocaine abuse, oral fluid is a preferable matrix than urine in patient populations, such as those receiving addiction psychiatry services, who have higher rates of adulterating urine specimens. A team of investigators published these findings in The Journal of Applied Laboratory Medicine (JALM).

Routine use of next-generation sequencing (NGS) is only beneficial for four types of metastatic cancers, according to new guidance from the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO). The 22 members of the ESMO Precision Medicine Working Group recommend NGS for advanced lung adenocarcinoma, prostate cancer, ovarian cancer, and cholangiocarcinoma.