Clinical Lab Chat

In this episode of Clinical Lab Chat, CLP Director of Business Intelligence Chris Wolski discusses the critical role diagnostics play in successful organ transplantation with Tina Liedtky, president of Transplant Diagnostics for Thermo Fisher.

During the course of the lively conversation, they discuss: 

• How diagnostics fit into the organ transplant process.
• How diagnostics are helping to up the odds of transplant success both short and long term.
• The role of post-transplantation diagnostics and how ongoing diagnostic testing helps to keep patients healthy longer.
• An overview of Thermo Fisher’s transplantation diagnostics.
• What advances we can expect in the next 5 to 10 years.

Keywords

Cervical Cancer, ASCCP Guidelines, HPV Testing, Self-Collection, At-Home Testing, Women's Health, Diagnostic Solutions, Preventive Care, Medical Technology, Health Access

Summary

In this episode of Clinical Lab Chat, Chris Wolski and Dr. Jeff Andrews discuss significant advancements in cervical cancer prevention, focusing on the new ASCCP guidelines, the role of technology in screening, and the importance of self-collection methods. They explore how these changes can improve access to care for women and the future of at-home testing, while also addressing the psychological barriers and stigmas associated with cervical cancer screening.

Takeaways

• The ASCCP guidelines are essential for managing cervical cancer risk.
• Technology has transformed how guidelines are updated and accessed.
• Self-collection methods can significantly increase screening rates.
• At-home testing is preferred by many women for convenience and privacy.
• Addressing stigmas is crucial for increasing testing participation.
• Cervical cancer is highly treatable when detected early.
• The Onclarity assay provides extended genotyping for better risk assessment.
• Guidelines are now more dynamic and can be updated quickly.
• Improving access to care is vital for women's health.
• The fight against cervical cancer is entering an exciting new phase.

Titles

• Revolutionizing Cervical Cancer Prevention
• The Future of Women's Health Screening

Sound Bites

• "We can update guidelines very quickly now."
• "The app makes it much more dynamic and useful."
• "We're dealing with a couple of stigmas."

Chapters

00:00
Introduction to New Diagnostic Guidelines

02:51
Understanding ASCCP Guidelines and Their Evolution

05:30
The Role of Technology in Women's Health Testing

08:11
Onclarity HPV Assay and Its Significance

10:48
Self-Collection Methods for Cervical Cancer Screening

13:19
The Future of At-Home Testing

15:53
Impact of New Guidelines on Labs and Testing

18:32
Addressing Stigmas and Psychological Barriers

20:45
Conclusion and Future Directions

21:41
Podcast Music Outro.wav

In this episode of Clinical Lab Chat, CLP’s Director of Business Intelligence, Chris Wolski, discusses the how and why of making precise clinical diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases with Russ Lebovitz, MD, PhD, co-founder and CEO of Amprion.

Among the topics they discuss:

• The critical importance of making accurate diagnoses of neurodegenerative diseases
• Why alpha-synuclein is an accurate biomarker for a number of degenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s
• How adding neurodegenerative testing to the routine diagnostic menu would benefit patients and their caregivers
• Why we’re entering a neurological healthcare “golden age”

In this episode of Clinical Lab Chat, CLP Director of Business Intelligence Chris Wolski engages in a wide-ranging discussion with Peggy Lillis Foundation CEO and founder Christian Lillis about the organization’s efforts to raise awareness of C diff. Among the topics they discuss:

• Why C diff is difficult to diagnose
• How Peggy Lillis is engaging with the public, scientific community, and legislators to improve understanding, diagnostics, and treatment of this increasingly common disease
• The parallels of these awareness efforts with other public health education efforts
• How laboratorians can help their organizations develop workflows to avoid under- and over-testing for C diff.

In this episode of Clinical Lab Chat, Jeff Andrews, MD, FRCSC, BD’s VP of Global Medical Affairs for Diagnostic Solutions, makes a return visit to the studio for a conversation with CLP’s director of business intelligence, Chris Wolski, about BD and MD Anderson’s collaboration on HPV sample self-collection study. 

Among the topics they cover:

• How self-collection aids in the fight against cervical cancer
• The importance of reaching underserved communities
• How MD Anderson’s program is shining a light on the need for sampling options in the U.S. and across the world
• The business benefits self-collection brings to labs
• The impact self-collection will have in the near- and long-term

In this episode of Clinical Lab Chat, Director of Business Intelligence Chris Wolski interviews Jeff Andrews, MD, FRCSC, a board-certified gynecologist and vice president of Global Medical Affairs for Diagnostic Solutions at BD, what HPV sample self-collection means for the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of HPV and cervical cancer.

Among the topics they cover in this wide-ranging interview:

• How HPV sample self-collection will improve testing and treatment access.
• The importance of sample integrity.
• The larger public health implications of making HPV and cervical cancer screening routine and accessible.
• The findings of a recent UN General Assembly meeting about HPV diagnosis and treatment.
• What it’s going to take to make cervical cancer a thing of the past.

In this edition of Clinical Lab Chat, Director of Business Intelligence Chris Wolski discusses with Courtney Noah, PhD, VP of Scientific Affairs at BioIVT, how blood-based biofluid testing is poised to revolutionize cancer diagnostics.

Among the topics they dig into are:

• The benefits of blood-based biofluid testing over traditional, more invasive methods.
• How biofluid testing saves money and improves access for patients.
• How labs can add blood-based biofluid testing onto their diagnostic menus.
• The importance of proper sample collection.
• The renaissance in the use of blood-based biomarkers in diagnostic testing.

In this episode of Clinical Lab Chat, CLP’s director of business intelligence, Chris Wolski, discusses how point-of-care testing improves access to both diagnostics and treatment with Seth Egan, co-founder of and chief commercialization officer for Co-Diagnostics.

Among the topics they cover in their wide-ranging conversation:

• How and why point-of-care testing improves both diagnostic and treatment access.
• The key equation of simplicity, cost, and turnaround time (TAT) as the means of providing point-of-care testing.
• The rationale behind the menu of tests Co-Diagnostics is developing.
• The role of clinical labs in point-of-care testing continuum.
• The future of point-of-care testing.

 Further listening: How You Can Harness AI in Your Laboratory

In this edition of Clinical Lab Chat, CLP’s director of business intelligence, Chris Wolski, interviews Nathan Montgomery, MD, PhD, vice president of medical services at NeoGenomics, about how AI will transform laboratory practices including:

• The role AI plays in eliminating mundane tasks in the lab, making workflows more efficient.
• The best practices to follow when implementing AI in your clinical laboratory.
• How AI is transforming the digital pathology landscape.
• Why and how regulation needs to be part of the conversation about AI in clinical laboratories and throughout the entire medical enterprise.
• How AI will evolve in labs over the next 5 to 10 years.

In this edition of Clinical Lab Chat, CLP’s Director of Business Intelligence, Chris Wolski, interviews Alessio Travaglia, PhD, PMP, director, Translational Science, Neuroscience, at the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH).

The wide-ranging interview tackles all aspects of Alzheimer’s testing and treatment, including:

• Why traditional methods of Alzheimer’s testing are expensive, invasive, and limit access.
• The benefits of blood-based biomarkers for Alzheimer’s diagnosis.
• How better diagnostics will benefit patients.
• Why we’re on the cusp of a new golden age of neurology
• How more biomarkers fuel not only better diagnostics but better treatments.