Inside the Lab is joined by experts Drs. Hannah Wang from the Cleveland Clinic and Rodney Rohde from Texas State University to discuss emerging respiratory viruses. Their discussion begins with lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and an overview of what technologies have emerged since. They go on to discuss the virology and surveillance strategies for H5N1 and RSV, as well as vaccine hesitancy and its impact in the treatment of measles. 

In this episode of Inside the Lab, Dr. Ali Brown sits down with guests Sean Tucker, MLS(ASCP)CM and Laura Severs, MHA, MLS(ASCP)CM to discuss their predictions for what 2025 holds for laboratory professionals. Topics discussed include:

• How workforce trends will continue in the near future and what strategies may work for addressing them;
• What to expect with automation and what pros and cons automation holds for Labradorians; 
• What challenges, risks, and benefits cybersecurity holds for laboratory professionals, particular as digital pathology becomes more prevalent;
• What's coming with AI and what it means for the practice of laboratory medicine. 

In this episode of Inside the Lab, guests Jane Dickerson, PhD and Elise Occhipinti, MD join host Kelly Swails to discuss the creation and maintenance of laboratory test stewardship programs. Topics covered include: 

• How and why your organization should set up a stewardship program
• Involving stakeholders in the process 
• The essential components of a success program
• Metrics and key performance indicators to track
• Resources, guidelines, and toolkits for those looking to create their own program

While the rapid evolution of I-O continues to bring unprecedented change to the way cancer is treated, there are significant gaps impacting the laboratory team regarding the examination of resection specimens following neoadjuvant immunotherapy and staying abreast of advances in I-O biomarker testing. 

This episode discusses advances in I-O biomarker testing, advantages and limitations of some key I-O biomarkers, and practical ways that pathologists and laboratory professionals can improve their I-O biomarker testing workflows to optimize patient care. 

Topics discussed include: 

• Recent advances in immune-oncology (I-O) biomarker testing 
• Advantages and limitations of IO biomarkers 
• Addressing challenges related to IO biomarkers 
• Improving IO biomarker workflows 
• Best practices for collaboration with the multidisciplinary cancer care team 

The diagnostic paradigm for Alzheimer's disease (AD) has rapidly shifted in the last five years as fluid-based biomarker testing has emerged as a reliable, accurate, and accessible means to detect amyloid pathology when evaluating a patient for cognitive decline. This podcast is designed to help pathologists and laboratory professionals gain an understanding of plasma testing for markers such as Abeta40/42, P-tau181, and P-tau217 which are rapidly appearing in the commercial space and how healthcare providers have begun incorporating these tests into routine neurology practice. This podcast will help participants to understand the advantages and limitations of these assays as well as their potential application when a physician is evaluating a patient for AD. 

Communicating imperative diagnoses effectively can often be a daunting challenge. It’s a crucial and delicate step that takes practice and know-how to do well and can be one of the most important actions taken with patients. That’s why a panel of experts have gotten together to discuss the current practices, gaps, and best practices for communication of urgent and significant/unexpected diagnoses in anatomic pathology.

The Promoting Diagnostic Excellence by Improving the Communication of Urgent and Unexpected Diagnoses in Anatomic Pathology podcast is designed to support the collaboration with clinical partners as well as to notice actionable opportunities where the communication of urgent and significant/unexpected diagnoses in anatomic pathology may be improved.

You will learn to:

• Understand current guidelines and practices for communication of urgent and unexpected diagnosis in anatomic pathology. 
• Discuss high-priority communication barriers.
• Discuss best practices and recommendations for effective and timely communication of urgent and significant/unexpected diagnoses. 

Women make up a majority of the workforce in pathology yet lag behind men in leadership roles. What are the consequences of this for women working in pathology today, and what can be done? 

In this episode of Inside the Lab, Drs. Melissa Upton and Kimberly Sanford share a warm conversation in which they reflect on their long and varied careers, describe the unique challenges they faced over their careers, and discuss their accomplishments as trailblazers themselves. Our guests describe the value of finding mentors,  They also describe the opportunities for the future of pathology, particularly in the context of working in a multigenerational workforce with evolving expectations of workplace culture.

Although molecular testing offers promising opportunities for diagnosis and targeted treatment of cancers, prostate cancer has lagged behind other types of cancer. Recently, homologous recombination repair testing in prostate cancer has provided a means to achieving targeted treatments for patients as well as opening new avenues of collaboration between pathologists and oncologists.

On this episode of Inside the Lab, hosts Ms. Kelly Swails, MLS(ASCP), and Dr. Ali Brown, MD, FASCP are joined by Heather Cheng, a medical oncologist and associate professor of hematology and oncology at the University of Washington and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, and Colin Pritchard, molecular pathologist and professor of laboratory science and director of the Genetics and Solid Tumors Laboratory at the University of Washington Medical Center.

Our panelists discuss the current treatment landscape for prostate cancer and how HRR testing can improve patient outcomes in this context.

Topics Covered  

• An introduction to metastatic prostate cancer testing, and what types of tests are standard of care, and the rationale for targeting prostate cancer using PARP
• Key findings from recent phase III randomized clinical trials
• Standards for optimal testing in prostate cancer, particularly concerning sample sources and the choice between next-generation sequencing (NGS) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods
• common pitfalls or challenges in the arena of accurately reporting and interpreting findings from HRR tests
• Practical tips for optimal coordination among a multidisciplinary, cross-departmental team of healthcare providers and laboratory professionals when utilizing HRR testing in prostate cancer management.

Connect with ASCP
ASCP
ASCP on Facebook
ASCP on Instagram
ASCP on Twitter 

Connect with Dr. Cheng
Dr. Cheng on LinkedIn 

Connect with Dr. Pritchard
Dr. Pritchard 

Connect with Ms. Swails & Dr. Brown
Ms. Swails on Twitter
Dr. Brown on Twitter 

Resources
ASCP Membership 2024
Proposed FDA Regulation of Laboratory Developed Tests
Public Comment on the FDA’s Proposed Rule
Inside the Lab in the ASCP Store 

As CRC affects younger and more diverse populations, emerging tests for CRC biomarkers provide enormous utility for diagnosis. However, misdiagnosis of CRC, shifting demographics of those afflicted with CRC, and patient unfamiliarity with symptoms create challenges in identifying CRC. In this episode of Inside the Lab, hosts Dr. Ali Brown and Lotte Mulder are joined by Dr. Melissa Taggart, a board-certified pathologist at MD Cancer Center and Karla Valencia, a laboratory manager at MD Anderson Cancer Center to discuss the utility of biomarker testing for CRC.  

The hosts are also joined by Sarah Claeys, who was diagnosed with Stage I CRC in 2020 and is now actively fighting Stage IV recurrence with metastatic disease primarily in the liver, and ASCP Patient Champion Heather Tucker, who suffered from misdiagnosis for years before being diagnosed for CRC. She completed treatment 5 years ago. Sarah and Heather share their experiences with seeking both diagnosis and treatment, and provide insights on what information related to biomarkers were most valuable to them. 

Topics Covered in this podcast include:  

• How have tests for CRC evolved recently, and which biomarkers they test for; 
• How laboratory quality control is used to ensure the accuracy and reliability of colorectal cancer biomarker test results; 
• Factors involved with validating and implementing new biomarker assays for CRC in the laboratory; 
• Handling pre-analytical variables and potential interferences that may affect the interpretation of biomarker test results for colorectal cancer; 
• How pathologists integrate molecular and biomarker findings into pathology reports; 
• What information related biomarkers was most valuable from a patients’ perspective was most valuable when seeking treatment for CRC, as well as patient advice for healthcare professionals, including pathologists and laboratory professionals, regarding laboratory testing, including biomarker testing. 

Connect with ASCP 

ASCP 

ASCP on Facebook 

ASCP on Instagram 

ASCP on Twitter 

Connect with Ms. Bartosh, Ms. Courtright & Mr. Bowman 

University Health Laboratory Services 

Ms. Bartosh on LinkedIn  

Connect with Ms. Swails & Dr. Brown 

Ms. Swails on Twitter 

Dr. Mulder on Twitter 

Resources 

CAP Inspection Checklists 

ASCP Patient Champions Program 

Inside the Lab in the ASCP Store 

Recent developments in disease modifying therapies have been proven to slow the progression of cognitive decline associated with Alzheimer’s disease. 

And yet, we can only confirm a diagnosis of AD after a patient’s death. 

But what if we could use biomarkers to identify preclinical stage Alzheimer’s and step in long before a patient exhibits dementia? 

On this episode of Inside the Lab, your host, Ms. Kelly Swails, MT(ASCP) introduces us to Dr. Shih-Hsiu Jerry Wang, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pathology and Assistant Professor of Neurology at the Duke University School of Medicine, and shares his talk on emerging biomarkers for the assessment of Alzheimer’s disease from the ASCP 2023 Annual Meeting. 

Dr. Wang explains how we measure AD right now and why there’s discordance between the clinical presentation and pathology of Alzheimer’s. 

Dr. Wang walks us through the core biomarkers for identifying AD per the AT(N) framework, describing the pros and cons of current detection methodologies and offering recommendations around when to use blood biomarkers versus PET imaging or CSF. 

Listen in for insight into the ongoing search for better AD biomarkers and learn what we are doing to diagnose Alzheimer’s in its early stages and intervene accordingly. 

Topics Covered  

· The clinical definition of Alzheimer’s disease and how it impacts cognitive function
· How we measure Alzheimer’s in pathology by amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles
· Why there’s discordance between the clinical presentation and pathology of AD
· The core biomarkers for identifying Alzheimer’s disease per the AT(N) framework
· Identifying the stages of AD based on amyloid plaque, pathologic tau and neurodegeneration
· Examples of PET imaging for the different stages of AD and how imaging biomarkers predict cognitive decline
· The limitations of fluid biomarkers vs. imaging biomarkers to detect Alzheimer's disease
· Some of the emerging ultrasensitive biomarker detection methods in development for AD
· Using cerebral spinal fluids (CSF) vs. plasma biomarkers to identify Alzheimer's disease
· A comparison of the mass spectrometry vs. SIMOA methods of analyzing p-tau biomarkers
· Why Dr. Wang suggests blood biomarkers for AD screening (with confirmation by PET or CSF)
· Why SNAP-25, NfL and GFAP are not considered core biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease
· The ongoing search for better biomarkers and ultrasensitive detection methods for AD 

Connect with ASCP
ASCP
ASCP on Facebook
ASCP on Instagram
ASCP on Twitter 

Connect with Dr. Wang
Dr. Wang at Duke University 

Connect with Ms. Swails
Ms. Swails on Twitter

Resources
Dr. Wang’s Slides from the ASCP Annual Meeting 2023
‘NIA-AA Research Framework: Toward a Biological Definition of Alzheimer’s Disease’ in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association
Inside the Lab in the ASCP Store