EDITOR'S PAGE
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A number of trends in laboratory medicine directly affect the evolution of the clinical chemistry lab. All of these trends are connected to reducing costs and trying to get work done with fewer lab personnel, since lab technologists are becoming a rare resource and there is pressure to maintain quick results turnaround.
The first effect of these trends is automating the preanalytical sample-preparation steps of registering the sample in the laboratory information system, centrifuging the blood tubes, and preparing them to be sampled. The second effect is consolidating high-volume immunoassays onto a single workstation with clinical chemistries.
Another trend is emerging as the post-genomic era unfolds. Increasing numbers of specimens will arrive in the laboratory for molecular tests. Laboratory automation will need to evolve to maintain closed-tube sampling for DNA analysis because of the increased possibility of cross-contamination. It is expected that all automated lab instruments will be expected to offer cap piercing.
Moreover, the intense consolidation among IVD manufacturers, commoditization of most chemistry offerings, and increasing price pressures have pushed the cost per test of routine chemistries to low levels. The average 1-2% annual growth in this segment derives from new tests in the areas of lipid analysis, proteins, hormone and enzymes related to research in diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and other acute and chronic conditions.
Taking into account such trends, this issue discusses some of the latest technology developments in instrumentation development.
Author James Rigo of Beckman Coulter Inc. (Fullerton, CA) discusses how closed-tube sampling (CTS) has expanded beyond hematology testing to deliver benefits to clinical chemistry testing. His article, “Closed-Tube Sampling: Providing Safety Benefits and Beyond," examines how CTS has introduced various benefits into the lab, including improved worker safety, reduced stress, and enhanced patient test results.
Author Rob Howard of Norgren Life Sciences (Littleton, CO) discusses how IVD manufacturers can reduce instrument development costs while attaining higher levels of accuracy, precision, flexibility, and speed by outsourcing key subassemblies such as precision fluidic systems. His article, “Using a Codevelopment Partner to Add Value to the Product Development Cycle," draws technical examples from the author’s experience in consulting with OEMs on fluidic components.
For the In Person interview, IVD Technology spoke with Helmut Koehler, PhD, executive managing director of Olympus Life Science Europa GmbH and Olympus Life Science Research Europa GmbH (Munich). In this interview, Koehler talks about finding ways to make analyzers more versatile, balancing evolutionary and revolutionary changes in technology, and the importance of giving customers what they ask for.
