Latest News

  • Gene Expression Pattern Distinguishes Between Viral and Bacterial Infections

    Labroots | Stanford scientists identified a specific pattern of gene expression that occurs across different viral infections.

    Dec 18, 2015
  • Early Detection of Ovarian Cancer May Become Possible

    The New York Times | A screening test may reduce deaths from the hard-to-detect disease, but it needs more study to determine whether it holds up statistically.

    Dec 18, 2015
  • Novogene, Illumina Collaborate on Prenatal Diagnostic for Chinese Market

    Diagnostics World Brief | Novogene and Illumina today announced an agreement to jointly develop advanced clinical applications in the fields of reproductive health and oncology based on next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology. The two companies will work together to develop a user-friendly diagnostic system for clinical prenatal DNA and oncology testing in the Chinese market.

    Dec 14, 2015
  • Nanomedical Diagnostics Appoints Scientific Advisory Board

    Diagnostics World News Brief | San Diego-based Nanomedical Diagnostics has appointed a scientific advisory board to guide early development of a portable diagnostic platform, beginning with a rapid test for Lyme disease.

    Dec 11, 2015
  • Deadline Extended for Swimming with Sharks Competition

    Diagnostics World | The deadline has been extended for entry into the 2nd Annual Swimming with the Sharks competition to be held at CHI’s Molecular Medicine Triconference in San Francisco in March. Companies now have until December 31 to submit their entries.

    Dec 10, 2015
  • Whole Exome Sequencing Study Reports Diagnostic Rates

    Diagnostics World | In a paper published last week in Genetics in Medicine, GeneDx reported the results of whole exome sequence analysis for 3,040 cases the company sequenced over three years. Based on their experiences, the researchers recommend that whole exome sequencing increasingly be considered as a first-line diagnostic test.

    Dec 9, 2015
  • Lab Staple Agar Hit by Global Seaweed Shortage

    Nature News | Dwindling algae harvests imperil a reagent essential for culturing microbes in the lab.

    Dec 8, 2015
  • Defense Department Raised Worries About Theranos with FDA in 2012

    Washington Post | Internal emails show that a military official started an inquiry with the FDA about Theranos's regulatory compliance years before the company's current travails.

    Dec 2, 2015
  • Quanterix Prepares for Expansion with Upgraded Single Molecule Analysis Machine

    Diagnostics World | Quanterix, the Lexington, Mass.-based creator of a high-throughput protein analysis instrument, is overhauling its hardware and software as it prepares for a more commercial stage in its development.

    Nov 25, 2015
  • FDA Targets Inaccurate Medical Tests

    New York Times | As the FDA continues to seek more authority to regulate laboratory developed tests, the agency has released information from 20 case studies of inaccurate or unreliable tests.

    Nov 24, 2015
  • Thermo Fisher Prepares for NGS Cancer Testing with Pharma Partners

    Diagnostics World | Thermo Fisher Scientific announced this week that it will be creating a next-generation sequencing test as a companion diagnostic in cases of non-small cell lung cancer, partnering with Novartis and Pfizer.

    Nov 20, 2015
  • As PSA Tests Fall, Will More Men Die of Prostate Cancer?

    STAT | After physician groups raised concerns about overdiagnosis and overtreatment of prostate cancer, fewer men are having PSA tests, with unknown results for public health.

    Nov 20, 2015
  • CLARITY Undiagnosed Competition Reveals Disparity Among Variant Reports

    Diagnostics World Boston Children’s Hospital has announced the results of the CLARITY Undiagnosed challenge, the second CLARITY crowdsourced competition sponsored by the Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research at Boston Children's and the Department of Biomedical Informatics (DBMI) at Harvard Medical School. CLARITY 2 exposed disparity in the ways variants are translated into medical findings, especially in particularly challenging cases.

    Nov 17, 2015
  • Confronting the Causes of Diagnostic Error

    Diagnostics World | The New England Journal of Medicine has published an opinion piece by Drs. Hardeep Singh and Mark Graber, calling for healthcare reforms to reduce the rate of diagnostic errors. According to a recent report by the Institute of Medicine, a typical American can expect to receive at least one misdiagnosis in the course of his or her lifetime.

    Nov 11, 2015
  • QIAGEN Launches GeneReader DNA Sequencer with 12-Gene Cancer Panel

    Bio-IT World | Unveiling a next-generation sequencer with full automation from sample to answer, QIAGEN hopes that its flexible pricing and focus on ease of use will encourage a large number of small-to-midsize clinical labs to adopt in-house genetic testing.

    Nov 10, 2015
  • FDA Warns Three Companies Over DTC Genetic Tests

    Regulatory Focus | The FDA has sent letters to DNA4Life, DNA-CardioCheck, and Interleukin Genetics informing them that it considers their genetic tests direct-to-consumer products that require regulatory clearance.

    Nov 10, 2015
  • Rapid Growth of Waived Tests Exposes Patients to Testing Errors

    Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | From glucose checks to drug tests, medical facilities perform thousands of tests without oversight. But a government check last year found that more than half of them failed to follow safe policies.

    Nov 9, 2015
  • Hospitals Turn to a New Weapon Against Sepsis

    MIT Technology Review | Sepsis affects more than a million people every year in the U.S. alone, and diagnosis can take five days. T2 Biosystems can cut the time to five hours.

    Nov 4, 2015
  • TAI Diagnostics Developing a Liquid Biopsy for Transplant Failure

    Xconomy | Milwaukee's TAI Diagnostics has raised $8.3 million to create a non-invasive blood test for heart transplant recipients that measures levels of cell-free DNA to gauge the risk of organ failure.

    Nov 4, 2015