What are ways to encourage medical laboratory professionals to take the ASCP International Certification exam? How do professionals in other countries perceive becoming ASCPⁱ credentialed? Those were some of the questions raised at a dinner that ASCP Board of Certification (BOC) hosted for members of its International Advisory Boards, who attended the 30th World Congress of Biomedical Laboratory Science (IFBLS), held Aug. 18–22 in Berlin, Germany. Read more

The 2012 ASCP Annual Meeting will feature new laboratory technology that has the potential to bring the pathologist to the frontlines of patient care—from the laboratory to the bedside. Read more

Federal Appeals Court Upholds Earlier Gene Patent Ruling
Last month, a divided U.S. Federal Circuit Court of Appeals upheld its ruling that gives Myriad Genetics the right to patent BRCA 1 and BRCA2, two genes that are linked to increased rates of breast and ovarian cancer. The patents allow Myriad to be the exclusive U.S. commercial provider of screening assays for these genes, and permit the company to determine the terms and price for testing, making it impossible for women to access alternate tests or obtain a second opinion about their results. The patents also give Myriad the authority to prohibit researchers from investigating these genes without first gaining permission. Read more

The laboratory is an integral part in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of HIV and related diseases, said panelist Ian Lemieux, RN, MPH, MLS(ASC)^CM, at a satellite meeting hosted by ASCP at the 2012 International AIDS Conference in Washington, DC, last month. Read more