Exclusive By Pamela McGowan Health reporter

Last updated at 12:39, Friday, 30 March 2012

Hospital staff claim they are facing pay cuts totalling up to 11,000 a year as part of a controversial shake-up of pathology services.

Sean Gibson

They have until tomorrow to sign up to the new deal. If they refuse they could potentially be sacked and offered new jobs under the newterms.

The review affects about 18 pathology and blood sciences at the West Cumberland Hospital in Whitehaven and about the same number at the Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle.

These staff carry out essential services, such as testing for infections and cancers.

Bosses say the changes are part of national attempts to bring NHS pay into line. And they stress that no dismissal action will be taken until after a further consultation.

Staff say they face losing their night shift payments in favour of much lower unsocial hours rates. At the same time, many are being downgraded and facing salary cuts.

One pathology worker, who was too afraid to be named due to threats of disciplinary action, told the News & Star: Although we arent treated like it, we are frontline staff. Without us the hospital closes and without night shifts you couldnt run 24-hour A&E, maternity or intensive care services.

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Hospital staff facing pay cuts up to £11k

Exclusive By Pamela McGowan Health reporter

Last updated at 12:39, Friday, 30 March 2012

Hospital staff claim they are facing pay cuts totalling up to 11,000 a year as part of a controversial shake-up of pathology services.

Sean Gibson

They have until tomorrow to sign up to the new deal. If they refuse they could potentially be sacked and offered new jobs under the newterms.

The review affects about 18 pathology and blood sciences at the West Cumberland Hospital in Whitehaven and about the same number at the Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle.

These staff carry out essential services, such as testing for infections and cancers.

Bosses say the changes are part of national attempts to bring NHS pay into line. And they stress that no dismissal action will be taken until after a further consultation.

Staff say they face losing their night shift payments in favour of much lower unsocial hours rates. At the same time, many are being downgraded and facing salary cuts.

One pathology worker, who was too afraid to be named due to threats of disciplinary action, told the News & Star: Although we arent treated like it, we are frontline staff. Without us the hospital closes and without night shifts you couldnt run 24-hour A&E, maternity or intensive care services.

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Cumbrian hospitals staff facing pay cuts up to £11,000 - claim

Public release date: 29-Mar-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Andrew Chapple andrew.chapple@nbi.ac.uk 44-016-032-51490 Norwich BioScience Institutes

Professor Jonathan Jones of The Sainsbury Laboratory on the Norwich Research Park in the UK has been selected as the recipient of the 2012 E.C. Stakman Award, for his outstanding achievements in the field of plant pathology.

Professor Jones has made numerous and sustained contributions to the science of plant pathology. His group was among the first to isolate and characterize a plant disease resistance gene. By cloning the Cf-9 gene in 1994, he was the first to demonstrate that resistance induced in plants towards pathogens is based on specific classes of innate immune receptors. His work preceded the 1996 discovery of innate immune receptors in animal systems, which was recognized by the 2011 Nobel Prize in Medicine and Physiology. In essence, Professor Jones' discovery that an R gene codes for a receptor-like protein was a validation of the concept of gene-for-gene and elicitor-receptor interactions that originated from the work E.C. Stakman, Harold Flor, and other pioneers of plant pathology.

"Jonathan has played a leading role in plant molecular genetics for over 25 years, pioneering our understanding of plant disease resistance," said Professor Sophien Kamoun, head of The Sainsbury Laboratory. "He continues to break new ground in this highly competitive field, with broad ranging discoveries on plant immunity and mechanisms of pathogenesis. He also deserves kudos for his important conceptual contributions to the plant-microbe interactions field and his public stand on plant biotechnology issues."

Professor Jones has been a strong advocate of the use of transgenic approaches to control plant diseases, to ensure that his research can be applied to solve serious problems of disease in agriculture, and so be of greatest benefit worldwide. A field trial of late blight-resistant potatoes is testament to this practical approach and his efforts to engage with the public, media, farmers and NGOs during this trial have typified his open approach to talking about GM and plant biotechnology.

Jonathan Jones completed his Ph.D. in Plant Genetics at Peterhouse, Cambridge University in 1980. After completing his doctorate, he accepted a Post-doctoral Research Fellowship working on symbiotic nitrogen fixation with Professor Fred Ausubel at Harvard University. He then worked at Advanced Genetic Sciences (AGS), a startup agbiotech company, and in 1988 he joined the Sainsbury Laboratory in Norwich, UK.

Professor Jones was elected a member of European Molecular Biology Organization in 1998, and Fellow of the Royal Society in 2003. He is one of the most highly cited plant and animal scientists.

The E.C. Stakman Award is presented by the Department of Plant Pathology at the University of Minnesota to individuals of any country and nationality for outstanding achievements in plant pathology.

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Norwich scientist recognized for contributions to plant pathology

LONDON, March 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Based on its recent analysis of the in vitro diagnostics services market, Frost & Sullivan recognizes Targos Molecular Pathology GmbH with the 2011 European Frost & Sullivan Award for Customer Service Leadership. Targos is uniquely positioned to combine expertise in clinical and molecular pathology and highly standardised biomarker analysis with strict quality assurance.

Targos has superior time lines of service compared to its competitors, which have a turn-around-time (TAT) for not less than four days. Targos, on the other hand, has optimized the TAT for clinical tissue biomarker analysis to as low as 24 hours, enabling faster diagnostic test results and timely delivery of diagnostic services.

"The Targos team has proven its meticulousness, reliability and flexibility in handling small and very large projects to customers' satisfaction," said Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Srinivas Sashidhar. "It provides a wide range of biomarker and other diagnostic services for histopathology, tissue analysis, expression profiling, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) testing and related services including project, data and logistic management of biomarker studies."

Its services and expertise have appealed to customers, evidenced by the extension of long-term projects from 5 to 20 years. Targos' proficiency in in vitro diagnostics services has also allowed it to expand its customer base to more than 30 top pharmaceutical, biotech and diagnostic companies.

Targos has a well-organized cost structure, which can be tailored according to the project or service. The costs include project management, logistics management and data management fees. Its diagnostic service costs are lesser than its competitors'.

"The company has been inspected by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and participates in College of American Pathologists (CAP) proficiency testing and lab improvement programmes," notes Sashidhar. "Targos, in collaboration with its pathology partners, has acted as Good Clinical Practice-compliant patho-diagnostic reference centre for more than 75 pharmaco-diagnostic trials."

Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents this award to the company that demonstrates excellence in customer service leadership within its industry. The recipient company shows tremendous responsiveness to customer needs and continually focuses on long and short-term customer profitability goals. In addition, it demonstrates flexibility in tailoring its product offerings to suit customer businesses.

Frost & Sullivan Best Practices awards recognize companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis and extensive secondary research to identify best practices in the industry.

About Targos Molecular Pathology GmbH

Targos Molecular Pathology GmbH since 2005 has established itself as a preferred service provider for standardized analytics of clinical biomarkers. Targos central lab services allow its customers to perform global diagnostic and pharmaceutical approval trials under strict quality standards and lowest possible turn-around times for molecular pathology analyses. Targos thrives for steady improvement of service quality and portfolio and has currently 70 employees in three German sites.

Originally posted here:
Frost & Sullivan Acclaims Targos for Rapidly Establishing Itself as a Leader in Customer-Oriented Biomarker Services ...

Public release date: 27-Mar-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Mary Steele Williams mwilliams@amp.org 301-634-7921 Association for Molecular Pathology

Bethesda, MD -- Now that the Supreme Court has remanded Association for Molecular Pathology et al. v. Myriad Genetics, Inc., et al. (AMP v. Myriad) to the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit for further consideration, AMP is optimistic that it will ultimately prevail in its lawsuit to invalidate patents on two genes that are known to cause breast cancer.

"Our members have witnessed the adverse effects of gene patents on patient care," stated Iris Schrijver, AMP President. "By awarding monopolies in testing of patented genes, these patents reduce patient access to genetic tests, increase test prices, and stand in the way of innovations in diagnostic methods." Further, Dr. Schrijver added, "Because variation in gene sequences plays an important role in the development and progression of many diseases, through gene patents patent holders can essentially gain ownership of the understanding of some diseases and of certain areas of patient care itself."

Stated Roger D. Klein, MD, JD, Chair of the AMP Professional Relations Committee: "We were extremely encouraged by the Supreme Court's reaffirmation in its Prometheus decision of the longstanding principle that natural phenomena are not patent eligible. In Prometheus, the Supreme Court clearly ruled that the correlation between a biomarker and a clinical phenotype cannot be patented. Similarly, in light of this decision we expect that the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit will ultimately find that patents on natural products, in this case BRCA1 and BRCA2, cannot be used to exclude physicians and others from examining their patient's genes for disease-related variants."

In its original decision, the Appeals Court held that human gene sequences are patentable subject matter when separated from their native state within cells. This is really a 'form versus substance' argument, said Mary Williams, AMP Executive Director. "A disease-causing mutation means the same thing for the patient irrespective of whether a gene is examined inside or outside the patient's body."

"AMP is looking forward to the proceedings in the lower court. We are confident that optimal patient care and sound science will ultimately prevail," stated Williams.

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ABOUT AMP:

The Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP) is an international medical professional association dedicated to the advancement, practice, and science of clinical molecular laboratory medicine and translational research based on the applications of molecular biology, genetics, and genomics. For more information, please visit http://www.amp.org.

Originally posted here:
AMP optimistic in suit to invalidate patents on breast cancer genes

03/27/2012 . Warbringer will return to the road in May for a North American tour with Destruction for their 30th anniversary tour which will also feature Vital Remains, and Pathology.

The trek will run from May 8th to June 3rd, and after that, Warbringer will appear at various high-profile Summer festival appearances in Europe.

Vocalist John Kevill checked in to comment about these upcoming shows: "Hey all! Checking in at the end of the Iced Earth and Symphony X tour. We had a great time with those guys, there was a slew of incredible shows with awesome heavy metal fans in abundance, and a bunch of good times with both of those fine bands! Shame to say goodbye to them, but we're on our way home now to recuperate Before beginning out next tour with German thrash metal legends Destruction, on their 30th anniversary tour! We never rest long, the war rages on! We'll see you guys out on the road again in May, prepare to be annihilated!

We're also very excited about the way our summer is shaping up. We have about a dozen European festivals confirmed and we look forward to sharing some amazing experiences ravaging the large crowds, big stages and all the fun times to be had with all the other great bands also performing."

antiMUSIC News featured on RockNews.info and Yahoo News

...end

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Destruction Anniversary Tour Features Warbringer, Vital Remains, and Pathology

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On page 18 of this months' CAP Today within in article dedicated to "AP IT" is an ad from PathCentral mentioning the work of Dr. Greg Henderson and using onboard Wi-Fi, the ability to acccess a web-based LIS solution and review whole slide images from 35,000 feet as part of a non-profit health care initiative. 

 

Talk about cloud computing.  

Mobile devices, ubiquitous high speed bandwidth and web-based LIS systems allow for slide review and diagnoses independent of geography, even if you are flying over a fly-over state.

Check out the free online CAP Today publication for thoughts from many on the current state of "AP IT" and CAP Today's review of AP LIS systems this month. 

 

 

 

 

 

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Great time had by all.  Many thanks to EW for the tickets.  Beautiful new jetBlue Park. 

 

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More news during week of USCAP:

Falls Church, VA – March 19, 2012 – Apollo, the leading provider of collaborative clinical multimedia management solutions for the healthcare industry, today announced that it has entered into an agreement with ViewsIQ to interface Panoptiq™, an innovative slide imaging technology, with Apollo’s Enterprise Patient Media Manager (Apollo EPMM®). 

 

Apollo EPMM brings together all clinical media related to an individual patient from throughout the medical enterprise and makes it immediately and easily available to authorized personnel.  This gives healthcare professionals the ability to securely collaborate while using their own best practices. The result is a more integrated clinical team, a dramatic increase in workflow efficiency and effectiveness, and improved patient outcomes at a lower cost.

For laboratory applications, Apollo's solution automatically collects media such as digital slides, gross images, cytology and other imaging modalities from the original source.  Cross-referenced with pictures, videos and other media from multiple specialties throughout the enterprise, pathologists and clinicians get a complete picture of the patient on demand, in a secure, compliant form that enables real-time consults.

ViewsIQ Panoptiq enables pathologists to create panoramic images of their slides in real-time at extremely high resolution with their own microscopes. Trialed by top pathologists at premier healthcare institutions in Canada, Panoptiq integrates seamlessly with the workflow of the pathologist. With Panoptiq, pathologists can see and communicate the microscopic view of the slide more effectively and conveniently.

 “The interfacing of Panoptiq with Apollo EPMM will dramatically enhance the clinical image integration and management capabilities for pathologists and laboratory users,” said Mark Newburger, Apollo CEO, “as well as enabling healthcare providers across the enterprise to access these images immediately.”

“The ability for healthcare providers to access Panoptiq images securely from any location adds significant value to patient care.” said Herman Lo, CEO of ViewsIQ. “With the inclusion of Panoptiq in the total Apollo EPMM solution, we can now offer a robust and comprehensive management, access and storage solution for Panoptiq slide images.” 

About Apollo

Apollo EPMM is an enterprise-wide solution that enables all authorized providers in the healthcare chain to collaborate for the benefit of the patient.  Apollo's EPMM uses the providers’ own best practices by incorporating systems already in place and adds the ability to consult in real-time with the entire clinical team in a cost- effective, flexible, compliant and secure environment.   While others promise easy, secure, specialty-specific access throughout the enterprise, Apollo delivers it today at marquis institutions throughout the United States and Canada.  For more information visit http://www.apollopacs.com and follow us on Twitter. Visit Apollo at USCAP Booth #317.

About ViewsIQ

 ViewsIQ is a Canadian healthcare technology company that develops microscopy imaging solutions for academic institutions and clinical laboratories. Its recent innovation called Panoptiq enables pathologists to create and view panoramic images of their slides in real-time with no delay to their workflow. Healthcare and academic institutions in North America are adopting Panoptiq at a growing pace. For more information please visit our website at http://www.viewsiq.ca, and follow us on Twitter and YouTube.  Visit ViewsIQ at USCAP Booth #814.

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Public release date: 21-Mar-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Mary Steele Williams mwilliams@amp.org 301-634-7321 Association for Molecular Pathology

Bethesda, MD, March 21, 2012: "The Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP) applauds the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling today in the case of Mayo Collaborative Services v. Prometheus Laboratories as a victory for patients and for the advancement of personalized medicine," stated Iris Schrijver, MD, the Organization's President. AMP, an international professional society representing more than 2000 physicians, doctoral scientists, and medical technologists, joined 10 other medical and healthcare organizations in filing an amicus brief with the Court in support of Mayo Clinic. AMP is also the lead plaintiff in Association for Molecular Pathology v. U.S. Patent and Trademark Office that challenges the validity of patents on two human genes associated with hereditary breast and ovarian cancer and is currently under review by the High Court.

"Prometheus acknowledged that physicians can infringe the patent by merely thinking about the relationship between drug metabolite levels and patient response," asserted Dr. Schrijver. "It is encouraging that the Court recognized that the Prometheus patents neither promote the advancement of medical practice, nor benefit patient care".

"In Prometheus, the Court wisely recognized that overly broad patents can inhibit innovation," stated Jennifer Hunt, MD, MEd, the Organization's President-Elect. "Establishing a drug reference range is important, but standard work for laboratory physicians. Awarding monopolies over the medical use of natural, biological relationships stifles innovation in true diagnostic test methods and obstructs improvements for patient care."

AMP believes the Supreme Court's reasoning in Mayo v. Prometheus extends to patents that claim ownership over another type of natural phenomenon, the biological relationships between genetic variants and clinical disease. Such relationships are at the heart of personalized medicine. "Patients are increasingly being disadvantaged by gene correlation patents," stated Roger D. Klein, MD, JD, Chair of AMP's Professional Relations Committee. As an example, Dr. Klein cited a method patent relating to a variation in a gene known as FLT3 that is used to qualify some leukemia patients for bone marrow transplant.

Enforcement of the FLT3 patent by a private company has been forcing physicians and laboratories to split and geographically distribute irreplaceable bone marrow specimens. "Splitting samples creates an additional risk of specimen loss and delays the receipt of patient results" stated Dr. Klein. "In addition, it interferes with the ability of pathologists to provide synoptic interpretations involving multiple tests, and prevents them from implementing cost saving algorithms that limit unnecessary testing. The Supreme Court's ruling is clearly a win both for our patients and for personalized healthcare."

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ABOUT AMP:

The Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP) is an international medical professional association dedicated to the advancement, practice, and science of clinical molecular laboratory medicine and translational research based on the applications of molecular biology, genetics, and genomics. For more information, please visit http://www.amp.org.

Continued here:
AMP applauds Supreme Court ruling: Sees win for patients and personalized medicine

Newswise LONDON (March 21, 2012) Wolters Kluwer Health announced today the release of an iPad app for the medical journal, Pathology. The app provides health care professionals with full mobile accessibility to the latest research into all aspects of pathology. Pathology is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (LWW), part of Wolters Kluwer Health on behalf of the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia (RCPA).

Pathology for the iPad uses optimized digital technology to provide a fully portable and enhanced print-like reading experience. It is the first iPad app available that offers access to the very latest original scientific research and reviews into pathology.

The RCPA is delighted that the cutting edge research and review topics published in Pathology will now be available via an iPad app said Professor Brett Delahunt, Editor of Pathology. Such convenient and user-friendly access will allow pathologists to fit journal reading more easily into their busy schedules. This, in turn will help them in applying advancements in medicine into their important daily work, ensuring patients receive the best of care.

Were delighted to partner with the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia to bring the Pathology journal iPad app to members offering a dynamic, integrated experience with their journal, added Karen Abramson, President and CEO of Wolters Kluwer Health Medical Research.

Along with full-text downloads of each issue, the new app allows the user to: Share articles via email or social media Adjust text sizing with "pinch and zoom" View multimedia videos, images, and supplements Store or delete downloaded issues Browse issues via Quick View Scroll quickly through abstract summaries Receive notifications about new issues Link to the journal website (www.rcpa-pathologyjournal.com) for additional reading and searching archives, etc.

The Pathology iPad app is available free of charge from the App StoreSM. The April 2012 issue is also free for users to experience the app. Once access controls are applied, future issues will only be available to subscribers and RCPA fellows.

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About Pathology Pathology Official Journal of the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia (RCPA) is committed to publishing peer-reviewed, original articles related to the science of pathology in its broadest sense, including anatomical pathology, chemical pathology and biochemistry, cytopathology, experimental pathology, forensic pathology and morbid anatomy, genetics, haematology, immunology and immunopathology, microbiology and molecular pathology.

About the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia The Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia (RCPA) has been responsible for the training and professional development of pathologists for more than fifty years. It is also responsible for the promotion of the science and practice of Pathology. The principal object of the College is: to promote the study of the science and practice of Pathology in relation to medicine; to encourage research in pathology and ancillary sciences, to bring together pathologists for their common benefit and for scientific discussions and demonstrations; and to disseminate knowledge of the principles and practice of pathology in relation to medicine by such means as may be thought fit.

About Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (LWW) is a leading international publisher of trusted content delivered in innovative ways to practitioners, professionals and students to learn new skills, stay current on their practice, and make important decisions to improve patient care and clinical outcomes.

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Wolters Kluwer Health Releases First Medical Journal iPad(r) App in Pathology

MONTREAL, QUEBEC--(Marketwire -03/20/12)- Aurora Interactive announced today that it has joined the Hitachi Data Systems Technology Alliance Program. This will allow Aurora to deliver data management and digital pathology solutions to their clients, giving clients timely control of their data and medical choices.

"Aurora is proud to join the Hitachi Data Systems Technology Alliance Program. Hitachi Data Systems is a globally respected leader in the IT industry, and one of the premier technology and services providers to the medical field. Joining this program will allow us to seamlessly fulfill the needs of our clients who have taken the next step in digital pathology adoption and require universal and vendor neutral mass data management solutions. Our participation in the Hitachi Data Systems Technology Alliance Program is fully aligned with our strategy of universality and interoperability and our commitment to giving our clients control over their data and medical choices. As HDS believes that data drives our world and information is the new currency, Aurora believes that timely and efficient data and information access is the key to better patient care and outcomes," stated Pierre Le Fevre, President and Chief Executive Officer, Aurora Interactive.

"Hitachi Data Systems would like to welcome Aurora Interactive to our Technology Alliance Program. We strongly believe in partnering with best-in-breed providers to bring our clients leading technologies to pair with our data management systems. Aurora Interactive is an ideal digital pathology partner for us," said Dave Wilson, senior director, Global Health Solutions,, Hitachi Data Systems.

About Aurora Interactive Ltd.

Aurora Interactive has developed the leading web based software platform (mScope) for simplification, productivity and ease of communications. mScope's Universal Web Viewer has collaborative tools to view medical slides and images anytime, anywhere, regardless of file format. The software has four applications to aid digital pathology web based communications needs: mScope Education, mScope Clinical, mScope Research and mScope Universal Viewer.

Aurora's mission is to improve patient outcomes and help members of the medical community achieve their full potential by eliminating the learning, diagnostic and collaborative restrictions imposed by time and space.

http://www.aurorainteractive.com

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Aurora Joins Hitachi Data Systems Technology Alliance Program to Offer Best- In-Breed Data Management and Digital ...