Miniaturization and globalization of clinical laboratory activities

Abstract

Clinical laboratories provide an invaluable service to millions of people around the world in the form of quality diagnostic care. Within the clinical laboratory industry the impetus for change has come from technological development (miniaturization, nanotechnology, and their collective effect on point-of-care testing; POCT) and the increasingly global nature of laboratory services. Potential technological gains in POCT include: the development of bio-sensors, microarrays, genetics and proteomics testing, and enhanced web connectivity. In globalization, prospective opportunities lie in: medical tourism, the migration of healthcare workers, cross-border delivery of testing, and the establishment of accredited laboratories in previously unexplored markets. Accompanying these impressive opportunities are equally imposing challenges. Difficulty transitioning from research to clinical use, poor infrastructure in developing countries, cultural differences and national barriers to global trade are only a few examples. Dealing with the issues presented by globalization and the impact of developing technology on POCT, and on the clinical laboratory services industry in general, will be a daunting task. Despite such concerns, with appropriate countermeasures it will be possible to address the challenges posed. Future laboratory success will be largely dependent on one's ability to adapt in this perpetually shifting landscape.

Cross‐border reprogenetic services

“…Others reported that US centers invested in satellite clinics abroad for the supply of transport PGD . With transport PGD, CBRS enter the globalization of laboratory practices and participate in the intensification of the international circulation of human biological samples .…”

“…A test may be more attractive abroad because of its lower price . Large test volumes, new molecular diagnosis approaches combined with effective automation and a network of distant satellite clinics may produce important savings and lower the price in certain centers . For many clinics, resorting to transport PGD can be more economically attractive than investing in the development of a local PGD unit .…”

Fundamental Properties of One-Dimensional Zinc Oxide Nanomaterials and Implementations in Various Detection Modes of Enhanced Biosensing

“…With increasing miniaturization trends from the micro-to the nanoscale regime in biodetection technology (83–85), future applications of ZnO NRs may accordingly favor the use of single, rather than ensembles of, ZnO NRs as distinct detection elements, especially for in vivo imaging and in vitro assays requiring extremely low-volume and high-throughput analyses. Therefore, the previous studies discretely probing individual ZnO NRs may provide a basis for both the design of an optimized detection platform with large signal enhancement and accurate signal interpretation of fluorescence-based bioassays.…”

Physio-Environmental Sensing and Live Modeling

“…One may raise the point that from the perspective of a developing country, personalized applications might not be economically viable also because prevalent disease pattern differs. However, it is worth to note that the same devices and supportive infrastructure can be tweaked for both clinical and laboratory diagnosis at the health facility level [16]. Indeed, an initiative that is working to address this already exists—the MoDiSe [17].…”