Memento for interprofessional learning

The vast increase of technical, diagnostic, and treatment possibilities and deepened understanding of molecular biology has revolutionized diagnosis and treatment of cancer and thus has great impact on pathology. Different professionals are responsible for proper evaluation of the results and their translating into an accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment. Next to expertise, a close interaction between clinical molecular biologists, pathologists, and oncologists is required; it is crucial that these professionals speak “the same language.” Key to this is communication skills and creating possibilities for collaboration in a meaningful context. Here, we present an interprofessional, educational workshop model and we describe the parameters that contribute to effective learning by specialists

Research Report 2004–2005

The National Health and Medical Research Council Clinical Trials Centre has the purpose of improving outcomes in health through clinical trials research. It was established by the National Health and Medical Research Council in 1988 as a research centre at the University of Sydney. The CTC provides the knowledge and infrastructure to ensure the quality, timely completion and reporting of clinical trials. It has vast expertise in the design, conduct and analysis of randomised controlled trials, particularly in cancer and cardiovascular disease. Over 100 staff have specialised skills, taking in clinical trials design, biostatistics, database design, randomisation and drug distribution, outcome assessment, quality assurance, and regulatory and ethical issues. In the past 16 years, the CTC has participated in more than 50 investigatorinitiated, collaborative-group clinical trials and coordinated some of the largest randomised trials initiated by Australian investigators (LIPID and FIELD studies, each with over 9000 patients). Over 40 000 patients have been randomised to these trials. All clinical trials undertaken through the CTC are conducted strictly according to guidelines for clinical trials research and conduct, and are audited by sponsors, the CTC itself and regulatory authorities. The CTC has a history of working collaboratively with cooperative groups, clinical trial networks and other organisations, and has played a central role in establishing some of these groups. These activities have been recognised in increased grant funding to enable further collaboration and to increase the number of investigator-initiated trials in Australia. In its research, the CTC has prospered: it has developed strategies for patient recruitment, trial and data management, study coordination, information systems and randomisation in an environment of academic excellence. In addition to trials management, the CTC is a leader in biostatistical methodology and analysis and in systematic review of health evidence. The integrated expertise of the CTC staff is turned to good use in frequent educational activities in Australia and elsewhere. This report covers the CTC’s achievements for the biennium, 2004–2005

Standardized next-generation sequencing of immunoglobulin and T-cell receptor gene recombinations for MRD marker identification in acute lymphoblastic leukaemia; a EuroClonality-NGS validation study

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Revisit me: Flower colour evolution and bee discrimination

AIMS: Current immunohistochemical methods to study the expression of multiple proteins in a single tissue section suffer from several limitations. In this article, we report on sequential immunohistochemistry (S-IHC), a novel, easy method that allows the study of numerous proteins in a single tissue section, while requiring very limited optimization. METHODS AND RESULTS: In S-IHC, a tissue section is stained for multiple antibodies, with intermediate scanning of the section and elution of chromogen and antibodies. Overlays are made of the digital images, allowing assessment of multiple proteins in the same tissue section. We used S-IHC to study nine nodular lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin lymphomas (NLPHLs) and 10 T-cell-rich and histiocyte-rich diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (T/HRBCLs) for expression of cyclin D1, CD20, and CD68. We observed cyclin D1 expression in single tumour cells in 44% of NLPHLs and 60% of T/HRBCLs. Comparison of S-IHC with classic single immunohistochemical staining revealed discrepancies in eight cases (42%), demonstrating the difficulty of differentiating tumour cells from histiocytes on morphological grounds, and stressing the additional value of S-IHC. CONCLUSIONS: For research and diagnostic purposes, S-IHC is a promising technique that assesses the expression of numerous proteins in single tissue sections with complete architectural information, allowing phenotypic characterization of single cells

Quality control and quantification in IG/TR next-generation sequencing marker identification: protocols and bioinformatic functionalities by EuroClonality-NGS

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Next-generation sequencing of immunoglobulin gene rearrangements for clonality assessment: a technical feasibility study by EuroClonality-NGS

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High frequency of inactivating tetraspanin CD37 mutations in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma at immune-privileged sites

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Sex ratio biases in termites provide evidence for kin selection

Contains fulltext : 142755.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access)Molecular testing of tumor samples to guide treatment decisions is of increasing importance. Several drugs have been approved for treatment of molecularly defined subgroups of patients, and the number of agents requiring companion diagnostics for their prescription is expected to rapidly increase. The results of such testing directly influence the management of individual patients, with both false-negative and false-positive results being harmful for patients. In this respect, external quality assurance (EQA) programs are essential to guarantee optimal quality of testing. There are several EQA schemes available in Europe, but they vary in scope, size and execution. During a conference held in early 2012, medical oncologists, pathologists, geneticists, molecular biologists, EQA providers and representatives from pharmaceutical industries developed a guideline to harmonize the standards applied by EQA schemes in molecular pathology. The guideline comprises recommendations on the organization of an EQA scheme, defining the criteria for reference laboratories, requirements for EQA test samples and the number of samples that are needed for an EQA scheme. Furthermore, a scoring system is proposed and consequences of poor performance are formulated. Lastly, the contents of an EQA report, communication of the EQA results, EQA databases and participant manual are given