PHARMACEUTICAL
CLINICAL
CHEMICAL
FOOD
w w w. b i o s c i e n c e w o r l d . c a
Perfect Homogenization of Food Samples
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ENVIRONMENT
SEPTEMBER 2011 Volume 15, Number 5
Trends in Laboratory Automation in the Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology Industry Sector
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R&D News.......................... 1 Appointments..................... 6 Pharma Notes..................... 7 New Products................... 15 Calendar........................... 17 Career Spotlight............... 18
CERVICAL CANCER SCREENING LAB RECEIVES CAP ACCREDITATION
Cytotechnologist examines Pap slide in Cervical Cancer Screening Laboratory (CCSL). Photo: Cameron Heryet, BC Cancer Agency.
The British Columbia Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) announces that its Cervical Cancer Screening Lab (CCSL) at the BC Cancer Agency has been granted full accreditation status by the College of American Pathologists (CAP). This is the first time CAP has accredited an anatomic pathology laboratory in BC. CCSL, a division of PHSA Laboratories, provides gynecological cytology interpretations. It implemented the world’s first organized cervical cancer screening program. Associated with the provincial Cervical Cancer Screening Program at the BC Cancer Agency, an agency of the PHSA, this laboratory performs the Pap screening for the entire province, with cytotechnologists screening approximately 600,000 smears annually. The lab also tests for Human Papillomavirus (HPV) as needed. CAP is the world’s largest association composed exclusively of pathologists certified by the American Board of Pathology and is widely considered the leader in laboratory quality assurance. The
goal of the CAP Laboratory Accreditation Program is to improve patient safety by advancing the quality of pathology and laboratory services through education, standard setting and ensuring laboratories meet or exceed regulatory requirements. Upon successful completion of the inspection process, the laboratory is awarded CAP accreditation and becomes part of a select group of more than 7,000 laboratories worldwide that have met the highest standards of excellence. “The CAP accreditation standard is regarded as one of the most stringent standards for laboratory accreditation,” says Dr. Dirk van Niekerk, Medical director, CCSL and Medical leader, Cervical Cancer Screening Program. “The CAP Program assures that a laboratory meets the highest standards of excellence by producing high quality test results that positively impact patient care. This achievement has an additional honor for the Cervical Cancer Screening Lab in that it is the first anatomic pathology laboratory in BC to achieve CAP accreditation.”
EDMONTON BECOMES NORTH AMERICAN MICROSCOPE LEADER Thanks to an international collaboration, Canadian companies will now have access to a uniquely configured transmission electron microscope, the first of its kind outside of Japan. It is one of Publications Mail Registration Number: 40052410
three new microscopes that were unveiled at the official opening of the Hitachi Electron Microscopy Products Centre (HEMiC) at the National Institute for Nanotechnology Continued on page 3
