QuidelOrtho Science BYTES Podcast

A Comprehensive Discussion of Reference Intervals

Reference intervals (RIs) are a fundamental decision support tool used by clinicians and lab professionals to interpret laboratory reports and assess an individual’s health status. The establishment of reference intervals, however, can be challenging due to many physiological factors that influence their values and heterogeneities that inherently exist in populations.

 

In this podcast, Dr. Lindy Crimmins will provide a comprehensive explanation of the influencing factors and evolving methodology of RIs from how they are established to how they are advancing.

 

About Our Speaker: 

Dr. Lindy Crimmins is a Manager of Medical Affairs at QuidelOrtho. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Medical Degree from the University of Illinois. Her clinical experience spanned from Emergency Medicine to critical care to primary care. Her time in the industry focused on clinical chemistry and point-of-care technical support prior to Medical and Scientific Affairs. Currently, she is responsible for providing medical support for QuidelOrtho’s acute care menu throughout the product lifecycle.

The Surprising Benefits of Becoming a Repeat Blood Donor

Each year 4.5 million lives are saved by blood transfusions thanks to blood donations. More than 118 million units of blood are donated worldwide every year but less than 10% of people who can donate blood will give. These repeat blood donors enjoy benefits of their own while providing their lifesaving gift. Donating blood burns 650 calories, reduces stress, provides an emotional lift and has physiological benefits.

In this podcast, Dr. Mark A. Levine shares the critical importance of blood donation and how repeat donors enjoy both emotional and physical health benefits.

 

About Our Speaker: 

Dr. Levine is an award-winning physician and lecturer with interests in health professional education, the history of medicine and community empowerment. For 14 years, he served as Chief Medical Officer at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in Denver. Dr. Levine founded the Colorado Patient Safety Coalition and served as chair of the American Medical Association’s Council on Ethical & Judicial Affairs. He received his bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University and medical degree from Temple University School of Medicine. 

Dr. Levine’s father, Dr. Phillip Levine, was a pioneering hematologist who joined Ortho Products in 1944 and his breakthrough discovery of Rh factor led to advancements in hemolytic disease of the newborn and safe blood transfusions saving countless lives.

Managing Febrile Transfusion Reactions

Transfusion reactions are adverse events associated with the transfusion of whole blood or one of its components. They range in severity from minor to life-threatening and can occur during a transfusion, termed acute transfusion reactions, or days to weeks later, termed delayed transfusion reactions. Transfusion reactions may be difficult to diagnose as they can present with non-specific, often overlapping symptoms. The most common signs and symptoms include fever, chills, urticaria, and itching. Some symptoms may resolve with little or no treatment. However, respiratory distress, high fever, hypotension, and hemoglobinuria may indicate a more serious reaction. All cases of suspected reactions should prompt immediate discontinuation of the transfusion and notification of the blood bank and treating clinician. Learn in this podcast episode the evaluation and management of transfusion reactions and highlights the role of interprofessional team members in collaborating to provide well-coordinated care and enhance outcomes for affected patients.

 

About our Speaker: 

Dr. Aaron Tobian received his medical degrees from Case Western Reserve University. He is highly involved with the transfusion medicine community serving on the Association for the Advancement of Blood and Biotherapies' Board of Directors and is president-elect of the board. Dr. Tobian has authored more than 300 peer-reviewed articles in journals, including The New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, Blood, and TRANSFUSION, and has been featured on BBC World Service, Today Show, National Public Radio, and USA Today. He is board certified in clinical pathology and blood banking/transfusion medicine and divides his time between research and clinical service. 

Partial D Phenotype and Hemolytic Disease in Babies

Alloimmune hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn (HDFN) may occur when a pregnant woman has an antibody against an antigen on the fetal red cells inherited from the father. Many antibodies to red blood cell antigens can cause HDFN, including those from the ABO, Rh, and other blood group systems. Women can develop antibodies either through previous pregnancy or transfusion. 
Fatal consequences from this disorder have become rare with the appropriate use of immunoprophylaxis. However, to avoid the fatal consequences of this disorder, prompt recognition and treatment are vital. The risk for HDFN can be identified by testing the mother with an ABO group/Rh and antibody screen during the pregnancy. RhD HDFN can be prevented through passive anti-D administration to suppress the mother’s immune response against the fetal RhD antigen. 
Some women may exhibit weak or discrepant results on RhD typing, or current results may differ from historical results. A common type of RhD variant is the weak D phenotype. Women with this phenotype have a weak expression of the RhD antigen and may present with variable RhD typing depending on the antisera or testing method used in the laboratory. Another type of RhD variant is the partial D phenotype where the RhD antigen is altered, potentially allowing an individual to form alloantibodies to the epitopes on RhD-positive red blood cells that are different than their own. 
In this podcast episode, we will discuss the types of HDFN, the role that partial D groups, and the presence of anti-D as it relates to its prevalence, prognosis, and management.

 

About our Speaker:

Dr. Genghis Lopez is a Senior Scientist at the Australian Red Cross Lifeblood in Brisbane, Australia. Genghis received his Ph.D. degree from Griffith University, Australia. At Lifeblood, he worked at the Platelet and Granulocyte Reference Laboratory and Red Cell Reference Laboratory and is now part of the Transfusion Science research team that investigates complex red cell blood group variants. He has published several papers in Vox Sanguinis and Transfusion journals reporting novel red cell antigens, novel blood types, and red cell antibodies including several associated with hemolytic transfusion reactions or hemolytic disease of the fetus and the newborn.

The Role of IVD To Detect Thyroid Disorders and Ensure Proper Treatment

According to the American Thyroid Association, as many as 60 percent of those with a thyroid disorder are unaware of their condition, and women are 5 to 8 times more likely than men to develop thyroid disease. If left untreated, thyroid dysfunction increases an individual’s risk for other serious conditions such as cardiovascular disease, infertility and osteoporosis.

Laboratory testing plays an important role to help diagnose and monitor thyroid disease states. 

 

About our Speaker:

Dr. Rea Castro is the Director of Medical Affairs at QuidelOrtho. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Medical Technology from the University of Santo Tomas and a Medical Degree from the University of the East in the Philippines, and a Master’s in Public Health from Northern Illinois University in the United States. She has experience in both clinical and biotechnology product development covering multiple therapeutic areas. As the head of Medical Affairs, she is responsible for providing medical support of QuidelOrtho’s products throughout the assay lifecycle. Her clinical focus before going into the industry was in Women’s Health.

How Are Blood Groups Discovered?

The fascinating history of the discovery of blood groups goes back to 1900 with the breakthrough that came when Dr. Karl Landsteiner, an Austrian scientist, discovered three human blood groups. These were the A, B, and O blood groups. Two students who worked with Karl Landsteiner discovered the fourth human blood group, the AB. These two were A. van Decastello and A. Sturli. These four blood groups together are what we today know as the ABO blood group system.

In this podcast episode with Dr. Jill Storry, you will learn the fascinating journey behind discovering blood groups and stay up to date on the latest blood groups that have been discovered. 

About our Speaker: 

Jill Storry, PhD, Lund University, Sweden 

Dr. Jill Storry is a professor at the Division of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University, and is responsible for the immunohematology laboratories in the Department of Clinical Immunology and Transfusion Medicine. She is an American Association of Blood Banking (AABB) National Blood Foundation Scholar for her discovery of the genetic basis of the Vel blood group system. Her awards include the British Blood Transfusion Society’s Margaret Kenwright and Race & Sanger awards, the AABB’s Sally Frank Award, and an ISBT award for outstanding contributions to education. Dr. Storry has authored more than 60 original papers, reviews, and textbooks, and spoken at more than 100 international and national conferences and courses. She is a member of the editorial board of Transfusion Medicine Reviews, Transfusion and Immunohematology, and section editor for Vox Sanguinis.

The Evolving Cybersecurity Environment in Laboratories

The cybersecurity landscape continues to evolve. Health Care Companies Are the #1 Target for Cyberattacks and Data Breaches. The pace of the release of cybersecurity guidance and regulations for medical devices across the globe has been accelerating. Globally, some regulatory bodies have restricted their guidance to premarket concerns, and others have provided guidelines to include post-market considerations. One of the key tenants of all post-market cybersecurity guidance and regulations is the manufacturer’s responsibility to evaluate and maintain their product cybersecurity continually. This additional level of scrutiny and regulations only increases the need to act now. To prepare for and combat these cyberattacks, healthcare companies must make the necessary investments in people, processes, and technology. A reactive approach to cybersecurity is no longer feasible. It’s time to anticipate and prevent these attacks before they even arrive. Learn in this episode how new, predictive technologies analyze past threats to identify future threats. Ideally, this results in the detection of potentially harmful files or behaviors before an attack is successful.

 

About Our Speaker:
As Ortho Clinical Diagnostic’s Chief Information Security Officer, Patty Ryan is responsible for defining the firm’s global Information Security strategy, roadmap, and operating infrastructure. Partnering globally with IT, Compliance, Commercial, Regulatory, Legal, Quality, R&D, and Strategic Marketing resources, she ensures that all Information Security controls operate effectively and efficiently, that staff is aware of their responsibility to protect client and proprietary information, and that the security team defines and manages information risk appropriately. Patty has over 30 years of IT experience, over half of that in Information Security executive positions. She has worked in financial services (Bankers Trust, Citi, CitiStreet), life sciences (Johnson & Johnson), and legal (Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen, and Loewy LLP) and brings a wide range of experience to Ortho. She holds a BA in Economics from Columbia College, Columbia University, and an Executive MBA from the Stern School of Business at New York University. 

Diagnostic Testing for Type I/II Diabetes and Associated Complications

World Diabetes Day takes place each year in the month of November, created to raise awareness about the disease.  Diabetes is a global health threat diabetes with the number of people living with diabetes continuing to rise. Diagnostic testing is one of the major tools to help prevent and manage the disease. 

 

About our Speaker:

Dr. Amy L. Pyle earned her Ph.D. in Molecular Pathology from Vanderbilt University. Following graduate school, Dr. Pyle completed a post-doctoral fellowship in Clinical Chemistry at Vanderbilt University. Dr. Pyle took a position as Assistant Director of Core Laboratories at Nationwide Children's Hospital in 2011. Throughout her training, Dr. Pyle published multiple abstracts, papers, and book chapters, and has received numerous awards for her contributions to the scientific community.

Resolving Antibodies to High-Prevalence Antigens

High-prevalence antigens occur in greater than 99% of the population. Antibodies to high-prevalence antigens are rare and may be difficult to identify due to the lack of antigen-negative panel cells for these antigens. Examples of antibodies to high-prevalence antigens are: anti-k, anti-Kpb, anti-Jsb, and anti-Lub among many others
There is a need to proper identify these antibodies before transfusion to differentiate clinically significant antibodies, that could cause hemolytic transfusion reactions or hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn from those with little or no clinical relevance. Their specific identification is often difficult, labor-intensive, and time-consuming and it may be difficult to find antigen-negative compatible blood for the patient in need of a transfusion

Learn in this episode clues to recognize if an antibody to a high-prevalence antigen is present and how to apply practices for their identification in the lab and additional recommendations for patient management.

 

About Our Speaker: 

Shane Grimsley, DipRCPath; holds a diplomate in Pathology from the Royal College of Pathologists, UK and has been working at the International Blood Group Reference Laboratory, NHSBT in the UK since 2009, as laboratory manager from 2015 and Senior Clinical Scientist since 2020. Since 2017, Shane has been the lead scientific advisor to the UK NEQAS Red Cell Genotyping scientific advisory group, compiling complex reports to help educate the users. He has been an active member of the editorial board for Immunohematology as well as a reviewer for Vox Sanguinis and Transfusion Medicine since 2019.

Shane is the winner of the 2020 Race and Sanger award from the British Blood Transfusion Society for outstanding contribution to the field of Transfusion, primarily for his work developing a genotyping platform for accurate prediction of variant phenotypes in patients with Sickle Cell Disorder. He also is a winner of the 2010 Margaret Kenwright Young Scientist of the year from the British Blood Transfusion Society, for his work resolving complex compound heterozygous allele combinations and the identifying the associated antibody specificities.

Shane is an international scientific speaker and a workshop instructor for immunohematology topics in conference programs, such as ISBT. He also has been involved in the identification of new blood group systems, new antigens and novel alleles.  Shane is helping lead a team of skilled and passionate scientists to resolve the world’s most complex immunohematology cases, contributing to ground-breaking projects that have improved the standards of care for patients.

 

Understanding sepsis, its detection and treatment strategies

Sepsis occurs when the body’s immune system responds to an infection and injures its own tissues and organs. It is a medical emergency, requiring early detection and treatment as it can lead to septic shock, multi-organ failure, and death. One in five deaths worldwide is associated with sepsis and 40% of cases are in children under five years of age. Sepsis is the number one cause of death in hospitals, the number one cause of hospital readmissions, and the number one healthcare cost.

Laboratory testing is essential in helping prevent, detect, and treat sepsis to minimize injury to the body and the risk of death.

 

About Our Speaker: 

Dr. Lui Forni is a Professor and Consultant Nephrologist and Intensivist at Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in Guildford, England. Professor Forni earned a PhD in physical chemistry and subsequently studied medicine, specializing in nephrology and intensive care medicine. His research interests include pre-operative assessment of high-risk surgical candidates, renal replacement therapy, diagnosis, pathophysiology and treatment of acute kidney injury, and predictive modeling in acute medical admissions. He lectures both nationally and internationally and has published widely.  He served as the Past Research Chair and is the Current Secretary of the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine.