April 2016 Issue of The Pathologist

Molecular testing is changing the face of healthcare. But how far should it go?

A blood test for circulating tumor DNA can reveal what’s going on below the surface of malignant melanoma

Direct-to-consumer lab tests offer low cost and convenience, but can the results they return be relied upon?

Changes in the gut microbiome of infants who develop necrotizing enterocolitis may allow us to predict, and perhaps even treat, the disease

A new study reveals that screening for mutations in patients with advanced lung cancer can focus their treatment options and improve success rates

The cost of prostate cancer screening can outweigh its benefits – but the right strategy can maximize the return on investment

Can a new aerodynamics-inspired “sneezometer” that measures airflow with high speed and sensitivity offer a new tool for respiratory disease diagnostics?

New software can reconstruct T cell receptor sequences from RNA sequencing data

ANGPTL4 mutations can reduce patients’ risk of heart attack by up to 50 percent – so could neutralizing the gene offer a new route to prevention?

Mutations in the SETD1A gene are rare, but significantly increase patients’ risk of schizophrenia and neurodevelopmental disorders

The variability in color and texture of these solid crystalline deposits arises from differences in the stones’ primary compounds.

Digital pathology and tissue image analysis tools are essential to developing companion diagnostics and enabling pathologists to support clinical decisions, but there is still work to be done…

Mobile devices promise a new future of point-of-care diagnostics for all

Ultrasound guided fine needle aspiration biopsy cytology streamlines and improves cancer diagnosis

Long thought to be a key component of the metastatic process, researchers are now questioning long-held beliefs of the role of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition

Two recent studies on EMT may revise the field’s understanding of the process – but it’s important to keep in mind both the breakthroughs and the limitations of the work

A triple-transgenic mouse model allows researchers to trace the lineage of EMT tumor cells, and reveals the transition’s surprising lack of significance in metastasis

Pancreatic cancer cells don’t seem to rely on EMT for metastasis – but it plays a key role in their ability to resist our best chemotherapy options

An overview of epithelio-mesenchymal transition

Next generation tissue microarrays overcome punching inaccuracies and bring the technique into the era of precision medicine

Could antibiotics that target virulence factors be the key to defeating multi-drug resistant “bugs of steel?”

Recent studies reveal that the organizational protein complexes in gut microvilli closely resemble those of ear stereocilia – so what does this mean for genetic disorders of either?

From plastic beer case furniture to the largest pathology laboratory in Eastern Europe

Sitting Down With… Suzy Lishman, President of the Royal College of Pathologists (RCPath) and a consultant cellular pathologist at Peterborough City Hospital, UK.