Roche Introduces LabLeaders Educational Initiative to Help Redefine the Value of the Laboratory at AACC 2015 Clinical Lab Expo

Roche launched its presence at the American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC) 2015 Clinical Lab Expo, introducing several nextgeneration diagnostic testing platforms and a unique educational initiative that demonstrates how Roche is partnering with customers to redefine the value of the laboratory.

The new LabLeaders initiative was created to empower laboratories and the people within them through insight from industry innovators. The website hosts original, exclusive content developed by progressive thought leaders who work as CEOs, physicians, lab directors, informatics experts, financial officers and strategic advisors. LabLeaders.com nationwide events deliver the content and workshops live, allowing participants to gain access to industry experts and their peers to share best practices.

“Our lab customers tell us that they’re looking for resources to help them maximize the value they deliver to clinicians, patients and other stakeholders,” said Jack Phillips, president and CEO of Roche Diagnostics Corporation. “We’re highlighting the LabLeaders initiative and several new diagnostics platforms at this year’s Clinical Lab Expo to demonstrate how we can work together to achieve our shared goals.”

In its AACC booth, Roche exhibited a variety of in vitro diagnostics solutions designed to enhance testing efficiency and provide reliable clinical information in central labs and various point-of-care settings. Specific product areas included clinical chemistry and immunoassay testing, molecular diagnostics, lab automation, H&E staining, point-of-care testing, and information technology. The booth also included a “Futures” area that offered a glimpse into pipeline diagnostics products that have not been submitted for FDA approval and are not yet available for sale in the U.S.

The Roche booth was also home to the LabLeaders.com Theater, where Expo attendees received brief updates throughout the day from experts about significant industry topics ranging from clinical decision making in the ED and increasing patient satisfaction to lab standardization, automation, lab intelligence and sustaining LEAN operations.

In addition, Roche continued its commitment to discussing critical industry issues by sponsoring five workshops in conjunction with the AACC 2015 annual meeting: 1) Continuing the Conversation: Consulting in a Clinical Setting 2) Clinical Decision Making in the ED During Influenza Season; Can Test Results Influence Practice and the Role of the cobas® Liat Influenza A/B Assay? 3) Transitioning Your Institution to Next Gen Troponin T 4) NT-proBNP in Latest Heart Failure Treatment 5) Improving Patient Care with Molecular Testing: Current and Future Impacts.

New products featured in the Roche booth this year included:

• VENTANA HE 600 system*—a fully automated H&E staining solution with individual slide staining technology to virtually eliminate the risk of tissue cross contamination. The system is designed with lean methodology with minimum touch points and an intuitive operating system to help improve workflow.

• cobas® 6800 system**—a fully automated solution for donor screening and clinical molecular testing, designed to deliver fully integrated automation and throughput with shorter time to results, providing greater flexibility to increase workflow efficiencies.

• cobas® Liat System—a compact, innovative real-time PCR platform designed for ondemand STAT testing with results in 20 minutes or less, enabling confidence in rapid patient management at the point of care or in the laboratory.

• CoaguChek® XS mPOC Kit—a mobile solution designed to work seamlessly with the CoaguChek XS meter to allow patient self-testers to wirelessly transmit PT/INR test results from their meter at home directly to CoaguChek Patient Services and their healthcare provider. *Product is in development and not commercially available. ** 510(k) pending. Not available in U.S.