HistoCyte Showcase 2020
Key Topics
- The Emergence and Influence of EQA Over the Last 30 Years
— Keith Miller FIBMS, Former Scheme Director of UK NEQAS ICC & ISHIn a career spanning over 40 years, I have been privileged to work with some great pioneers of diagnostics in both academia and industry. All striving for greater quality, improving the diagnostics and service we provide to patients. Quality in pathology has always been paramount but the field has evolved rapidly in recent decades. Our means of controlling quality has had to evolve with it, and what we once did manually may not be appropriate with automation. Over this time the use of immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization has evolved from purely diagnostic and prognostic tests to predictive or companion diagnostics. This has meant that the right result is even more critical in the treatment of patients. Along with this and a rapid rise in technology the need for daily Quality Control (QC) and regular External Quality Assurance (EQA) has become an even more important routine requirement. In the pursuit of increased quality the means by which it is measured and assessed has become greatly debated. UKNEQAS were one of the first to look at a standardized source of material for the assessment of laboratories performing HER2: Cell lines. These materials enabled them to identify underperforming assays and laboratories. Over time with suitable feedback to the laboratories their affect has meant the overall improvement in the quality of the tests performed in the field. The importance of tissue should not be overlooked but in combination with standardized cell lines they have proved useful in many other areas such as PD-L1, ALK and ROS1. It is likely that their use, when appropriately manufactured and validated, will only continue to help improve the services we provide.
- The Issues with Tissues: The Development of Standardized Materials for Quality Control
— Colin Tristram, Co-Founder HistoCyte LaboratoriesAdvances in the automation of immunohistochemistry (IHC) and complexity of diagnostic assays has led to a greater focus on quality in the laboratory. Both quality control (QC) and quality assurance (QA) have become more prominent, this has led to greater reflection on the means by which these are measured. Truly standardised material and the means by which we measure the performance of an assay is much discussed and debated.
In this talk we consider how one determines quality, the emergence of cell lines in IHC generally as well as their use along with tissue and other potentially competing technologies in QA/QC. We will further look at their relative merits and limitations in the pursuit of quality control.
When
Light Hors d’oeuvres / Refreshments: 5:00pmMain Event: 5:30pm – 6:30pm
Q&A Forum: 6:30pm - 7:00pm
Where
Los Angeles Convention Center, California / Seminar Room 3 — West Exhibit Hall A
Colin Tristram
Co-founder and director of HistoCyte Laboratories Ltd
Colin Tristram studied Medical Microbiology at Newcastle University, UK, graduating in 1998. He subsequently joined Novocastra Laboratories Ltd as a Research Associate in the hybridoma team, developing monoclonal antibodies. During this time he obtained his Master’s degree, studying the external domain of HER2 in breast cancer. As a consequence he developed cell slides for HER2 assessment and introduced them to the UKNEQAS-ICC & ISH scheme in 2006. These same cells were incorporated into the current Leica Biosystems HER2 products. After the acquisition of Novocastra Laboratories Ltd by Vision BioSystems, Colin joined the Sales and Marketing team, helping to develop their market across Europe and the United States. Consequently he created a Key Opinion Leader program and developed the company’s network of international clinicians and academics. In 2008 he became the Head of Innovation at Leica’s facility in Newcastle, evaluating and investigating new assays and clinical applications for the Advanced Diagnostics division of Leica Biosystems. In 2014 he and his business partner, Dr Ian Milton, began HistoCyte Laboratories Ltd, moving into laboratories at Newcastle University. Over an 18 month period they have honed culturing and processing techniques for cell lines that have enabled the production of high quality compact cell compositions. Over 2018/19 the company grew rapidly and moved to purpose built facilities in the summer of last year to accommodate this expansion. In addition Colin is an associate lecturer at Newcastle University, teaching Innovation and Business Development to undergraduate as well as postgraduate students.
Keith Miller
FIBMS, Former Scheme Director of UK NEQAS ICC & ISH
Keith Miller led the development of IHC at the Cellular Pathology Department at University College London for more than three decades. During this time Keith was also appointed Scheme Director of the UK National External Quality Assessment Scheme for Immunocytochemistry and In-situ Hybridization by the UK Department of Health in 1992. He has a long and distinguished career in the field of immunocytochemistry. Whilst at UCL Keith was one of the pioneers of the use of ICC in the diagnostic laboratory setting. He has a worldwide reputation and has taught and lectured on the subject for over 30 years. In the EQA setting he has been one of the mainstays of the Steering Committee for EQA schemes for Techniques in Cellular Pathology, since its inception. Notably he was part of the ASCO/CAP committee on ER and PR testing (J Clin Oncol. 2010 Jun 1;28(16):2784-95.)
Up until recently he was the Chief Scientist with overall responsibility for the running of University College London IHC and Molecular service within the cellular pathology department, otherwise known as UCL – Advanced Diagnostics (UCL-AD), which is the companion laboratory of UK NEQAS ICC & ISH.