DSI Laboratories, a leading regional provider of medical diagnostics continues to pave the way with its focus on molecular diagnostics and molecular medicine. This is evidenced by its recent recognition by Roche Diagnostics, the world’s leading diagnostics company, as a Molecular Center of Excellence (MCOE) alliance partner, one of the first of its kind in the southeastern United States. DSI Laboratories’ MCOE houses today’s premier innovative testing as well as employs Roche’s patented Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technology and other progressive genomic technologies that lead to earlier and more accurate detection of an array of infectious diseases, hereditary disorders, women’s health, and cancer detection. Notwithstanding, DSI Laboratories’ MCOE will also be able to expand its services in the field of pharmacogenomics thus promoting a level of designed therapeutic management that further optimizes patient care while drastically reducing the potential for adverse outcomes. Much of the excitement over the filed of genomic diagnostics stems from the new paradigm it provides to the field of medicine; that is: expanding from conventional practice of diagnosis and treatment to early detection (including disease risk detection) and prevention. DSI Laboratories’ and its MCOE program will continue to deliver the latest advances in medical diagnostics and is perfectly suited to gain the essential velocity to shift the paradigm from reactive test, diagnose, treat, and monitor to proactive detection and delivery of actionable healthcare information to improve patient’s lives.

To date, DSI Laboratories’ molecular diagnostics laboratory has provided regional leadership in the molecular diagnostics of infectious diseases including, HIV, hepatitis, chlamydia, gonorrhea, viral infections of the central nervous system (e.g., enterovirus, herpes simplex virus), and pertussis. It is currently implementing rapid sensitive detection of methicillin-resistant Staph aureus (MRSA) which is an emerging and medically challenging bacterial pathogen within the community. This new molecular detection of MRSA will rapidly identify even individuals who are colonized with MRSA and at risk for developing serious MRSA infection and will greatly aid the NCH Healthcare System with its current evidence-based medicine MRSA control and prevention program. This greatly translates not only in improved patient outcomes and disease prevention but has the additional impact of improved healthcare economics. DSI Laboratories is quickly moving forward with rapid detection of tuberculosis another emerging and challenging disease that conventionally may take weeks to diagnose will now be diagnosed the same day the patient is evaluated thus improving patient care and public health. DSI Laboratories is also planning to add real-time molecular diagnostic testing for difficult-to-diagnose agents of pneumonia (e.g., Legionella pneumophila, Chlamydophila pneumoniae and Mycoplasma pneumoniae), as well as viral causes of pneumonia including influenza and respiratory syncytial virus. DSI Laboratories’ will also be developing rapid molecular testing for Shiga-toxin, Clostridium difficile toxins A & B, for a bacterium known to cause dyspepsia with a potential for cancer, Helicobacter pylori, and testing related to women’s health such as screening for Group B Strep in pregnant women to prevent infection of their newborn and detection of human papilloma virus (HPV) which is associated cause of cervical cancer.

Because real-time molecular diagnostics is likely to play a key role in counter bioterrorism, DSI Laboratories’ molecular diagnostics laboratory has been selected for a first-of-its-kind program called the advanced capacity hospital laboratory (ACHL) whose purpose it is to support the state of Florida in surveillance and real-time detection of emerging infectious diseases of public health importance including agents and diseases related to bioterrorism. DSI Laboratories is the ACHL for Domestic Security Region VI for the state of Florida.

DSI Laboratories has also already ventured into hereditary disease testing by implementing testing for hereditary thrombosis (e.g., Factor V Leiden, Prothrombin) a disorder that is not uncommon among the patient population we serve, Molecular diagnostics and genomic testing plans for DSI Laboratories’ also includes hereditary screening for cystic fibrosis and pharmacogenomics. The current technology of molecular diagnostics is also strongly suited for the potential of early detection and diagnosis of a wide range of cancers.