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RedPath Integrated Pathology, Inc. Announces Professional Services Agreement with Allegheny General Hospital
Agreement to expand RedPath's diagnostic service menu for more comprehensive analysis of pancreatic cyst fluid aspirates.
Pittsburgh, PA, February 16, 2010 – RedPath Integrated Pathology, Inc., a molecular diagnostics company dedicated to the effective diagnosis of cancer, has announced that it has entered into a professional services agreement with Allegheny General Hospital (AGH), a leading healthcare provider in southwestern Pennsylvania. According to the agreement, pathologists from AGH and The Western Pennsylvania Hospital (WPH) have been trained at RedPath’s state-of-the-art molecular diagnostics laboratory in the diagnosis of pancreatic cyst fluid specimens collected by endoscopic ultrasound-guided, fine needle aspiration (FNA) and analyzed by RedPath’s proprietary PathFinderTG® mutational profiling technology. With the completion of training, the AGH/ WPH pathologists are certified to sign out PathFinderTG (PFTG) results on specimens sent to RedPath from hospitals, medical centers and endoscopy centers located throughout the United States. Additionally, AGH cytopathologists will also perform cytology analyses on these cyst fluids which will allow RedPath to expand further its test menu for pancreatic cysts.
The service agreement will result in several benefits to physicians faced with the challenges of managing patients diagnosed with pancreatic cysts on CT or MRI scans.
• RedPath is the only clinical laboratory that can provide results from a full menu of molecular (PFTG) and non-molecular tests (CEA, amylase, and cytology) from low-volume pancreatic cyst aspirates.
• Having all laboratory, cytology, and molecular results in one place for the review by the pathologists at the time of sign-out of these complex cases provides the best opportunity for full integration of all results, a vital step in providing the most accurate diagnosis possible.
• Combining AGH nationally-recognized cytopathologists with RedPath’s molecular mutational profiling expertise creates a unique opportunity to provide insights into why some pancreatic cystic lesions progress to cancer while many others remain benign.
• This relationship also sets the stage for collaborative studies in other challenging areas of pathology and oncology such as using mutational profiling to determine the relatedness of multiple tumors.
Jan F. Silverman, M.D., Chairman of AGH and WPH Departments of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine commented, “The combination of cytopathology analysis with the molecular diagnostics of pancreatic cyst fluid will allow a better understanding of the nature of the pancreatic cyst and its potential malignant behavior. The pathologists at Allegheny General Hospital and West Penn Hospital look forward to combining our expertise with the state-of-the-art molecular diagnostics offered by RedPath Integrated Pathology.”
Dennis M. Smith, Jr., M.D., RedPath’s CMO added, “This arrangement sets a new standard for the work-up and diagnosis of potentially malignant pancreatic cysts. AGH’s cytopathology division, headed by nationally/internationally recognized cytopathologist Jan F. Silverman, MD, is known for its expertise in non-gynecologic cytology. In addition, by offering all tests in a single location, RedPath can now perform CEA, amylase and molecular profiling on cyst volumes as little as 500µL and include cytology with only an additional 200µL. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, RedPath’s molecular pathologists will now be able to integrate the molecular mutational profile with all pertinent cyst fluid chemistries and clinical data such as the results of imaging studies. This integration step is vital to diagnose accurately these difficult cases.”
About RedPath Integrated Pathology Inc.
RedPath Integrated Pathology, Inc. is a genomics-based molecular diagnostics company that provides complex cancer diagnostic tests for pathologists, oncologists, surgeons, and other clinicians. RedPath’s pathologists integrate its patented molecular-based analysis, PathFinderTG®, with the results of routine biopsy, cytology, and fluid chemistry studies to render earlier, more informative diagnoses which improve patient outcomes and reduce healthcare costs. For more information about RedPath, please visit www.redpathip.com.
About West Penn Allegheny Health System
West Penn Allegheny Health System is a physician led healthcare organization based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Recognized as the healthcare quality and personalized service leader in its market, WPAHS’ sole purpose and mission is to improve the health of the people in the western Pennsylvania region. Offering a comprehensive range of advanced medical and surgical services, the System consists of two tertiary academic medical centers in Allegheny General Hospital and The Western Pennsylvania Hospital, and four community hospitals; Allegheny General Hospital Suburban Campus in Bellevue, PA, Alle-Kiski Medical Center in Natrona Heights, PA, Canonsburg General Hospital in Canonsburg, PA and The Western Pennsylvania Hospital Forbes Regional Campus in Monroeville, PA. Allegheny General Hospital is the western Pennsylvania campus of Drexel University College of Medicine and The Western Pennsylvania Hospital serves as a campus of the Temple University School of Medicine.
West Penn Allegheny Health System hospitals have received national and international recognition for their programs in numerous specialty areas. Supporting both a charitable and an academic mission, WPAHS has a strong commitment to medical research and education and is also dedicated to training future generations of health-care professionals. For more information, visit www.wpahs.org.