This month, it is both my pleasure and regret to announce that CLP‘s associate editor, Stephen Noonoo, has been promoted to editor of our sister publication, Physical Therapy Products. I know that those of you who have had the pleasure of working with Stephen during the past 2 years will agree that this is a very well-deserved move. Stephen made a number of important contributions to the magazine, including initiating CLP’s Facebook page, and his professionalism and creativity will certainly be missed. All of us at Allied Media wish him the best of luck in his new endeavor.
I am happy to report, however, that as we go to press, we are also bringing on board a new associate editor, Christopher Gaerig. Chris has excellent experience in the journalism field, most recently as associate editor/online editor for HEALTHCARE DESIGN and Healthcare Building Ideas magazines. Chris will take over CLP‘s Tech Focus, Product News, and Technology Guide sections, in addition to authoring the Labworks and Inside Track columns. I’m sure you’ll enjoy working with him, and please join me in congratulating both Stephen and Chris on their new positions.
This month’s cover story looks at the constantly changing and evolving field of blood banking. As noted by one of our sources, 3 decades ago, only one manual immunoassay (for hepatitis B surface antigen) existed to ensure the safety of clinical blood supplies. Today, not only has the menu expanded greatly, but so have the available technologies. Perhaps among the most significant developments has been that of nucleic acid-based testing, particularly for HIV. These genetic tests can detect the presence of pathogens well before an infected individual has mounted an immune response—in the case of HIV, as soon as 9 days postexposure. These sensitive assays mean that the tragic transmission of HIV through blood transfusions has been radically reduced, if not practically eliminated. In addition to testing methodologies, like all segments of the clinical lab industry, blood banking is being substantially transformed by advances in automation and information management.
To stay on top of developments in the clinical lab space, bookmark this website.
As always, I’m happy to hear from readers and advertisers on issues facing the clinical lab industry. Feel free to e-mail me at or call at (858) 793-9533. You’ll also be able to reach CLP‘s new associate editor, Chris Gaerig, at and by phone at (310) 642-4400, ext 341.
Best regards,
Suzanne Clancy, PhD
editor, CLP
; (858) 793-9533
