Pinnacle Lab Solutions

03/24/2026

World TB Day 2026: How Diagnostics and Prevention Together Change the Course of Disease

Going into World TB Day, one of the most meaningful shifts in global health is happening quietly in the clinical laboratory.

Tuberculosis remains the world’s leading cause of death from a single infectious agent and continues to rank among the top ten causes of death globally according to World Health Organization. Yet one of the most persistent barriers to control has not been lack of therapy. It has been delayed or missed diagnosis.

Recently, my daughter needed the traditional TB skin test for a new job. Like many patients, this meant coordinating our weekend visit around a required return to clinic 48–72 hours later just to have the test read. It was a small inconvenience, but a clear reminder that TB diagnostics still often rely on a two-visit, delayed-read paradigm that can shape patient experience and care pathways.

New World Health Organization guidance is lowering that barrier. Improved point-of-care molecular diagnostics, tongue-swab specimen collection, and pooled sputum strategies make earlier confirmation more feasible, including in patients who do not present with classic symptoms.

As diagnostic access expands, reported case counts may initially rise. This reflects improved case-finding rather than necessarily worsening transmission.

A similar surveillance dynamic was observed during COVID-19, where expanded testing increased visibility into infections that were already present even as true transmission patterns required careful interpretation.

Earlier detection changes the clinical trajectory.

It shortens time to treatment.
It reduces infectious periods.
It improves patient outcomes.

At the same time, environmental innovation is advancing. Emerging reasearch from Harvard University, Tulane University and Pretoria suggests far-UVC air disinfection in patient care environments can reduce human-generated TB infectiousness in air by approximately 91%. This exciting research is building on pioneering radiological research led by David Brenner at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and Columbia University Center for Radiological Research. This signals a future where diagnostics and transmission control evolve together.

What is emerging is not a single innovation, but a convergence of advances that together change the trajectory of disease control.

Better diagnostics.
Smarter infection control.
Earlier intervention.

This is how pandemics end.

https://www.mdlinx.com/article/new-who-tb-guidance-drops-ahead-of-world-tb-day-here-s-what-changing-in-clinical-practice/3M0sJyHJZfXliZYv7x1qkl?show_order=1&utm_campaign=v2.2&utm_source=copy_link&utm_medium=social_share&utm_content=article_byline&auth=success&em=thalia.ashton%40gmail.com

To mark World Tuberculosis Day (March 24), the WHO publishes new guidance, spotlighting improved tests that catch TB earlier, even in low-suspicion patients. What to know for the clinic.

12/23/2025

The FDA has approved Bristol Myers Squibb Breyanzi® (lisocabtagene maraleucel) for adult patients with relapsed or refractory marginal zone lymphoma (MZL), making it the first CAR T cell therapy approved for this indication. For patients with limited options, this represents a meaningful expansion of access to advanced cell therapy.

This approval lands close to home for our team. Earlier this year, Thalia Taylor, founder of Pinnacle Lab Solutions, lost her only aunt to a blood cancer. Experiencing a diagnosis like that within your own family changes how announcements like this are received. The science stops being abstract.

Innovations like this are part of what motivates Pinnacle’s work in bringing the lab closer to the patient. Translating complex science into reliable, compliant, and accessible clinical testing is not just a technical exercise. It is how discoveries move from development into real clinical impact.

Pinnacle Lab Solutions has been proud to support Bristol Myers Squibb as a consulting partner for three of the last four years. Working alongside BMS teams has provided a close view of the rigor required across development, clinical operations, and regulatory ex*****on to make therapies like this possible. Each approval reflects years of coordinated effort with patient safety and outcomes at the center.

This moment represents real progress for patients with rare blood cancers and for the clinicians caring for them. It is a reminder that innovation matters most when it reaches patients.
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hashtag ://www.europeanpharmaceuticalreview.com/news/268632/bristol-myers-squibb-wins-fifth-us-approval-for-car-t-cell-therapy-breyanzi/

The FDA’s latest authorisation makes it the most widely approved of any CD19-directed CAR T therapy in cancer.

12/05/2025

I am excited to share that I attended my first official meeting as a member of the Columbia University Center for Radiological Research Advisory Council.

For more than a century, the CRR has trained leaders who have shaped how radiation is used in medicine, energy, safety, and public health. Their work has optimized the safest use of imaging, improved radiation therapy for cancer, guided national responses to radiological emergencies, and provided balanced, science based insight into the use of nuclear power. These contributions influence everyday life in profound ways, from individual patient care to global policy decisions.

This mission resonates deeply with my passion for bringing healthcare innovation, wellness, and evidence based communication into the public sphere. I am also passionate about expanding the innovation and awareness of Far-UVC, a brilliant discovery from David Brenner and his team at the CRR. Far-UVC offers promising new pathways for supporting public health through safe and scientifically grounded approaches to air and surface disinfection. Translating advanced research into practical, real world benefit to expand patient care has been at the center of my work for many years, and I am grateful for the opportunity to continue that commitment through this role.

In a world where science, health, and public perception are tightly connected, organizations like the CRR play a crucial role in helping society understand complex topics rather than fear them. I am honored to contribute to that work and to support ongoing efforts to train the next generation of radiation scientists, strengthen education pipelines, and advance research that serves both human health and the public good.

Grateful for the warm welcome and energized for what lies ahead.

05/26/2025

🔬 Promising advancement in Alzheimer’s diagnostics:
New findings show that a blood test can reliably predict the presence or absence of amyloid pathology — a hallmark of Alzheimer’s — at the time of testing in cognitively impaired patients.

🧠 Designed for use in specialized care settings, this test could become a powerful tool for clinicians evaluating patients with signs of cognitive decline.

📌 As always, results should be interpreted alongside comprehensive clinical information.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration cleared for marketing the first in vitro diagnostic device that tests blood, to aid in diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease.

05/16/2025

ACOG’s new guidelines are a vital step toward more compassionate, patient-centered care. By standardizing conversations around pain management, more patients will be heard, supported—and spared unnecessary suffering during essential gynecological procedures. 💜

Read more via :

The new guidelines urge doctors to "not underestimate the pain experienced by patients."

10/07/2024

This year’s Nobel Prize in Medicine has been awarded to
Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun for their of . Their research unveiled a fundamental principle of gene regulation, shedding light on how gene activity is controlled at the level. This discovery not only deepens our understanding of biology but also holds potential for new therapeutic approaches in medicine.
Congratulations to both for this remarkable achievement, which will continue to inspire innovation and progress in the scientific community!

https://www.npr.org/2024/10/07/g-s1-26653/nobel-prize-in-medicine-honors-two-americans-for-discovery-of-microrna🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎊🍾🍾🎉

The Nobel Assembly said that their discovery is "proving to be fundamentally important for how organisms develop and function."

03/12/2024

Exciting visit today Columbia University Vanderbilt Dental Clinic! I attended an exclusive tour showcasing their use of to ensure against airborne viruses like and -19. With FAR UVC fixtures strategically placed throughout the clinic, they're setting a new standard for safe dental care. Kudos to their team for prioritizing patient well-being! #222

12/22/2023

This , let’s embrace the joy of with a focus on inspired by Beacon40 ‘s vision for smarter. By carefully selecting foods that are as nourishing for the brain as they are enjoyable to eat, you will be giving your family the gift of a healthier New Year. Check out my latest blog post for ideas!

Happy Holidays and Happy Healthy Eating! -Thalia

Indulge in brain-healthy foods this holiday with a BEACON40-inspired menu, featuring superfoods & nourishing recipes for cognitive wellness.

12/30/2022

https://neurosciencenews.com/bd-tau-blood-22147/

A newly developed blood test can detect brain-derived tau (BD-tau), a biomarker of Alzheimer's disease neurodegeneration.

12/30/2022

The VALID (Verifying Accurate Leading-edge IVCT Development) Act is DONE! When the omnibus end-of-year appropriations bill was released VALID was not included. As a result, there will be no legally mandated FDA oversight of lab-developed tests or CLIA labs for at least the next few years which will keep clinical lab innovation possible.
VALID was created to bring in-vitro diagnostic tests and lab-developed tests (LDTs) under one risk-based framework, closing a loophole where tests made and used in a single laboratory were exempted from regulatory oversight. The last version of the bill included a carve-out for academic medical centers, to develop and use LDTs as part of patient care.
Legislators have been working on the VALID Act for years. A bipartisan draft had been included in the Senate HELP Committee’s FDA user fee package but was slashed from the final version that passed Congress in late September. At the time, leaders of both committees working on the bill said they planned to revisit the diagnostic bill before the end of the year but VALID did not make the omnibus bill.
Attached is a link to the fill omnibus