FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
AUGUST 8, 2014
MEDIA CONTACT
Philip Murray
[email protected]
CPC Pathology: Chicagoland's Local Source For Direct Immunofluorescence (DIF) Testing
Libertyville, Ill.— CPC Pathology, Illinois' largest independent anatomic pathology laboratory, has entered their 15th year with a new focus on immunofluorescence testing to patients across the country. Direct immunofluorescence, or DIF, is a diagnostic technology which allows the pathologist to test for difficult cases of autoimmune and inflammatory skin disorders (i.e. vasculitis). DIF directly tests the patient's skin for the presence of antibodies. This is done by using antibodies directed against the patient's antibodies
Led by a few of Chicago’s top Dermatopathologists, Michael Viglione, M.D. Ph.D., Wenahu Liu, M.D., Ph.D., Devon Gimbel, M.D. and Stephen Hammond, M.D., CPC Pathology has the special skills and technology to perform in-house DIF testing not offered by some laboratories.
"The antibodies that we use in the lab are tagged with a fluorescent probe," said Dr. Viglione. "That way when they interact with the patient's antibodies, we see can them as a fluorescent signal. These direct modes of testing are often more sensitive than blood tests. A small skin biopsy is taken from the patient usually adjacent to one of the blisters."
The primary blistering disorders that are seen most often are Bullous pemphigoid and Dermatitis herpetiformis. These disorders stem from a patient's development of antibodies against a component in their own skin. When the antibodies attack these targets in the patient's skin, it results in blisters.
Although this type of testing has been around for many years, Dr. Viglione prides CPC in having a local advantage as an alternative to out-of-state laboratories with longer turnaround times for results.
"Since we are local, we can perform the test and get the results back to the doctor within 24 hours. Many dermatologists send these tests off to out-of-state labs, however, one or two days for transport is then lost."
Dr. Viglione added that in addition to the time lost for transporting tests, those non-local facilities often "batch" tests and only run them once or twice per week.
"We run DIF tests daily. Even if we receive a biopsy from a doctor's office at 8 p.m., we can still get the results back to the doctor the next day.
For more information, visit www.cpcpathology.com.
To learn more about the Illinois State Cancer Registry the state department of public health, visit www.idph.state.il.us.
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About Consolidated Pathology Consultants (CPC Pathology)
CPC Pathology, Inc. is a fully accredited anatomic and clinical pathology laboratory with over twenty years of experience providing world class diagnostic services, combined with the efficiency and personalized service of an independent laboratory. The laboratory's dedicated team of multispecialty pathologists and laboratory staff identify their mission as providing patients and their physicians with the best laboratory service available, using the slogan: Experience, Quality, and Service.CPC Pathology is located at 28100 N. Ashley Circle, Suite 106 in Libertyville, Ill. Offices are open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. For more information, visit CPC Pathology online at www.cpcpathology.com, or call (847) 996-1030.
About Michael P. Viglione, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Viglione, president of CPC Pathology, is the director of CPC's high volume division of Dermatopathology. CPC had more than 80,000 specimens analyzed in 2013 and continuously growing. Dr. Viglione is triple board certified in Dermatopathology, anatomic pathology, clinical pathology and specializes in the diagnosis of melanocytic neoplasms. He completed his pathology residency and Dermatopathology fellowship training at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD department of dermatology where he trained under Dr. Terry Barrett and was chief pathology resident. Dr. Viglione earned his medical degree and Ph.D. in neuroscience from the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA. He has contributed to dermatology literature and authoritative Dermatopathology texts throughout his career.
About Wenhua Liu, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Liu is a vital part of CPC's Dermatopathology success. He is triple board certified in Dermatopathology, anatomic pathology and clinical pathology. Dr. Liu has a special interest and focus on inflammatory diseases of the skin including Direct immunoflourescence. He completed his Dermatopathology fellowship at the University of Chicago, Department of Dermatology. Dr. Liu completed his anatomic and clinical pathology residency at the University of Chicago where he also served as chief resident. He continues to contribute to Dermatopathology literature and has co-authored authoritative texts. Dr. Liu obtained his Ph.D. at Rush University in Chicago, IL in Biochemistry.
About Devon Gimbel, M.D.
Dr. Gimbel joined CPC Pathology in 2012 due to the expansive growth of our Dermatopathology division. Dr. Gimbel is double board certified in Anatomic Pathology and Dermatopathology. She completed a pathology residency in anatomic pathology at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, MA where she also served as Chief Resident of anatomic pathology. Dr. Gimbel completed her fellowship in Dermatopathology at the Harvard Dermatopathology Fellowship in Boston, where she trained under national experts in dermatopathology including Dr. Martin Mihm, Dr. George Murphy, and Dr. Lyn Duncan. Dr. Gimbel has contributed to the scientific literature with many publications and has a special interest in international health and the implementation and utilization of anatomic pathology services in underdeveloped settings.
About Stephen Hammond, M.D.
Dr. Hammond is triple board certified in anatomic pathology, clinical pathology and Dermatopathology. He received his medical degree from the Royal College of Surgeons, Ireland. He completed his residency training in Boston University Medical Center where he served as chief resident in both anatomical and clinical pathology. He completed his fellowship at the renowned Ackerman Academy of Dermatology in New York where he trained with Dr. Dirk Elston. He is the recipient of multiple national awards for both academic and leadership qualities including: American Pathology Foundation (APF) Russell J Eillers Ward, American Society of Dermatopathology (ASDP) Mentorship Award, American Society of Clinical Pathology (ASCP) Leadership Award, and American Society of Clinical Pathology (ASCP) Best Poster Award. Dr. Hammond has multiple publications and has presented at national and international meetings. His interests include melanocytic lesions and cutaneous disease in ethnic populations. He is an advocate of public health education and has written articles promoting understanding of pathology services in consumer media.
