National Medical Laboratory Science Week 10th to 16th May 2004

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National Medical Laboratory Science Week10th to
16th May 2004

• An activity supported by the
• Australian Institute of Medical Scientists
• www.aims.org.au

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National Medical Laboratory Science Week 2004

• The National Medical Laboratory Science Week
  (NMLSW) is an annual activity co-ordinated by the
  Australian Institute of Medical of Scientists
  (AIMS) to promote the role of Medical
  Laboratories and their staff  in the maintenance
  of the health of the nation. 

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National Medical Laboratory Science Week 2004

• WHO ARE MEDICAL (LABORATORY) SCIENTISTS?Medical
  scientists perform medical laboratory tests on
  blood, other body fluids and tissues which assist
  clinicians in the diagnosis, treatment and
  prevention of disease. Medical scientists get
  results!

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National Medical Laboratory Science Week 2004

• WHERE DO MEDICAL SCIENTISTS WORK?Medical
  scientists work in hospital laboratories, private
  pathology laboratories, State Health laboratories
  and Universities.

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National Medical Laboratory Science Week 2004

• DISCIPLINESMedical Laboratory Science in
  Australia comprises many distinct professional
  disciplines. The main ones are
• Histopathology Microbiology Cytology
  Blood transfusion Immunology Haematology
  Clinical biochemistry Virology

Electron microscopy image
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National Medical Laboratory Science Week 2004

• Microbiology
• Identification of micro organisms such as
  bacteria, fungi, viruses and parasites which
  cause infection, and testing for effective
  antibiotics.

A bacterial culture
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National Medical Laboratory Science Week 2004

• Haematology diseases and abnormalities of blood
  and bone marrow.Haematology medical scientists
  use automated instruments to count the numbers of
  red cells, white cells and platelets and then
  look at a thin film of the cells under a
  microscope.

Red blood cells in a thin film
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National Medical Laboratory Science Week 2004

• Blood transfusion Laboratory testing of
  recipient blood and donor blood to ensure
  compatible and safe transfusion.Medical
  scientists in blood transfusion or
  immunohaematology, as it is sometimes known, are
  responsible for the testing of blood groups and
  compatibility of donor blood, prior to
  transfusion.

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National Medical Laboratory Science Week 2004

• Histopathology Examination of the body cells
  and tissues to establish the presence or absence
  of disease.In Histopathology, medical scientists
  prepare tissues for light or electron microscopy,
  to detect abnormalities that may indicate cancer
  or other diseases of tissue.

Liver cells (hepatocytes) as they appear under
the microscope
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National Medical Laboratory Science Week 2004

• Clinical biochemistry Analysis of cells, blood
  and other body fluids for chemical, biochemical
  and hormonal components to identify disease or
  determine the effectiveness of a treatment
  regime.Medical scientists perform chemical
  analyses on body fluids to determine the presence
  of abnormal levels of the chemicals.

The scientific analysis of laboratory data is an
important part of biochemistry
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National Medical Laboratory Science Week 2004

• Virology Study of the consequences of viral
  infections.A scientist in a virology laboratory
  performs assays to detect the virus in host
  tissues or in cells used to isolate the virus
  from a host. These assays might detect viral
  nucleic acid or may involve immunological assays
  to detect viral proteins.

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National Medical Laboratory Science Week 2004

• Cytology Study of cellsMedical scientists in
  cytology are interested in individual abnormal
  cells, that are shed from tissues. One of the
  more publicised areas of their work is the
  Papanicolaou smear test (Pap Screen), which is
  used in the early detection of cancer of the
  cervix. After the sample has been collected onto
  a microscope slide, they are responsible for
  staining it and screening for abnormal cells.

Papanicolaou smear under the microscope
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National Medical Laboratory Science Week 2004

Immunology A study of host responses to
infection, malignancy and tissue damage.A
medical scientist is able to identify and
quantitate cells involved in immune responses.
He/she is also able to identify and quantitate
blood proteins produced in response to infection,
malignancy or tissue damage or which play a role
in protecting the body against these changes. As
such an immunologist would diagnose, or assist in
the diagnosis of, bacterial viral and fungal
diseases, autoimmune diseases (e.g. rheumatoid
arthritis), hypersensitivity reactions (e.g.
asthma), cancer (e.g. leukaemia) or immunological
deficiencies in the host.
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National Medical Laboratory Science Week 2004
Medical scientists are an important part of the
health care team! For more information on the
National Medical Laboratory Science Week visit
the web site at www.aims.org.au/nmlsw

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