Precision Medicine Clinical Laboratory (PMCL)
Director
Judy Crabtree, PhD, SMB(ASCP)CM
precisionmedlab@lsuhsc.edu
Location
LSU Health New Orleans Clinical Sciences Research Building rooms 616, 620, 621 and 625
Mission
The Precision Medicine Clinical Laboratory is a CLIA/CAP-accredited facility that delivers high-quality, reproducible molecular genetic testing to support patient care and translational research. Our mission is to provide clinically actionable genomic results that inform medical decision-making and advance precision oncology.
Core Description
The Precision Medicine Clinical Laboratory is staffed by licensed, registered Medical Technologists who perform clinical cancer molecular testing using the Illumina TruSight Oncology 500 (TSO500) platform for solid tumors. This next-generation sequencing–based assay interrogates 523 genes associated with cancer development and metastasis and detects small nucleotide variants (SNVs), insertions and deletions (indels), gene fusions, splice variants, and copy number alterations from FFPE tumor specimens. The assay also reports tumor mutational burden (TMB) and microsatellite instability (MSI), providing clinically relevant biomarkers to support precision oncology.
Variant interpretation and reporting are supported by the Velsera Clinical Genomics Workspace knowledgebase, enabling standardized, clinically actionable reports to guide medical oncology patient management.
In addition to clinical testing, the Precision Medicine Clinical Laboratory performs research-grade RT-PCR testing and viral sequencing (COVID-seq) for SARS-CoV-2 to identify variants of concern. This work is conducted in collaboration with BioInfoExperts under a contract from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA)
Illumina NextSeq550Dx DNA sequencer
Tecan Fluent 1080 automated pipetting workstation
Qiagen QiaCube Classic
Qiagen QiaCube Connect
BioRad CFX96 RT-PCR machine
Agilent Bioanalyzer
Covaris Sonicator
The Precision Medicine Clinical Laboratory is supported by the LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine’s Dean’s Office and implements a charge back system where clinical partners are charged a fee-for-service based on negotiated Medicare/Medicaid/private insurance reimbursement rates. The Precision Medicine Clinical Laboratory does not do direct patient or insurance billing. Similarly, any research performed for investigators will be charged back to grants through iLabs.
The services of the Precision Medicine Laboratory are provided on a fee for service or via contracts.
• Cancer molecular genetics
• Viral sequencing