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Detection of inherited metabolic disorders has been a major area of interest and investigation with the development of the Newborn Screening Laboratory in 1985. Evaluation of the newborn population tested in this program has led to the investigation on the impact of gestational age on thyroid hormone production, the ability to differentiate different phenotypes of galactosemia and hemoglobinopathies and various analytical and laboratory operational changes that improve the effectiveness of testing. Future changes in analytical techniques used for testing which use tandem mass spectrometry or molecular probe technologies will also lead to additional investigations on a variety of other genetic disorders.

Evaluation of the use of various performance enhancing compounds in athletics has been a focus of several projects. An ongoing area of investigation focuses on the changes found in urinary androgens in persons using testosterone and other synthetic anabolic steroids. Future investigation of various over-the-counter performance aids and how these compounds impact the male endocrine system is planned.

Medical Informatics has become a new discipline within both Pathology and medicine in general. The ability to store ever-increasing amounts of information on clinical patient care along with its linkage to other health care information is required to help answer a variety of new health care questions. One problem that has resulted from the medical information explosion has been the need to standardize the stored information so that it can be effectively analyzed or transported. The development of the LOINC coding system by the Regenstrief Institute at Indiana University School of Medicine has given clinical laboratories a standard system for appropriately storing results in a way that can be universally communicated or used. This coding project requires an ongoing effort to keep up the rapidly changing technology in laboratory analyses and to ensure that the coding is based on appropriate scientific knowledge. The use of large patient databases can be an effective tool in helping solve both basic medical questions as well as larger health care questions. Projects using the clinical patient database along with stored samples from these patients are planned to test for various molecular defects and their association with patient health parameters. Investigation of utilization of laboratory services in various practices or sites is also an area of interest. The ability to effectively store and report laboratory testing results is the final product of clinical pathology practice. However, modern computer technology now allows the laboratory to expand or improve the value of these results. Small projects which include linkage of tests to interpretative or more explanatory information using browser technology are being created which is intended to have a positive impact on medical student/resident clinical training.

Publications:

1. Baenziger JC, Bucksot CA, Keene K. "Quality Assurance Plan - Objectives: Improve Follow-up of Required Lab Testing and Specimen Quality". Poster presentation at the 9th National Neonatal Screening Symposium, Raleigh, North Carolina, April 1992.

2. Baenziger JC, Tullis A, Asnicar M, Lee CH, Jiang B. "Comparison of Isoelectric Focusing and Citratrate Agar Electrophoresis versus Polymerase Chain Reaction/Allele-Specific Nucleotides for Identifying Abnormal Hemoglobins". Poster presentation at the Diamon Symposium in the Emerald City, 10th National Neonatal Screening Symposium, Seattle, Washington, June, 1994.

3. Baenziger, John. "Norethindrone Detection in Female Athletes". Abstract presented at the 6th Cologne Doping Analysis Workshop, Cologne, West Germany. May 16-20, 1988.