By Dr. Jesse Mackey, Senior Scientist, Molecular Biology I’ve spent the last few days glued to my computer screen, searching for stories to bring to light for this blog, and stumbled across something that could potentially become the biggest medical story in the country.

By Sameen Ijaz, Scientist, IMD & Molecular Biology  My husband and his old school friends are in the process of planning their annual reunion getaway, and are thinking about taking a cruise to scenic Alaska. In most cases I’m happy that my husband and his friends dedicate a chunk of time every year to catch up and stay in touch with one another, but when I heard their possible plan for this year’s reunion, I couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy.  

By Dr. Sukhendra Choudhury, Senior Scientist, Virology The immune system acts as a natural defense that protects against infections and diseases. When receiving an organ transplant, the body tries to eliminate the transplanted organ through rejection. The immune system involved in the process of rejection protects your body from harmful viruses and bacteria. Following transplantation, the patient is prescribed antirejection (immunosuppressive) medicines to assure that the organ stays healthy and functional. As a result, viruses that remain latent in the human body are often reactivated in transplant recipients and cause major illnesses.  

By Collin Myers, Technical Writer/Marketing Assistant It’s that time of year again – the heart of winter, forecasts promising snow and ice, polar vortexes, and…flu season! So far, 2014 is off to a rough start for this Technical Writer – despite getting a flu shot back in the fall, I’ve been battling a weird cold/flu hybrid since New Year’s Eve, and haven’t felt 100% since last year. After five wretched days of blowing my nose, sneezing, and feeling aches and chills all over my body, I finally went in to see my doctor, who administered a test for strep throat,

By Collin Myers, Technical Writer/Marketing Assistant An amazing breakthrough in cancer treatment has occurred at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia with the curious case of Emily “Emma??? Whitehead, a seven-year old girl who had been battling acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the most common type of blood cancer. After chemotherapy treatments failed to eradicate her cancer, Emma’s doctors – with the blessing of her parents – decided, with limited options available, to consider an alternative, cutting-edge treatment. 

By Brittany Beattie, Production Coordinator Phoenix, home of the Suns, Diamondbacks and some of the most wonderful November weather I have ever experienced in my life! It was also host to this year’s Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP) Meeting, and a couple of colleagues and I had the privilege of representing ABI at our exhibition booth. Held in downtown’s Phoenix Convention Center, AMP brings together a phenomenal group of professionals from four core groups in the industry. Their research and work encompass the fields of genetics, infectious diseases, hematopathology, and solid tumors. This amazing collection of people are trying to

We are excited to announce our attendance at the American Molecular Pathology (AMP) Annual Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona from November 14–16. A few select members of the ABI scientific staff will be joining a large collection of industry innovators and leading minds at this year’s meeting, which features roughly 400 posters and 150 exhibits, as well as the opportunity to interact face-to-face with our customers and colleagues. 

By Diana Vacchiano, Marketing Coordinator My husband and I were planning a daylong trip to his hometown of Philadelphia, a city we’ve always loved visiting not far from where I grew up in Central Pennsylvania. Since we’ve been married (and even before) we’ve done our fair share of traveling. We’ve been to Philadelphia dozens of times and felt like we’d seen it all – and then my sister recommended the Mütter Museum. For those of you, like myself, who had never heard of the Mütter Museum, let me fill you in: the Mütter is part of The College of Physicians

By Dr. Peggy Huang, Protein Chemist Being the mother of a young child, I am often faced with determining the difference between viral and bacterial infections when my son gets a fever. Maybe I’m a bit paranoid due to my experience in the biotech industry, but I’ve always followed the guidepost of “better safe than sorry.” Unless it’s something obvious, like a sore throat or a spell of the flu in wintertime, I’ve only verified cases of a viral infection when prescribed antibiotics were ineffective. This often leads to a hefty increase in the dosage of antibiotics. Unnecessary use of

Randall “Randy??? Whitman has been a part of the ABI family since the company opened its doors over 30 years ago. Over the course of his years with the company, he has held many positions and helped the business grow to become a leading supplier of innovative products in the biotech industry. As the newly appointed President, he is responsible for guiding the technical vision and direction of ABI, as well as promoting continuous product innovation.