September 30, 2026
Transcript
Elizabeth McMahon
Coming up, how a new platform called Biomarker OneSource can close the precision testing and treatment gap for cancer patients.
Dr. Donald Karcher
Plus, I had a chance to meet amazing pathologists and laboratorians across the country and around the entire world, and that was arguably the greatest treat of being CAP president.
Elizabeth McMahon
We hear from the 2026 Pathologist of the Year, Dr. Donald KDIt's Welcome to CAP News for Wednesday, September 30th. I'm Elizabeth McMahon with the College of American Pathologists, and here's what's making news in pathology and laboratory medicine. Despite major advances in testing, most cancer patients still don't receive therapies tailored to the unique biomarkers of their disease. It's a precision treatment gap that often starts with clinicians knowing the recommendations and options available to them for targeted testing. A new CAP-led platform called Biomarker OneSource aims to close that gap. Dr. Annette Kim, chair of the CAP Personalized Healthcare Committee and one of the leaders of the initiative, says Biomarker OneSource addresses many challenges in cancer testing.
Dr. Annette Kim
It's a centralized resource providing a comprehensive platform to reach primarily pathologists and laboratorians, but also potentially clinical providers and patients as well. It amplifies the awareness of biomarker testing related to targeted therapeutics. It facilitates early adoption of biomarker testing.
Elizabeth McMahon
Biomarker One source is still under development, but Dr. Kim says it will initially contain 40 to 50 oncology biomarkers. It will also be free, providing enough data and information for labs to contribute biomarkers to the database.
Dr. Annette Kim
We would prefer to make sure that as many laboratories across the entire United States and even the world are doing biomarker testing rather than having it just be at a few local uh a few distant sites.
Elizabeth McMahon
CAP members can try out the platform and provide feedback at the CAP26 Innovation Hub in Las Vegas. Microscopic lesions in a woman's fallopian tubes can be precursors of aggressive ovarian cancer. But sampling cells from those lesions requires removing the fallopian tubes, a process that damages or kills the precancerous cells. Now, researchers at MIT and Johns Hopkins University have developed a handheld device that gently collects living cells to test for ovarian and other cancers. The device holds a small microfluidic channel against the tissue and uses a syringe to drive fluid through the channel, gently detaching living cells from tiny sections of tissue. Researchers then use the living cells for testing and disease modeling. The group hopes the device, which can be adjusted to remove cells in different parts of the body, can one day be integrated into routine pathology procedures. Their study is in the journal Device. And finally, from Army Laboratories to Capitol Hill Hearing Rooms, service has defined Dr. Donald Karcher's career for more than five decades. For more than three of those decades, this familiar face at the CAP has contributed to nearly every area of the organization, from lab inspections to council and committee rooms, and finally the president's office. This week, Dr. Karcher's CAP service and leadership gets the spotlight as he accepts the Pathologist of the Year Award in Las Vegas on October 4th. Dr. Karcher's term as the CAP's 38th president, which ended last year, included significant regulatory and workforce challenges. But in his travels to 22 states and six countries, he focused on supporting and advocating for a specialty undergoing rapid change.
Dr. Donald Karcher
I had a chance to meet amazing pathologists and laboratorians across the country and around the entire world. And that was arguably the greatest treat of being CAP president. Learning about what they're doing, seeing all the great um, you know, all the great technology they're incorporating in their practice and you know, those kinds of things. Truly amazing.
Elizabeth McMahon
Today, the Louisiana native hasn't slowed down. He continues to teach and train future pathologists at George Washington University Medical Center. Dr. Karcher says he emphasizes to his students that technology can never replace pathologists' connections to those they serve.
Dr. Donald Karcher
We need to make sure that with digital pathology, we don't become too distant from other clinicians and our patients. You know, remote sign out. It's a wonderful ability and it can shorten turnaround time, but we also have to be careful that it that it's done properly and that we maintain that connection to our our clinician colleagues and our patients that we serve.
Elizabeth McMahon
That's all for today. Be sure to check the show notes for more information on today's stories. Got a story you'd like to hear on the podcast? Write to us at stories at org. We're back at 5 a.m. Eastern for another episode of CAP News. I'm Elizabeth McMahon. Have a great day.