The Chemistry and Mass Spectrometry laboratory at Wake Forest Baptist Health, is an automated 24/7/365 clinical service facility providing routine chemistry and therapeutic drugs monitoring services for the Wake Forest Baptist Health hospitals and clinics, as well as for many other clinics in the Triad region.
The laboratory section is CAP and CLIA accredited and produces approximately five million reportable tests and panels every year and is offering an extensive testing menu which includes chemistry metabolic panels, blood gases, hormones, metabolites, etc.
The whole instrumentation in the Core laboratory is in the process to be updated to the most modern type of instrumentation and automation line, with the goal of providing accurate laboratory results with a very short receipt to result turn-around-time especially for patients evaluated in the Emergency Department. The new laboratory instrumentation and automatic line, together with the LIS is design to provide lean management principles and a work cell layout to maximize efficiency. These allow the section staff to efficiently manage the high throughput of STAT, ED, Pediatric, Endocrinology, Oncology, etc specimens of various type (serum, plasma, urine, CSF) within a high volume flow of the Core Laboratory.
The Chemistry laboratory at Wake Forest Baptist Health also includes the Mass Spectrometry section, which manages more complex or esoteric mass spectrometry testing modalities. This includes various mass spectrometry evaluation of various immunosuppressant and antifungal drugs.
The Mass Spec laboratory intends to potentially expand its testing menu to include toxicology testing, trace elements and lead testing to better serve the patients within the Triad with in-house assays and a fast TAT for these type of tests.
The Wake Forest Baptist Health chemistry laboratory is offering in-house testing for the diagnosis of CF and it is also certified by the CF Foundation for testing/monitoring of CF patients.
The medical director, Dr. Alina G. Sofronescu, PhD, NRCC-CC, is an enthusiastic board-certified clinical chemist and fellow of the AACC Academy, with broad experience in clinical chemistry, providing timely support for laboratory operations and consultation for healthcare providers.
Education
In addition, the chemistry laboratory at Wake Forest Baptist Health is a platform of education for students in the field of laboratory science (MLT) and residents in the Pathology Department of at Wake Forest School of Medicine.
Testing Area (examples)
- Antifungals: Voriconazole and Posaconazole
- Capillary electrophoresis
- Glycated Hemoglobin A1c for DM via HPLC
- Hormones (thyroid conditions, steroids, pregnancy, etc) and Tumor Markers via Immunoassay
- Immunosuppressants/Transplant monitoring: Everolimus, FK506, Cyclosporine, and Rapamycin
- Anemia panel
- Urinalysis
- TDM testing via Immunoassay
- ICU/NICU – blood gases evaluations
Laboratory tests samples from outside the medical center as well as and new contracts with medical clinics and other facilities are always welcomed. If interested in this direction, please call the lab at 336-716-2661 for arrangements and instructions.
Related Research Activities
The chemistry laboratory is engaged is research, as well as in implementation of various new tests.
It also offers testing in support clinical and translational research for many PIs and welcomes new collaboration in this direction any time.