Introduction

Immunopathology investigates the role of immune responses associated with disease.

Sydpath’s Immunopathology Department was one of the first such departments established in Australia and incorporates an established HIV Reference laboratory as part of the NSW State Reference Laboratory for HIV/AIDS. The laboratory offers comprehensive testing for autoantibodies, immunochemistry, immunodeficiency, allergy, HIV and haematological malignancies. Our areas of special expertise include haematological malignancies and HIV. Diagnosis of haematological malignancies is identified by electrophoresis/immunofixation (EPG/IFX), serum free light chains and by flow cytometry of cells from blood, bone marrow, lymph nodes or other tissues.

 

Detailed Overview

The interpretation of many immunological tests can be complex. Senior medical staff overseeing this laboratory all have strong research track records, ensuring rapid translation of new insights into disease diagnosis, pathogenesis and management. Most are jointly accredited as both immunopathologists and clinical immunologists and are available to offer clinically relevant interpretive advice to referring doctors.

For HIV diagnosis and management, we offer a comprehensive array of investigations including standard screening and confirmatory tests, and PCR detection assays for both HIV-1 and HIV-2. The tests were offer include nucleic acid testing for early diagnosis of primary HIV infection and perinatal infection, genotypic resistance and viral tropism assays, and HLA-B57 testing.

Our partnership with St Vincent’s Centre for Applied Medical Research (AMR), which was formed in 2008, also offers research programs in a variety of areas within HIV Medicine. These include virology, immunology, structural biology, neurobiology, adult stem cell research, cancer and clinical trials. AMR is dedicated to sharing research results with the wider medical, scientific and general public communities.

AMR was created through a joint venture between the Centre for Immunology and the Clinical Trials Unit from St Vincent’s Hospital. AMR is vital component of St Vincent’s Darlinghurst research campus, along with the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute and the National Centre for HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research.

For the diagnosis and management of malignancies such as lymphoma and leukaemia, flow cytometry plays a key role. The availability of a state of the art flow cytometers facilitates the simultaneous identification of twelve different markers on one cell. This allows detailed characterization of even small abnormal cell populations. Our flow cytometry facility also offers extensive lymphocyte subset analysis, T cell clonality assessment and evaluation of T cell responsiveness to cytomegalovirus (CMV).

Meet our Immunopathologists here