July 2022 Bulletin

This is the third of our four Diamond Jubilee Bulletin issues, and I am truly delighted with the participation from across the pathology community with colleagues again pulling together some excellent collaborative articles.

Cellular pathology includes many subspecialties, including cytopathology and dermatopathology. Cellular pathologists are doctors and scientists who diagnose and study diseases including cancer and inflammatory diseases such as ulcerative colitis in tissues and organs. Examination by microscope of a small biopsy or tumour can provide the diagnosis but, increasingly, this is supplemented by DNA examination of cancers to tailor treatment.

Cytology is the study of individual cells of the body. The human body is made up of millions of cells and these can be sampled and looked at under the microscope, after suitable preparation, to help diagnose medical conditions. Cytology is widely used in medicine for the prevention and diagnosis of disease.

Histocompatibility and immunogenetics is, primarily, the study of the human leukocyte antigen system, most notably for the matching of organ and haematopoietic stem cell transplants. Scientists working in this specialty ensure transplanted organs and cells are compatible with the recipient to reduce the chances of rejection and other complications.

The landscape of organ donation in the UK continues to evolve. The October 2020 Bulletin featured a review article on organ donation. Since then, the world has undergone some remarkable changes – the field of organ donation and transplantation is no exception with some of the key developments highlighted in this article.

In this article, colleagues from NHS Blood and Transplant explain how the new round of joint National Institute of Health Care Research and Blood and Transplant Research Units will help achieve the aims and reflect the aspirations that underpin the work of their teams towards patient benefit.