Audrey Audetat and Amanda Weaver are two lab professionals leading diagnostic testing at Biodesix, a data-driven diagnostic solutions company that specializes in blood-based diagnostic tests for lung cancer.  

Audrey oversees the day-to-day operations of all the commercial testing performed at the clinical laboratory, which she describes as “everything from equipment to training and competency, troubleshooting, reagent acceptance, etc., the whole execution of all of the commercial tests.” In her role, Amanda examines innovations in the research and academic sectors, and works to integrate those tools to run diagnostic tests.

Aside from working in the same lab, Audrey and Amanda share another thing in common – their work at Biodesix is personal. “Two of my aunts have passed away from cancer, and my other aunt was just diagnosed with stage 4 bone cancer, so it definitely runs in my family, so I have a huge passion for cancer research and cancer biology,” explains Amanda.

For Audrey, her own grandfather quickly passed away from lung cancer 35 years ago, at a time where information and options for testing were extremely limited. These firsthand experiences from Audrey and Amanda remind them every day about the importance of a timely and accurate diagnosis for cancer patients.

“One of the things we pride ourselves on as a company is our turnaround time. And time matters. Not just to treatment but for the patient’s peace of mind, and so we want those patients to have their answer as fast as possible,” emphasizes Audrey.

Audrey highlighted Biodesix’s impressive turnaround time for their lung cancer testing –  “we promise 72 hours and they’re well under that.” Getting patients their results as fast as possible can help them get the right treatment as fast as possible – which for conditions like lung cancer, is critical.

“Lung cancer is really a devastating diagnosis, because it is such a short life expectancy once you are diagnosed, but the more there are targeted treatments and you can help people get on those by giving them results, that’s a really good feeling,” reiterates Amanda.

Both Amanda and Audrey applauded the efforts of their team members, who share their professional and personal passion for the work they do to help patients. “I want people to know that there’s a team of people that they don’t even see that are working for them,” says Audrey.

Watch the video below to learn more about how Audrey and Amanda, and their team at Biodesix, are working behind the scenes to provide answers for patients.

For Dr. Matthew Hardison, every day is an opportunity to leverage the power of science and technology to deliver results for patients. “People get into this kind of work because they know it is directly impactful to patient care,” he says. 

As Senior Vice President of Lab Operations at Aegis Sciences Corporation, he leads efforts in the toxicology space of pain management – tying together behavioral health, addiction medicine, primary care, as well as orthopedics.

“If you think of an X-ray as the very basic lifting of the hood on the car, clinical lab testing is where you hook it up to the diagnostic machine and identify the root of the problem,” he says. “We exist to provide objective, hard data on what is going on in the patient’s system.”

With non-prescription substance use and medication diversion on the rise, Dr. Hardison’s work has never been more important.  Like many laboratories, the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic prompted Aegis to look beyond traditional testing approaches. “With the ongoing opioid epidemic, we were quickly able to launch new types of testing that enabled physicians to move to a more telemedicine-style approach but still maintain that level of patient care,” says Dr. Hardison.

Beyond the standard opioid testing that most people picture when they think of toxicology, Dr. Hardison and his colleagues also help providers understand of the impact that opioids and benzodiazepines can have upon a patient, including how the detection of these substances can be masked or impacted by other medications and consequently impact patient response.

Objective data gleaned from clinical laboratory tests, such as a patient’s insulin level, amount of morphine in their system, or a gene mutation, can help clinicians provide more personalized care and drive better outcomes for patients and their families.

Watch the video below for highlights from the interview with Dr. Hardison and learn more about the critical work performed by laboratory professionals across the country to empower better clinical decision-making and drive better care for patients.