Abstract
Purpose: In order to address the unmet needs of international histopathology laboratories with regard to procurement of laboratory equipment and consumables, the ASCP Center for Global Health has established a program which facilitates donation of these goods to laboratories in need.
Methods: Using a member-based outreach approach, donors with key histopathology laboratory equipment or consumables submit an interest in donation to ASCP. ASCP performs an assessment of the quality and longevity of the donated item. ASCP pairs the donation with a laboratory within the Partners for Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment Initiative network which has expressed need. Recipient lab-specific parameters are further evaluated (e.g. space, voltage compatibility, need for service contract, etc.). Should the donation be a compatible fit, ASCP works with both recipient and international shippers to facilitate the donation.
Results: Since August 2018, ASCP has supported nearly 20 international equipment donations (fair market value of goods totaling approximately $120K) to 12 countries. These donations are composed of routine histopathology lab consumables (e.g. tissue cassettes, glass slides, etc.) as well as specialized equipment (e.g. whole slide imaging scanners, microtomes, microscopes, etc.), basic laboratory operations equipment (e.g. computers, keyboards, etc), and educational materials (e.g. textbooks, etc.).
Conclusions: This donation program allows for redistribution of key histopathology lab equipment and consumables to laboratories in needs. The impact of this program has been far-reaching, both relieving laboratory strain associated with under-procurement often experienced in international laboratories to expanding capacitation of diagnostic testing services including, in some cases, telepathology-based secondary consultations from subspecialty pathologists unavailable in-country.
Citation Format: Debby Basu, Lola Tashpulatova, Dan Milner, Kenneth Landgraf. Establishment of ASCP Equipment Donation Program to Support International Histopathology Laboratories [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 9th Annual Symposium on Global Cancer Research; Global Cancer Research and Control: Looking Back and Charting a Path Forward; 2021 Mar 10-11. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2021;30(7 Suppl):Abstract nr 5.