About Us

HSL-Advanced Diagnostics is a specialist clinical and research referral laboratory and is part of the Health Services Laboratories pathology joint venture. Evolving from the UCLH Department of Pathology's Immunohistochemistry Unit and laterally as part of the UCL-Cancer Institute, HSL-AD has been providing expert services to UCLH Hospitals and UCL Research Departments since the early 1980s and to other hospitals around the UK and overseas since 1990. HSL-AD now stands as the immunohistochemistry, in situ and molecular tissue diagnostics service arm of Health Services Laboratories, the joint venture pathology organisation between UCLH, Royal Free Hospitals and The Doctors Laboratory

Modern personalised cancer treatments depend upon an accurate characterisation of the disease by both scientist and pathologist. There is an ever increasing array of biological and molecular markers available to assist in this, but it is not always cost effective for laboratories to hold a large portfolio of expensive markers. HSL-AD has one of the largest collections of antibodies and in situ probes in the country for use on formalin-fixed paraffin embedded tissue sections, and is a major centre for HER2 testing using both immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridisation (ISH). In addition, we test using a series of chromogenic in situ methods for infective agents, such as Cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) and various sub-types of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). With the drive towards personalized, targeted cancer treatments, recent advances in diagnostic testing have seen the expansion of HSL-AD molecular diagnostic services to include validated tests EGFR, KRAS, NRAS and BRAF for lung, colorectal cancer and melanoma patients, together the analysis of the ALK and ROS1 fusion gene for lung cancer patients. In 2014 we seen the implementation of a translational program to bring rapid, cost effective TARGETED NEXT GENERATION SEQUENCING of cancer specific somatic mutation targets to clinical practice. This has led to the development of the Sarah Cannon Molecular Diagnostics, a specialist centre and HSL Advanced Diagnostics partner laboratory for next generation sequencing services.

Our service is available on a permanent or temporary basis to all laboratories, pathologists, and oncologists whether they require a complete immunohistochemistry, in situ or molecular service, or just to complement their own local testing protocols with additional, specific biomarkers. We strongly believe that rapid, accurate and cost effective diagnostic testing; enabling assignment of targeted therapeutics should be available to all cancer patients, providing pathologists, oncologists and clinicians alike with the best possible tools to aid in the diagnostic and therapeutic decision making process.

Our IHC, in situ and molecular test lists highlight some of the more frequently requested biomarkers & probes, but do not encompass all the tests held by HSL-AD. If you do not see an antibody or probe or molecular target you require please do not hesitate to contact us.