Pathology Service

Clinical chemistry (also known as chemical pathology, clinical biochemistry or medical biochemistry) is concerned with analyzing bodily fluids for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. The most common specimens tested in clinical chemistry are blood and urine. Many different tests exist in clinical chemistry to evaluate various chemical components including, but not limited to: glucose, electrolytes, enzymes, hormones, lipids (fats), proteins and other metabolic substances.
Immunoassays are a bioanalytical method that measures the presence or concentration of analytes such as hormones and infectious markers through an antibody or an antigen as a biorecognition agent. ELISA stands for Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay, used to detect and measure antibodies in autoimmune diseases, infective diseases, and allergies. Our department of clinical chemistry and immunoassays is equipped with world-class instruments from Roche, Abbott, Siemens, Biorad, Biomeriux & Sebia, capable of handling large volumes of various diagnostic tests with maximum precision and accuracy. Our department was also the first in the country to install the Roche Cobas 8000 analyzer with its capacity to perform 2200 chemistry and 470 Immunoassays per hour. The department uses fully automated ELISA analyzers like Evolis from Biorad and Chorus Trio from Disse Diagnostics. In addition, our allergy testing is processed on the PHADIA 250, which allows for rapid testing for a wide variety of allergens. We have highly efficient, experienced technical staff to perform the tests with utmost expertise and care along with this cutting-edge technology. We follow stringent processes and six sigma applications to ensure quality for accurate, complete and timely reports.

We perform a wide variety of basic and advanced hematology and coagulation testing. Hematology is the study of blood in health and disease. It includes recognizing abnormalities in red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, blood vessels, bone marrow, lymph nodes and spleen. Coagulation studies deal with diagnosing and monitoring diseases associated with the proteins involved in bleeding and clotting (hemostasis and thrombosis).
Our hematology department is resourced with the HELO system, an efficient, innovative design solution covering all high throughput automated hematology platform needs. The HELO system comprises of:

Yumizen H1500/ H2500 - High throughput analyzer (120 samples per hour) capable of enumerating nRBCS separately along with immature cell fractions of WBCs, measuring platelets optically (optical extinction technology) & performing automated reticulocyte counts.
Yumizen T6000 - Automated conveyor
Yumizen P8000 - Middleware and expert validation station
Yumizen SPS - Automatic slide maker (smear and stain)
Cellavision DM9600 - Digital Cell Morphology System automatically performs blood & body fluid differentials with a maximum capacity of 20 slides/hour, enabling our department to work smarter, faster and perform better.

Our coagulation testing platform consists of the automated ACL Elite Pro system, enabling minimal turnaround time for the Hemostasis testing.
Inflammatory markers like ESR are measured on the Vision Pro automated ESR analyzer that holds Five Patents (USA, Germany, Italy, Turkey, China) & shows the best correlation with the Westergren method. Immunophenotyping is performed on the DxFLEX Flow Cytometer, which is designed for clinical testing. Under the leadership of one of the country’s best hemato-pathologists, Dr. Amar Dasgupta, we offer all types of flow cytometry panels enabling quick and accurate diagnosis in hematological and hemato-oncological diseases.

Clinical pathology deals with the study of semen, urine, stool, cerebrospinal fluids, and other body fluids like ascitic fluid, pleural fluid, synovial fluid, etc., for clinical evaluation.
Using cutting-edge technologies, advanced automation processes, and effective laboratory management, the department offers the highest level of support to clinicians. The department is equipped with fully automated Flow cytometry-based SYSMEX UF500, the Cobas U411, and a team of highly trained, experienced and dedicated technical staff that makes sure that accurate and complete reports are delivered on time.

Histopathology deals with the gross and microscopic study of diseased tissue, along with any ancillary tests which may be needed for diagnosis or prognostication. Cytopathology is a sister science to histopathology and deals with the microscopic study of free cells or tissue fragments.
Our histopathology and cytopathology departments use the latest diagnostic techniques like immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, along with good old fashioned expert microscopy to provide accurate diagnosis and prognostic information from submitted tissue and body fluid samples. The department has gained a reputation for preparing excellent paraffin-embedded hematoxylin and eosin-stained sections and special stained sections. The lab processes more than 45,000 paraffin-embedded tissue blocks per year and more than 5 lakh slides!
A wide range of specimens is handled in the laboratory, including bone marrow biopsies, surgical oncology resections and biopsies, dermatology biopsies, outside blocks sent in consultation, renal biopsies and many more.

Our microbiology labs help diagnose and treat infectious diseases by rapidly and accurately identifying the organisms responsible.
We boast of a well-equipped microbiology lab with the latest cutting-edge technology. In addition, we have ensured that we apply automation in microbiology testing methods to ensure that human error is minimized and test reporting is expedited.
We use state-of-the-art technology with US FDA-approved instruments like BacT/ALERT, Vitek 2 Compact, MGIT Bactec, GeneXpert. Separate areas are marked out for processing bacteria, TB & fungus samples. In addition, we use updated CLSI guidelines used to interpret the sensitivity of reports. Our TB Lab is NTEP accredited for 1st line drug testing, and we offer a comprehensive range of TB tests.

• GeneXpert: Rapid test for the detection of M. tuberculosis genome and Rifampicin resistance.
• TB Culture: TB Culture using MGIT BACTEC (Liquid Based System) is the Gold Standard in diagnosing tuberculosis.
• TB Drug Sensitivity.
• AFB Smear

We also provide testing options to assist hospitals and other health care institutions – such as OT sterility testing, MRSA screening etc. (hospital infection control). Our potable water testing for coliform bacteria is also widely used to test water sources used for consumption or daily use.
We are a national leader in fungal testing, being the only private laboratory in India to perform fungal drug sensitivity for dermatophytes (fungal infections of the skin, hair and nails). This being in addition to performing fungal culture on a wide variety of samples.

Serology is the study and diagnostic identification of antibodies in the serum. Such antibodies are typically formed in response to an infection, against other foreign proteins, or to one’s proteins.
The department of serology and immunology caters to the testing of vast volumes of samples for seasonal infectious disorders and supports this workload through its complete spectrum of serological markers. Tests for sexually transmitted diseases, dengue, chikungunya, malaria, leptospirosis and typhoid, and full automation in blood grouping, direct & indirect Coombs tests are some of the critical areas in our range of serological testing. We have a fully automated state of the art analyzer based on Column Agglutination Technology - Ortho Autovue from Johnson & Johnson for automated blood grouping.

Adopting the latest in molecular diagnostic methodologies has allowed Suburban to remain on the cutting edge of diagnostics. We use the latest in real-time PCR technology with the ThermoFisher Quantstudio 5, the Cobas Lightcycler 480 and the Bio-rad CFX96. Nucleic acid extraction is automated using the Magna Pure 24 from Roche and Kingfisher Flex from Thermofisher. Our molecular lab conducts testing in cancer genetics, infectious disease and women’s health, among others. With a capacity of 14,000 tests per day and automation, our molecular lab is fully equipped to handle any challenge – something we proved during the COVID-19 pandemic when our lab was one of the 1st four labs in India permitted to start testing and soon went on to become the premier testing laboratory and partner for the MCGM in Mumbai.