American Society for Clinical Pathology - Home

http://www.ascp.org
Board of Registry, Certification, Lab News

HISTORY

• 1922  American Society of Clinical Pathologists (ASCP) is founded
• 1928  Board of Registry is founded
• 1931  MT(ASCP) credential is first used
• 1946  College of American Pathologists (CAP) is founded
• 1947  American Association of Blood Bank (AABB) is founded
• 1951  Univac is first computer designed for commercial used
• 1953  James Watson and Francis Crick successfully model the structure of Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA)
• 1956  Albert Sabin develops oral polio vaccine
• 1960  Birth Control Pill is introduced - from 150 ug of estrogen reduced to 35 ug or less today
• 1965  Discovery of plasmids
• 1966  Medicare and Medicaid enacted
• 1967  Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendment (CLIA) establishes minimum quality requirements for clinical labs engaged in interstate commerce
• 1969  Scanning electron microscope is built
• 1970  EPA and OSHA founded.  University of Wisconsin researchers succeed in making the first synthesized gene
• 1971  First heart and lung transplant
• 1972  Friedewald develops and validates basic formula for calculating Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol from Triglycerides, Total Cholesterol, and High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol
• 1973  US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is founded.  MRI is developed for medical diagnosis.  Genetic engineering: Stanley Cohen and Herbert Boyer implant foreign genetic material into Escherichia coli.  Westgard control rules introduced into clinical lab quality control
• 1975  Malpractice Crisis
• 1976  Safe Medical Devices Act passed by Congress.  Legionnaire's Disease outbreak in Philadelphia
• 1978  Genentechs develop Humulin (Human Insulin) from first recombinant DNA production
• 1980  Invention of scanning tunneling microscope that detects single atom in surface of scanned material.  Functioning genes are successfully transferred
• 1981  Occurrence of immunodeficiency (acquired) noted among a group of New York and California homosexuals.  First prenatal diagnosis of a human disease, sickle cell anemia
• 1982  First case definition of AIDS published by MMWR.  Mandatory urine-testing programs implemented in every branch of the military
• 1983  First artificial chromesome is created
• 1984  HIV is identified as the etiologic agent of AIDS.  Genetic fngerprinting based on certain DNA codes unique to each individual is discovered.  Baboon heart is implanted in a human baby.  First successful operation on a fetus
• 1985  Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), the first gene amplification technology, is discovered.  FDA approves AIDS test for blood
• 1986  FDA approves the first genetically engineered vaccine for use against Hepatitis B.  The Reagan Administration passes legislation that requires all federal employees to abstain completely from illegal drug use
• 1987  CDC Universal Precautions are developed
• 1988  CLIA '88: Extend direct federal jurisdiction for the regulation of clinical lab quality to all US clinical laboratories
• 1989  US researchers discover the gene responsible for cystic fibrosis.  The National Institute of Health (NIH) establishes the National Center for Human Genome Research, beginning the 15-year Human Genome Project, an international effort to map and translate the estimated 50,000 to 100,000 genes on the 23 pairs of human chromesomes.  Researchers inject a cancer patient with genetically altered cells in hopes of developing new cancer-fighting therapy
• 1990  An experimental vaccine is reported to protect chimpanzees from infection by the AIDS virus.  Revised CLIA '67 regulations are published
• 1991  OSHA's bloodborne pathogen standard are established
• 1992  FDA licenses a 10-minute diagnostic test kit to be used by healthcare professionals to detect the presence of HIV-1.  Centers for Disease Control becomes Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  Final CLIA '88 regulations are published
• 1993  FDA implements its parallel track policy allowing new drugs for treating AIDS and other HIV-related diseases to be made more widely available.  FDA approves direct testing method for low-density lipoprotein.  Human Genome Project discovers inherited disease gene for Huntington's Disease
• 1994  Health Care Financing Administration recognizes ASCP as certifying body for cytotechnologist under CLIA, CLIA '88 is revised.  Human Genome Project identifies inherited disease gene for early onset breast/ovarian cancer.  Human Genome Project meets mapping goal, producing a detailed linkage map of the human genome and its array of DNA patterns

Original Publication 02/18/2006  ALT MSN Groups (defunct)
Web Page: ASCP
Published 5/29/10  ALT Group Multiply Website