Delhi-based Dr Lal Pathology Laboratories (LPL) is in talks with Max India and Ranbaxy Laboratories to explore the possibility of setting up a 50:50 joint venture with one of them, in order to establish a nationwide `Pathology Grid'-- a network consisting of hundreds of franchise sample collection centers that are electronically connected to the LPL's laboratories located at

Connought Place and Okhla here.

The new company would also undertake setting up a chain of new laboratories conforming to the World Health Organisation and US FDA standards at select cities in the country.

According to Dr Arvind Lal, director, LPL, discussions are on with the companies and the joint venture would be incorporated within three months. As the investment structure and other modalities are only being worked out, Dr Lal declined to comment on those lines.

LPL has already got sufficient experience in franchise sample collection network with over 100 such centers existing across the country covering major hospitals too. The idea behind the joint venture is to capitalize on and expand the network to the stature of a countrywide pathology grid.

"The Grid would enable the patients in small towns and remote centers to have access to worldclass pathological testing facilities. Particularly, diseases such as AIDS, Hepatitis, TB etc which require tests with high level of accuracy could be done only through such a grid if global standards on specificity and sensitivity of the tests are to be maintained," Dr Lal said.

Currently, the country has over 30,000 pathological testing centers, of which only a very small number of laboratories could claim conformance with global specifications. There is no government regulation on the standards of these laboratories, barring the guidelines

from the National Accreditation Board for Laboratory Testing & Calibration (NABL) under the ministry of science & technology.

NABL guidelines are not mandatory and merely of advisory nature. LPL is about to get the accreditation of NABL for following the guidelines.

LPL provides test parameters covering the disciplines of endocrinology, genetics, nutrition and metabolism, oncology, toxicology, infectious diseases, microbiology, biochemistry, haematology, immunohistochemistry, histopathology, cytology and immunopathology.

Of late, the firm has introduced modern diagnostic tests such as PCR tests for early screening of HIV, HBV and TB; branched DNA tests for viral load quantification (for AIDS, Hepatitis B etc), flow cytometry for identifying cancer and immune-deficiency markers and atomic absorption spectrometry for the detection of trace elements. Other technologies that are being introduced

Is Cytogenetics for detection of genetic disorders and infrared spectrometry for Kidney and gall stone analysis.