Eurofins Pathology Ireland
Importance of Histopathology to Ireland
Currently, 1 in 23 people in Ireland are living with cancer, underscoring the vital role of histopathology services in cancer diagnosis nationwide. Between 2020 and 2022, over 41,000 tumours were diagnosed annually, with 60% of all invasive cancers occurring in the Dublin area. Our laboratory’s strategic location in Dublin offers clients convenient and efficient access to essential diagnostic services. In 2023, the number of specimens submitted to histopathology laboratories increased by 10.5%, highlighting the growing demand for these services. Our ability to expand and scale in response to this rising need is a key contribution to supporting and strengthening Ireland’s healthcare infrastructure.
Our ongoing investment in cutting edge technologies and specialist expertise reflects our commitment to delivering pathology services that are accurate, timely and of high quality. Eurofins Pathology team of technical and scientific staff process all specimens on-site at our Dublin facility.
Image 1: Sample Reception
Eurofins Histopathology Laboratory, Dublin, Ireland
Located in Dublin, Eurofins Pathology is the only Irish independent laboratory offering comprehensive histopathology services. Originally founded in 2013 as The Medical Consultants Pathology Group (MCP), the laboratory became part of the Eurofins Group in January 2017, marking a new chapter of innovation and growth. Under the operational leadership of Sabrina and her dedicated team, Eurofins Pathology has built a reputation for reliability, precision, and partnership.
Laboratory Accreditation
Eurofins Histopathology is accredited to the ISO 15189:2022 Medical Testing Standard, (Accreditation Number 380MT). For full details, please follow this link. We first achieved accreditation to ISO 15189:2012 from INAB in June 2019. We will continue to strive to maintain and further expand the scope of accredited tests.
Useful Documents:
Eurofins Pathology Laboratory Accreditation
Eurofins Pathology Test Request Form 2024
Primary Sample Manual for Eurofins Pathology
What is Histopathology?
Histopathology is the microscopic examination of body tissues to identify the signs and characteristics of disease. The resulting histopathology report influences the majority of patient treatment decisions and plays a crucial role in ensuring patient safety.
What is Cytopathology?
Cytology (cytopathology) is a way to diagnose or screen for diseases with a small sample of tissue or body fluids. A pathologist examines cells in the sample to look for differences in their size and shape, or other changes. Cytology is commonly used to screen for or diagnose cancer. It can also diagnose infections.
Eurofins Histopathology & Cytopathology - Our 3 Services
Histopathology
GI Biopsies, Dermatology, Female Genital Tract, Urology & Male Reproductive Tract, Head & Neck, Core needle biopsies, fluids.
Cytology - Non-Accredited
NGYN Fluids (cystic contents, urine, effusions) & FNA (fine needle aspirates).
Specialised Staining Techniques
Special stains and immunohistology (IHC).
After initial investigations, we offer additional testing such as special staining, immunohistochemistry or referral for expert opinion.
Our special staining service offers more in–depth evaluation and allows target substances and foreign elements to be identified, providing a morphological profile and confirmation of changes taking place to the tissue.
Immunohistochemistry (IHC) combines anatomical, immunological and biochemical techniques to image discrete components in tissues by using appropriately labelled antibodies to bind specifically to their target antigens in situ. IHC makes it possible to visualize the high-resolution distribution and localisation of specific cellular components within cells and within their proper histological context. This assists with accurate tumour classification and diagnosis.
Histopathology investigates many medical areas
We process and report thousands of cases annually for public and private hospitals and specialist clinics nationwide. The case mix covers a wide range of pathology, including Gastro-Intestinal, Breast, Gynaecology, Urology and Skin pathology.
Eurofins continually investing in Technology
Image 2: The Roche BenchMark ULTRA system
The automated IHC Platform used in Eurofins Pathology is the Roche BenchMark ULTRA Staining System. Our investment in technology improves laboratory operational efficiency, optimizes workflow, eliminates the need to batch samples and provides the flexibility to add time-sensitive slides without disrupting staining runs in process.
Image 3: Sakura Tissue-Tek Prisma® Plus - The automated Slide Stainer & Coverslipper
The Sakura Tissue-Tek Prisma® Plus quickly delivers stained and film coverslipped slides, enabling faster diagnosis and minimising scanning errors. Air bubbles are reduced using glass coverslips.
Image 4: NanoZoomer S60 with dedicated viewer software
The NanoZoomer S60, is an automated system capable of scanning up to 60 glass slides, both standard and mega-sized slides, converting glass slides into high-resolution digital data by high-speed scanning. The scanned data can be viewed on a PC monitor as shown in image 3. This technology allows us to easily create, view and perform quality-checks on whole slide images.
Personalised Histopathology Service - we listen to clients
While our service offers a comprehensive histopathology laboratory solution, we remain flexible and responsive to our clients’ specific needs, providing support to address their immediate or short-term capacity gaps.
We welcome clients who wish to utilise our full end-to-end service but we also accommodate individual service requirements, such as:
- Wet specimen handling only
- Block-to-slide processing only
- Case reporting only
This flexible approach allows clients to optimise their existing resources while leveraging our expertise and infrastructure where needed.
Histopathology Services with integrated Logistics
Our sister company LabLink Pathology, offer a local, national and international service across Ireland every day, with a fleet of over 70 vans, certified to ISO 9001:2015 standard and fully compliant with all industry-specific transport and carriage legislation. Many vehicles are now powered by HVO or electric with on-board multi-temperature control.
Meet the Eurofins Histopathology Team
Sabrina Carter, Business Unit Manager
Iyob Ghebrenegus, Chief Biomedical Scientist
Sabrina is the operational lead with Iyob Ghebrenegus supervising the medical scientists, biomedical scientists, associated practitioners and laboratory aides. The team is clinically supported and advised by Prof. Susan Kennedy, Dr Paul Downey, Dr Máire Lavelle and Dr George Harbourne.
Eurofins Histopathology – a great place to work
Eurofins Pathology is committed to the professional development of staff through participation in CPD, ensuring that the team are always at the forefront of medical science, continuously improving their skills and knowledge.
We foster a culture of camaraderie excellence and trust, recognising outstanding performance in individual members of our team.
A Personal Note to Clients & New Clients
At Eurofins Pathology we pride ourselves on supporting your organisation or business. Whether you need a full service, aspects of our service or a trusted referral laboratory to alleviate backlogs or pressure, we have the expertise and processes in place to address your Histopathology needs.
References:
1. National Cancer Registry Ireland (2024). Cancer in Ireland 1994-2022: Annual statistical report of the National Cancer Registry (2024). Cork: National Cancer Registry Ireland. Available at: https://www.ncri.ie/en/reports-publications/reports/cancer-in-ireland-1994-2022-annual-statistical-report-of-the-national [Accessed: 30 July 2025].
2. National Histopathology Quality Improvement programme (2023). 11th National Data Report. Faculty of Pathology