AACC’s 25th International Critical and Point-of-Care Testing Symposium, Real World and Emerging Applications for Improved Clinical Outcomes, will offer “a solid mix of cutting-edge technologies and applications, coupled with practical concepts that can be applied in real-world settings,” according to the conference chair, William Clarke, PhD, MBA, DABCC.
The symposium is taking place September 17-20 in San Diego. In five sessions over two and a half days, the meeting will explore advances in POCT for detecting malaria, sexually transmitted diseases, and HIV. Novel technologies for assessing coagulation and detecting2C19 mutations in patients on clopidogrel also will be introduced. In addition, the program will explore personal stories from the emergency response to 2012’s Superstorm Sandy and the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. Speakers also will profile Rice University’s lab-in-a-backpack initiative, and plans in China to expand POCT. The meeting will close with case studies on the use of rapid thromboelastography to reduce blood product usage and the role of troponin testing in improving cardiovascular care.
In addition to showcasing new POCT technologies for molecular diagnostics and infectious diseases, the conference will focus on newly developed POCT for coagulation, self-testing for HIV, and lessons in how to use POCT in emergency or low-resource settings, adds Clarke, an associate professor of pathology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore.
The keynote lecturer will be Carl Wittwer, MD, PhD, a professor of pathology at the University of Utah School of Medicine in Salt Lake City. Wittwer is the primary inventor of the LightCycler® system and has been involved in cutting-edge research in molecular diagnostics.
Attendees should gain an appreciation for the diversity of POCT applications that are currently available or in development. “As healthcare delivery evolves, it is clear that POCT will have an important role in that evolution. Hopefully, the attendees will gain a deeper understanding of the tools that are available and what is needed for successful implementation in a variety of settings,” says Clarke.