The market for rapid testing is expanding with compelling new technologies and the outlook is very bright. This year’s Point-of-Care Diagnostics conference will cover wearables, cell-based devices, point-of-care assays for antibiotic
resistance and integrated diagnostic and treatment devices. This is the meeting place for diagnostic developers and end-users to talk about the future of mobile testing and how it is leading the transformation in medicine.
Scientific Advisory Board
Gyorgy Abel, M.D., Ph.D., Director, Molecular Diagnostics, Immunology & Clinical Chemistry, Laboratory Medicine, Lahey Hospital & Medical Center, United States
Holger Becker, Ph.D., Founder & CSO, microfluidic ChipShop GmbH, Germany
WEDNESDAY, 6 APRIL
12:00 – 13:00 Registration
13:00 Chairperson’s Opening Remarks
Gyorgy Abel, M.D., Ph.D., Director, Molecular Diagnostics, Immunology & Clinical Chemistry, Laboratory Medicine, Lahey Hospital & Medical Center, United States
» 13:05 KEYNOTE PRESENTATION: IMPACT OF POCT TECHNOLOGY ON EFFICIENCY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF CLINICAL PROCESSES
Wilfried von Eiff, Ph.D., Academic Director, Center for Health Care
Management and Regulation, HHL, Leipzig Graduate School of Management, Germany
POCT technology enables us to leverage medical quality, patient outcome and economy of clinical processes. In two randomized single center trials the advantages of a POCT setting compared to a central lab test environment could be demonstrated.
In an emergency department, POCT contributes to avoiding crowding effects and to reducing length-of-stay of patients suffering from non-specific thoracic pain. Furthermore, cost saving and efficiency effects were achieved using POCT for glucose
monitoring onwards.
13:35 The Added Value POC Platforms for Pathogen Detection in Diagnostic Microbiology
Eric C.J. Claas, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Molecular Medical Microbiologist, Medical Microbiology,
Leiden University Medical Center, The Netherlands
Over the last few decades nucleic acid amplification methods have revolutionized diagnostic microbiology. Initially, advanced laboratory skills were required for reliable implementation of these techniques but in recent years automated systems have
become available for advanced processing of clinical samples. Different formats are available to accommodate specific laboratory requirements varying in the number of samples that can be processed, the number of pathogens that can be simultaneously
detected, and time to result. An overview of the possibilities will be presented with a view on future diagnostic microbiology.
14:05 Point-of-Care Testing: A European Perspective
Anders Larsson, Ph.D., Professor, Medical Sciences, Uppsala University, Sweden
Over the past decades the availability and use of point-of-care testing (POCT) have steadily increased in Europe. Properly utilized, POCT has been shown to yield measurable improvements in patient care, workflow, and significant financial benefits
in a number of different settings. It is important however that POCT is effectively integrated in the patient care including quality assurance systems and electronic handling of results.
14:35 Refreshment Break in the Exhibit Hall with Poster Viewing
15:10 Chairperson’s Remarks
Holger Becker, Ph.D., Founder & CSO, microfluidic ChipShop GmbH, Germany
15:15 Implementation of POCT Quality Standards to Optimize the Clinical Process Reliability
Peter B. Luppa, Ph.D., Head, Central Laboratory, Institute for Clinical Chemistry, Technische
Universität München, Germany
A POCT coordinator in a hospital has a pivotal role for quality assurance. He oversees all POCT processes and ensures that all necessary regulatory issues are met, establishing both quality and competence of testing. Implementation of POCT
into clinical practice means: Assessing analytical reliability, evaluating clinical significance and establishing a comprehensive quality management system. Only when analytical performance characteristics and clinical limits are known,
the POCT process reliability can be optimised.
15:45 A Universal POC Platform for Molecular, Immunological and Clinical Diagnostics
Holger Becker, Ph.D., Founder & CSO, microfluidic ChipShop GmbH, Germany
We have developed a universal diagnostic system which, as a platform, can handle molecular, immunological and clinical chemistry tests on a single instrument platform in a low resource setting. One example for a molecular diagnostic test on
this platform is the fully automated sample-in answer-out cartridge for a rapid detection of mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB). This platform will be used in the future as an open platform to allow users a fast-track to bring their own assays
onto a microfluidic cartridge format.
16:15 Emerging Technologies in Point-of-Care Diagnostics for Resource-Limited Settings
Ranald Sutherland, Ph.D., Head, Business Development, FIND Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics
Diagnosing infectious diseases at the point at which care is delivered has the potential to save many lives, especially where access to laboratories is poor. Whether caring for an individual patient or responding to a worldwide pandemic,
establishment of a microbial cause is fundamental to quality care. Emerging technologies enable this with new speed, sensitivity, and simplicity of use. However, there are significant challenges to the development and clinical integration
of the new generation of diagnostic tests.
16:45 Close of Day One
THURSDAY, 7 APRIL
8:30 Registration and Morning Coffee
9:00 Chairperson’s Remarks
Till T. Bachmann, Ph.D., Reader, Personalised Medicine in Infectious Disease; Deputy Head, Division of Infection and Pathway Medicine, College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom
9:05 A Handheld qPCR Device for Use in the Field
Jo-Ann Lee Stanton, Ph.D., Senior Research Fellow, Anatomy, University of Otago,
New Zealand
Diagnosis of infectious disease at the initial point-of-care permits rapid infection containment, accurate diagnosis and the immediate implementation of appropriate treatment. qPCR is rapid, sensitive and accurate. We have invented
a battery-powered, hand held qPCR device that can be used for point-of-care diagnostics. This talk will explore use of our handheld quantitative PCR device in non-laboratory environments.
9:35 Amplification Free Electrochemical Detection of Nucleic Acids for Rapid Antimicrobial Resistance Testing at Point-of-Care
Till T. Bachmann, Ph.D., Reader, Personalised Medicine in Infectious
Disease; Deputy Head, Division of Infection and Pathway Medicine, College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Rapid diagnostics is of utmost importance to quickly initiate the correct antibiotic therapy and avoid the use of inappropriate antibiotics. Direct, amplification free detection of nucleic acids offers the possibility to shorten the
time to result and specific sample preparation requirements need to be considered when setting up such assays. We have demonstrated the direct detection of nucleic acid antimicrobial resistance biomarkers from genomic and plasmid
DNA from MRSA and CPE respectively. We used electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and disposable electrodes and will discuss their integration in sample to answer tests.
10:05 Point-of-Impact Testing in the Emergency Department: Rapid Diagnostics for Respiratory Viral Infections
Randy Poelman, Ph.D. Candidate, Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Groningen, The Netherlands
10:35 Coffee Break in the Exhibit Hall with Poster Viewing
11:15 LAMP: Fast and Simple Point-of-Care Molecular Diagnostics of Bacteria and Viruses
Polona Kogovsek, Ph.D., Researcher, Biotechnology & Systems Biology, National Institute of Biology, Slovenia
11:45 A Rapid, Amplification-Free, and Sensitive Diagnostic Assay for Single-Step Multiplexed Fluorescence Detection of MicroRNA
Xue Qiu, Institut d’Electronique Fondamentale, Université Paris-Sud,
France
I will present a fully homogeneous multiplexed microRNA FRET assay that combines careful biophotonic design with various RNA hybridization and ligation steps. The single-step and amplification-free assay provides a unique combination
of performance parameters compared to state-of-the-art miRNA detection technologies. Precise quantification of miRNA-20a, -20b, and -21 with detection limits between 0.2 and 0.9 nM in 7.5 mL serum samples demonstrate the
feasibility of both high throughput and point-of-care clinical diagnostics.
12:15 Enjoy Lunch on Your Own
14:15 Dessert Break in the Exhibit Hall with Poster Viewing
14:55 Chairperson’s Remarks
Holger Becker, Ph.D., Founder & CSO, microfluidic ChipShop GmbH, Germany
15:00 Lab-on-DVD: Advanced Cellular and Molecular Diagnostics at Resource Limited Settings
Aman Russom, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Head, Clinical Microfluidics
Lab, Division of Proteomics and Nanobiotechnology, Science for Life Laboratory, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden
Microfluidics and the concept of lab-on-a-chip continue to gain traction as a successful emerging field that aims to integrate complex biochemical analyses into automated systems. One of the most promising applications for
these microfluidic systems is in point-of-care biological analysis. Here, I will describe and discuss a low-cost “Lab-on-DVD” platform capable of integrating sample handling and detection for POC blood diagnostics.
15:30 Global Health Diagnostics Demands
Francis Moussy, Ph.D., Lead, AMPR Diagnostics Innovation,
Essential Medicines and Health Products Department, World Health Organization (WHO), Switzerland
Low-cost and robust POC diagnostics that are suitable for remote health care centers in low- and middle-income countries are needed to facilitate surveillance and identification of etiological agents (and/or biological
responses) and thus guide decisions for timely and appropriate treatment and reporting in places where almost no tools are available. One approach towards such diagnostic tools is to facilitate the development of multipurpose
POC diagnostic devices.
16:00 The Digital Revolution on a Disc for Next-Generation Point-of-Care Diagnostics
Jens Ducrée, Ph.D., Biomedical Diagnostics Institute, National
Centre of Sensor Research, School of Physical Sciences, Dublin City University, Ireland
This talk will review significant advances on comprehensive process integration, automation and parallelization of bioanalytical assays on a compact and widely autonomous microfluidic platform. Similar to modern microelectronics,
this next-generation Lab-on-a-Disc platform allows complex logical flow control architectures generated by strategic repetition of elementary building blocks such as transistors. Several applications in point-of-care
diagnostics such as immunoassay, general chemistry, nucleic acid testing and cell counting will be demonstrated.
16:30 Next-Generation Diagnosis of Bacteremia in Septic Patients
Kai Sohn, Ph.D., Deputy Department Head, Functional Genomics, Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB, Germany
17:00 Refreshment Break
17:15 Centrifugal Microfluidic Platform (LabDisk) as a Multi-Purpose, Multi-Target Diagnostic Tool for Patient Management at the Point-of-Care
Konstantinos Mitsakakis, Ph.D.,
Project Manager & International Business Development, Hahn-Schickard & IMTEK-University of Freiburg, Germany
The LabDisk is a CD-shaped microfluidic platform with all reagents integrated for on-site sample-to-answer diagnosis of single or multiple infectious diseases stemming from parasites, bacteria, viruses, or co-infections
of theirs. By combining molecular diagnostics and protein biomarker detection, the LabDisk offers increased reliability in pathogen species identification. An overview of case-studies in infectious disease diagnostics
will be presented, namely on neonatal sepsis, respiratory tract infections, antibiotic resistance, febrile tropical infections.
17:45 Integrated Sample-Prep and Immunoassay Array Platform for High-Sensitivity, Low-Complexity Multiplexed POC Diagnostics
John C. Carrano, Ph.D., President & CEO, Paratus Diagnostics
LLC, United States
Detection of infectious pathogens is critical to proper patient care and management of outbreaks, yet many existing diagnostic tests fail to provide adequate sensitivity and simplicity for use in an out-patient setting.
Our solution resolves the problems associated with long delays in test results processed at a central laboratory thereby informing clinical decision-making during the normal course of the patient visit to the clinic.
In this talk we will present a solution for a high-sensitivity, low-complexity multiplexed POC diagnostic test that addresses and resolves each of these challenges through the application or our unique and differentiated
technologies.
18:15 Close of Conference