Jul 30 2014
As one of the 10 largest medical exhibitions in the U.S., the 2014 AACC Annual Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo is the place where breakthrough innovations in clinical testing and patient care are introduced to the healthcare world. This year, many of the trailblazing products displayed by the Expo’s 650 exhibitors will include the latest diagnostic technology in the field of mobile health.
Advances in smartphones and biosensors have enabled the development of “labs-on-a-chip” that can be brought to the patient, instead of the patient being brought to the lab. This technology is creating a paradigm shift in healthcare delivery that will make it much easier for patients to undergo clinical testing and get the treatment they need, and could be especially beneficial for patients in resource limited or remote settings who don’t have access to a hospital.
New mobile diagnostic and lab-on-a-chip technology found at AACC’s meeting will include:
- A smartphone-based HRDR-200 Rapid Diagnostic Reader by Holomic. This handheld, mobile tool can serve as a portable “smartphone lab” for the diagnosis of thyroid disorders, infectious diseases, and other common health conditions.
- A biochip platform by OJ-Bio, which uses surface acoustic wave (SAW) technology and a hand-held reader connected to a smartphone to test for multiple biomarkers (biological molecules whose presence indicates a condition or disease) simultaneously. These biochips are currently being developed to diagnose HIV, respiratory disease, and periodontal disease.
- A portable, one-step molecular diagnostic system by Coyote Bioscience, which is designed to bring complex genetic testing directly to the patient. On Tuesday, July 29, 1:30–1:50 p.m., Coyote will introduce this point-of-care platform as part of the AACC annual meeting’s OEM Lecture Series.
AACC’s Annual Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo will also feature the newest tests in reproductive health, infectious diseases, drug testing, and much more. One highlight from among these products is Roche’s pioneering cobas HPV Test, the first human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA test approved by the Food and Drug Administration for primary cervical cancer screening. For decades, cervical cytology has been the mainstay of cervical cancer screening, but recent studies have found that HPV screening appears to offer 60–70% greater protection against invasive cervical cancer than cytology. This new HPV test could be integral to preventing cervical cancer in women by enabling cancer precursor cells to be removed before they become malignant.
“This year has seen the emergence of amazing new diagnostic products that promise to change not only clinical testing but the entire model on which the modern healthcare system is based,” said AACC CEO Janet B. Kreizman. “The new technology being featured at the 2014 AACC Annual Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo is the future of laboratory medicine and exemplifies how important diagnostic tests are to enhancing patient health around the globe.”