Newswise — CHICAGO – Today biotech innovators will present portable tests that could help more patients get accurate diagnoses in a competition to win AACC’s Disruptive Technology Award. 

Over the last several years, technological advancements have enabled the development of tests that can be performed right where the patient is, whether that’s in a hospital room, primary care office, or community health center. This is a paradigm shift in healthcare delivery that will make it easier for patients to get accurate diagnoses and treatment, and could especially benefit patients in resource limited or remote settings that don’t have fully equipped clinical labs. AACC launched its new Disruptive Technology Award to support the diagnostic developers at the forefront of this shift, while also giving lab experts the chance to evaluate the science behind these novel technologies and their potential impact on patient care. Ativa Medical, GNA Biosolutions, and Two Pore Guys are the three developers that will compete for the award this year and were selected by AACC’s clinical testing experts from a pool of 42 applicants. 

During the Disruptive Technology Award Session at the 70th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting: 

  • Ativa Medical will present a fluid processing engine integrated into a low-cost, disposable card that performs the major test panels that form the backbone of blood testing. This advancement could enable clinics to obtain routine test results at the patient’s bedside rather than waiting for traditional blood test results to come back from the lab. 
  • GNA Biosolutions will present Pulse Controlled Amplification (PCA), a technology that significantly accelerates nucleic acid amplification—an integral step in the diagnosis of many infectious diseases. Using PCA, healthcare providers could identify individuals infected with dangerous pathogens in non-traditional testing environments within minutes, and with the sensitivity and specificity of laboratory-based tests.
  • Two Pore Guys (2PG) will present data on a 6 inch by 6 inch diagnostic device that uses solid-state nanopores to detect any molecule of interest, including DNA and RNA, proteins, metabolites, and drugs. Nanopore-based testing could improve diagnosis for a diverse range of illnesses, including cancer, autoimmune conditions such as type 1 diabetes, and bacterial infections such as tuberculosis.

After the three teams present their technologies, a panel of clinical testing experts will score the devices and will select the winner based on feasibility and performance at the end of the session. 

“The groundbreaking devices featured at AACC’s Disruptive Technology Award Session have the potential to transform clinical testing—and the entire model of the modern healthcare system,” said AACC CEO Janet B. Kreizman. “There is no better place for these technologies to be presented than the AACC Annual Scientific Meeting, where leaders in laboratory medicine can assess the utility of these devices and potentially accelerate their adoption into patient care.” 

 

Session Information

AACC Annual Scientific Meeting registration is free for members of the media. Reporters can register online here: https://www.xpressreg.net/register/aacc0718/media/start.asp.

 

Session 32229: AACC Disruptive Technology Award Competition

Monday, July 30

4:30–6 p.m.

Grand Ballroom/S100

McCormick Place

Chicago

 

About the 70th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo

The AACC Annual Scientific Meeting offers 5 days packed with opportunities to learn about exciting science from July 29–August 2. Plenary sessions feature the latest research on targeted cancer therapies, technology to define genetic defects, the HPV vaccine and associated cancers, using CRISPR to detect nucleic acid sequences, and the new WHO Essential Diagnostics List.

At the AACC Clinical Lab Expo, more than 800 exhibitors will fill the show floor of McCormick Place in Chicago with displays of the latest diagnostic technology, including but not limited to mobile health, molecular diagnostics, mass spectrometry, point-of-care, and automation.

About AACC

Dedicated to achieving better health through laboratory medicine, AACC brings together more than 50,000 clinical laboratory professionals, physicians, research scientists, and business leaders from around the world focused on clinical chemistry, molecular diagnostics, mass spectrometry, translational medicine, lab management, and other areas of progressing laboratory science. Since 1948, AACC has worked to advance the common interests of the field, providing programs that advance scientific collaboration, knowledge, expertise, and innovation. For more information, visit www.aacc.org.

Meeting Link: 70th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting, Jul-Aug 2018