Annual Gathering of Clinical Lab Experts

Release Date: July 10, 2000
Contact: Donna Krupa at 703.527.7357
Cell: 703.967.2751 or [email protected]
Through July 27, 2000

AACC Newsroom Open July 23-27, 2000
T: 415.978.3647 - Room ll3 Moscone Cen.

52nd ANNUAL GATHERING OF CLINICAL LAB EXPERTS PRESENTS UPDATES ON TESTING FOR HUMAN HEALTH, REPRODUCTION AND DISEASE

The 52nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC) being held July 23-27, 2000 in San Francisco updates recent progress in: HIV viral load, phenotyping and genotyping; Down syndrome screening; male infertility treatments; prostate and ovarian cancer markers; identifying heavy drinkers; and the genetic diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease

WASHINGTON, DC -- Research updates affecting the full scope of human health will take place at the 52nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC) being held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, CA on July 23-27, 2000.

AACC is the world's most prestigious professional association for clinical laboratorians, clinical and molecular pathologists, and others in related fields. Clinical laboratorians are specialists trained in all areas of human laboratory testing, including genetic, infectious diseases, tumor markers and DNA. Their primary professional commitment is the understanding of tests to detect, monitor and treat human disease.

Highlights of this year's presentations include:

HIV and AIDS - Nearly twenty years have passed since AIDS became a recognizable disease; a decade has lapsed since HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) was identified as its cause, and today, the race for the cure is still on. AACC's annual meeting kicks off with the plenary session presentation by David Ho, MD, Chief Executive Officer of the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center in New York. Dr. Ho will discuss the pathogenesis of HIV-1, active replication of HIV in vivo, its implication for therapy and provide an update on current treatment approaches. In succeeding sessions, other speakers including Tim Alcorn, LabCorp of America, Research Triangle Park, NC and Terry Robins, PhD, Specialty Laboratories, Santa Monica, CA, will lead discussions on clinical evaluation of HIV patients and viral load, genotypng and phenotyping.

Prenatal Screening for Down Syndrome; New Methods for Testing on Critically Ill Neonates - Down Syndrome, also known as Trisomy 21, is a genetic disorder that results when the 2lst pair of chromosomes in the body's cells have an extra (third) chromosome. About one in 800 births are Down Syndrome infants. Because the risk of giving birth to a child with Down Syndrome increases as a woman ages, amniocentesis is routinely performed on women 35 years and older. In years past, testing could only be done during the second trimester (l4+ weeks). Today's tests can now be administered during the first trimester (9-13 weeks). Moreover, new prenatal screening procedures are expected soon. At the same time, new technologies to test critically ill neonates, such as non-invasive testing methods for critical blood analytes, are on the horizon. The development of this and other technologies and their impact on the earliest parts of the human life cycle will be discussed. Andrew R. MacRae, PhD, FCACB, The Research Institute, Ontario, Canada, will be one of the speakers.

Men's Health: Diagnosis and Treatment of Male Infertility - Molecular defects can interfere with normal fertility, but what are the differing causes of infertility in men vs. women? How does the immune system affect reproductive function? These issues, along with a presentation on the diagnosis and treatment of male infertility, will be presented by R. Dale McClure, MD, FRCS, Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle, WA. Separately, other experts will review the use of the PSA (prostate-specific antigen) test use for this organ-specific cancer. PSA testing has contributed to the increase in early diagnosis of prostate cancer in the US.

Women's Health: Current Testing Controversies in Obstetrics and Gynecology - Information covering the entire scope of new biochemical tests for preterm labor and delivery are also part of this year's meeting. In a separate session, a group of panelists will discuss testing issues involving first trimester prenatal screening, second trimester prenatal screening and the tests used in the diagnosis of life-threatening ectopic pregnancies.

Women's Health: Tumor Markers for Breast and Ovarian Carcinomas - Current recommendations on the optimal use of tumor markers have already been made public. Speakers at this session, including Martin Fleisher, PhD, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, are offering glimpses into new developments expected to emerge over the next two years. These presentations will be among the most well-attended at the conference.

"The Dog Ate My Breathalyzer Results:" Technologies To Identify Heavy Drinking - New methods have been developed for identifying heavy drinking through interpretation of early detection by an alcohol consumption score. This test for screening of drinking problems and/or monitoring the drinking status of patients in alcohol treatment will be presented by Pamela Bean, PhD, of Millennium Strategies, Madison, WI. A roundtable discussion will also be dedicated to the ways in which people try to beat drug tests and the varied ways they defend themselves against positive results.

Genetic Diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease - Currently, Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive, degenerative and irreversible brain disorder that causes intellectual impairment, disorientation and eventually, death. There is no cure at this time. It is estimated that up to five percent of people over 65 years of age and up to 20 percent of those over 85 years of age suffer from the disease. Familial AD is genetically heterogeneous and three different genes have been identified by genetic studies as playing a role in families with AD: amyloid beta precursor protein (APP), presenilin-1 (PS-1) and presenilin-2 (PS-2). Further studies to identify the genes underlying AD are well underway. This presentation, with remarks by Anthony Killeen, MD, PhD, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, covers the current research status and future treatments.

The Laboratory's Response to Chemical-Biological Terrorism - The role of the clinical laboratory in response to bioterrorism will be explored, including laboratory safety issues and the identification and testing of both biological and chemical warfare agents. Larry A. Broussard, PhD, of the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, will be joined by other speakers to discuss the nation's readiness to respond to chemical and biological terrorist strikes.

Editor's Note: Additional background briefings will be held for the press, July 25-27, 2000. The following speakers will make presentations and participate in a question-and-answer exchange with them:

-- Monday, July 24th at 12:30 PM: Jocelyn M. Hicks, PhD, will provide a ten-minute background presentation on neonatal testing. Dr. Hicks is currently Executive Director, Center for Complex Diseases, and Chair, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Children's Hospital, Washington, DC. She is also Professor of Pediatrics and Pathology at The George Washington University School of Medicine, Washington, DC. She will be joined by Dr. Durlin Hickok of the Adeza company.

-- Tuesday, July 25th at l2:30 PM: Morton K. Schwartz, PhD, will offer a 15-minute presentation on recent advances in cancer management. Dr. Schwartz is Chairman, Department of Clinical Laboratories, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY and Head of Applied and Diagnostic Biochemistry at the Sloan-Kettering Institute.

-- Wednesday, July 26th at l2:30 PM: Larry A. Broussard, PhD, Louisiana State University Health Services Center, New Orleans, LA, will provide a 10-minute background presentation on the role of the clinical laboratory in response to bioterrorism.

To attend the presentations, please register at the AACC press room, Room ll3, Moscone Center. The AACC newsroom telephone number is 415.978.3647. After hours call 703.967.2751.

For copies of select in-depth press releases for key presentations, or to set up interviews with the presenters, please contact Donna Krupa at 703 527.7357, cell 703.967.2751 or [email protected].

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