We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Combating Infectious Diseases Key Focus of AACC

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 03 Aug 2017

At the 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo, the world’s largest exposition for clinical laboratory products and services, over 750 exhibitors displayed pioneering diagnostic technology, including the latest in mobile health, molecular diagnostics, mass spectrometry, point-of-care, and automation, with the focus being largely on speed and effectiveness in infectious disease detection.

According to Kalorama Information, (New York, NY, USA), an independent medical market research firm, diseases caused by infection are among the largest and most competitive markets for in vitro diagnostics (IVD) instruments, kits and reagents. The 2017 AACC Clinical Lab Expo held at the San Diego Convention Center from July 30–August 3, saw important product announcements for early and accurate detection for the treatment of infectious diseases.

Some of the product announcements at the event included a new method for detecting 5 gram-negative bacteria using genoproteomic peptide marker analysis on a combined MS/LC system. Additionally, Ortho Clinical Diagnostics showcased its Vitros Immunodiagnostic Products human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) combo assay for use on the Vitros 3600 immunodiagnostic system. A fourth-generation HIV assay, the Vitros HIV combo is designed to detect acute HIV-1 infection earlier than previous generations of HIV assays.

Further, Aalto Bio Reagents, a developer and provider of raw materials to the in- vitro diagnostics industry and to research laboratories globally, announced their first-to-market recombinant Yellow Fever Virus (YFV) protein. Also, Seegene Inc. announced a Random Access System, which can provide order-to-report on the same day by simultaneously performing high multiplex real-time PCR testing on a single platform, regardless of specimen type or assays.

Related Links:
Kalorama Information

Visit expo >

Gold Member

Neonatal Heel Incision Device

Tenderfoot

Online QC Software
Acusera 24•7

Manual Pipetting Aid

Pipette Controllers macro

Thyroid Test

Anti-Thyroid EIA Test

Latest AACC 2017 News

Channels

Clinical Chemistry

view channel

Image: Capillary testing on the Atellica analyzers supports the most common laboratory testing needs (Photo courtesy of Siemens Healthineers)

Siemens Adds CE-Marked Capillary Claims for 24 Assays on Atellica Analyzers

Venous blood draws can be challenging in patients with difficult veins, needle phobia, or limited blood volume, and they can slow collection in busy services. Core laboratories also face pressure to expand... Read more

Image: Workflow of 19 F NMR–based serum amino acid profiling and data analysis. Serum samples collected from CRC patients were subjected to fluorine-labeling–based amino acid detection followed by 19 F NMR spectroscopy. Quantified amino acid data were processed using ratio-based normalization and multivariate analyses to characterize stage-specific metabolic patterns and construct machine learning models for prognostic risk prediction. (Photo courtesy of KAIST)

Preoperative Blood Test Predicts Colorectal Cancer Recurrence and Metastasis

Cancer cells require large amounts of nutrients to grow and proliferate, and amino acids support key processes including protein formation, energy production, and DNA synthesis. Colorectal cancer is marked... Read more

New Machine-Learning Equation Improves LDL Cholesterol Assessment

Accurate assessment of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol is central to cardiovascular risk management, yet calculation methods can underestimate values in some patients. Laboratories widely use... Read more

Blood Biomarker May Signal Cognitive Decline Risk a Decade Before Symptoms

Accurately identifying which cognitively healthy older adults will later develop impairment due to Alzheimer’s disease remains difficult, as brain scans and genetic testing provide only part of the risk picture.... Read more

Molecular Diagnostics

view channel

Image Credit: 123RF

Blood Gene Expression Fluctuates More Than Expected Over Time

Blood-based gene expression is widely used to explore disease biology, but temporal variability can complicate interpretation of single time-point measurements. Seasonal shifts, time of day, and subclinical... Read more

Genomic Test Helps Early Breast Cancer Patients Avoid Chemotherapy

Adjuvant chemotherapy decisions in early breast cancer can expose many patients to toxicities without clear benefit when clinical factors alone do not precisely predict recurrence risk. Clinicians therefore... Read more

Residual Disease Test Predicts Merkel Cell Carcinoma Recurrence Earlier Than Antibody Assay

Merkel cell carcinoma is a rare, aggressive skin cancer with a substantial risk of relapse, occurring in about 40% of patients. Surveillance remains challenging because widely used serologic monitoring... Read more

Portable Rapid Test Aims to Detect Ebola at Point of Care

Rapid confirmation of Ebola virus disease (EVD) is essential for isolation, contact tracing, and timely care, yet many outbreak zones lack access to advanced laboratories. The current emergency in the... Read more

Hematology

view channel

Spectral Flow Cytometry Assay Enhances MRD Detection in Multiple Myeloma

imal residual disease (MRD) monitoring is pivotal in multiple myeloma, where persistent malignant plasma cells drive relapse risk and help guide therapy decisions. In the United States, approximately 202,000... Read more

Image: Despite treatment advances, most multiple myeloma patients relapse and identifying high-risk cases at diagnosis remains challenging (Image Credit: Adobe Stock)

New Marker Helps Detect Aggressive Multiple Myeloma Earlier

Multiple myeloma is an incurable malignancy of plasma cells and the second most common blood cancer worldwide, with more than 188,000 new cases each year. Although therapies have advanced, most patients... Read more

New Biomarkers Predict Resistance to Targeted Therapy in Rare Blood Cancer

Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN) is a rare and aggressive leukemia with limited treatment options and a poor prognosis. Although tagraxofusp is the first approved targeted therapy for... Read more

AI Decision Support System Guides Treatment Selection for Complex Blood Cancers

Treatment selection for hematologic malignancies often requires clinicians to synthesize clinical histories, genomic alterations, prior therapies, and rapidly evolving drug options. These complex decisions... Read more

Immunology

view channel

Antibody Profiling Identifies Preclinical Inflammatory Bowel Disease Years Before Diagnosis

Inflammatory bowel disease often develops after a prolonged symptom-free period, complicating timely recognition and clinical intervention. Limited understanding of immune activity during this silent phase... Read more

Image: A new study shows that an ultrasensitive blood test can detect immune signaling patterns associated with Sjögren’s disease more than a decade before diagnosis (Image Credit: 123RF)

Ultrasensitive Blood Test Detects Sjögren’s Signature Years Before Diagnosis

Sjögren’s disease is a common autoimmune condition that can be difficult to recognize early, leading to delayed diagnosis and persistent symptom burden. It affects around half a million people in the UK... Read more

New Assays Expand Cytokine Testing for Transplant and Immunocompromised Patients

Eurofins Viracor has introduced three plasma-based assays—CXCL9 (Test Code 33607), CXCL10 (Test Code 33609), and interleukin-18 (IL-18) (Test Code 33611)—expanding its immunology testing menu for transplant... Read more

Cell-Free Assay Detects Functional IgE for Food Allergy Diagnosis

Accurately distinguishing sensitization from clinically relevant food allergy remains a challenge for laboratories, as routine blood tests detect allergen-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) but not its capacity... Read more

Microbiology

view channel

Image Credit: Adobe Stock

Expanded Diagnostics and Therapies Target Rising Gonorrhea Resistance

Drug-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae is straining current treatment protocols and elevating the risk of complications across sexual health services. More than 500,000 cases are reported each year in the... Read more

New Rapid Ebola Antigen Test Detects Infection at Point of Care

A serious Ebola epidemic centered in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has caused hundreds of deaths and triggered a global public health emergency, with cases also reported in Uganda.... Read more

Syndromic GI Panel Detects Cyclospora for Rapid Case Confirmation

U.S. health authorities have reported a rapid increase in cyclosporiasis since May 2026, with more than 1,600 confirmed infections and thousands of additional suspected cases under investigation.... Read more

Image: The addition builds on a QIAstat-Dx menu that also includes respiratory, gastrointestinal, and meningitis/encephalitis panels (Photo courtesy of Qiagen)

Rapid Panel Identifies Gram-Negative Pathogens and Resistance Markers in Bloodstream Infections

Bloodstream infections require rapid identification of causative pathogens and resistance mechanisms to guide effective therapy. Delays in profiling gram-negative organisms, which are frequently associated... Read more

Pathology

view channel

AI Digital Pathology Platform Standardizes IHC Scoring in Breast Cancer

Breast cancer diagnostic workflows increasingly depend on accurate quantification of immunohistochemical biomarkers to guide therapy selection, yet manual scoring can be variable and time-consuming.... Read more

Digital Pathology Tool Predicts Breast Cancer Outcomes and Therapy Response

Breast cancer prognosis often depends on microscopic assessment of tumor architecture, a process that can be subjective and lead to variable predictions across patient groups. Quantitative measures that... Read more

Image: Atypical clustering of myeloid progenitor cells called myeloblasts (white arrows), defined by their co-expression of CD34 (magenta) and CD117 (green), in a bone marrow biopsy tissue from a patient with MDS. (Image Credit: Dr. Sanjay Patel)

AI Bone Marrow Mapping Provides New Tool to Track Blood Cancer Severity

Myelodysplastic neoplasms, a group of blood cancers that primarily affect older adults, are challenging to stage and monitor, often requiring repeated bone marrow biopsies that can yield uncertain interpretations.... Read more

Imaging Platform Maps Lipid Accumulations in Fabry Heart Tissue

Mapping the spatial distribution of disease-relevant molecules within tissue remains a diagnostic challenge, particularly before alterations are visible by conventional microscopy. In Fabry disease, a... Read more

Technology

view channel

Training Device Improves Accuracy of Pooled Molecular Diagnostics

High-throughput molecular diagnostics have transformed infectious disease detection, but many workflows remain difficult to execute accurately without extensive training. Sample pooling can cut per‑test... Read more

New CE-Certified Software Advances Whole-Genome Cancer Testing

European hospitals are increasingly using comprehensive tumor genomics to guide therapy, but routine whole genome sequencing (WGS) requires validated, regulation-compliant workflows. A newly CE-certified... Read more

National Rare Disease Registry Standardizes Genetic and Clinical Data for Coordinated Care

Rare diseases collectively impose a significant clinical burden despite their individual rarity, often involving multisystem presentations and prolonged diagnostic journeys. Limited specialist expertise... Read more

AI Platform Links Biomarker Results to Cancer Clinical Trials and Guidelines

Oncology teams must manage growing volumes of genomic data, rapidly evolving clinical trial options, and frequently updated care guidelines, all within tight clinic schedules. Translating complex tumor... Read more

Industry

view channel

Collaboration Advances Extracellular Vesicle-Based Tests for Neurodegenerative Diseases

NanoSomiX, Inc. and Beckman Coulter Diagnostics announced a collaboration to explore the development of next-generation immunoassays for neurodegenerative diseases using extracellular vesicles (EVs).... Read more

Tempus to Acquire Personalis in $1.5 Billion Precision Oncology Deal

Tempus AI, Inc. (Chicago, IL, USA) has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Personalis, Inc. (Fremont, CA, USA), expanding its capabilities in molecular residual disease (MRD) testing and cancer... Read more

Bruker Expands NGS Capabilities for Sepsis and Bloodstream Infections

Bruker Corporation has acquired the DISQVER clinical metagenomics platform from Noscendo GmbH, expanding its next-generation sequencing infection detection portfolio. Following the acquisition, DISQVER... Read more

Leica Biosystems to Expand Pathology Portfolio Through StatLab Acquisition

Leica Biosystems, an operating company of Danaher, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire privately held StatLab Medical Products from Linden Capital Partners and Audax Private Equity.... Read more