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 >

New

Gold Member

Neonatal Heel Incision Device

Tenderfoot

Online QC Software
Acusera 24•7

New

Food Allergy Screening ELISA Kit

Allerquant 14G B ELISA

New

POC Immunoassay Analyzer

Procise DX

Latest AACC 2017 News

Channels

Clinical Chemistry

view channel

Image: The dSAA method partitions a patient’s cerebrospinal fluid into nanoliter-scale compartments and digitally counts the number of TDP-43 protein “seeds” present under a microscope (image credit: Shutterstock)

Ultrasensitive Test Detects Key Biomarker of Frontotemporal Dementia Subtype

Dementia affects more than 57 million people worldwide and is projected to nearly double within two decades, straining health systems and families. While biomarkers now enable accurate identification of... Read more

Routine Blood Tests Years Before Pregnancy Could Identify Preeclampsia Risk

High blood pressure during pregnancy is common and can progress to pre-eclampsia, making close monitoring at antenatal visits essential. However, most risk assessment begins only after pregnancy has started.... Read more

Blood Test Detects Testicular Cancer Missed by Standard Markers

Testicular cancer most often affects adolescents and young adults and is highly treatable when found early. Diagnosis can be difficult when tumors do not produce sufficient levels of standard blood-based... Read more

Routine Blood Tests Identify Biomarkers Linked to PTSD

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with a range of chronic physical health conditions and affects multiple organ systems. Clinical laboratories routinely measure blood analytes that reflect... Read more

Molecular Diagnostics

view channel

Liquid Biopsy Biomarkers Distinguish Inflammatory Breast Cancer and Support Monitoring

Inflammatory breast cancer is among the most aggressive forms of breast malignancy and remains challenging to diagnose and monitor. Obtaining tumor tissue can be difficult, and standard genome and RNA... Read more

Image: The findings could enable noninvasive liquid biopsy profiling of the complex tumor microenvironment, helping guide precision oncology decisions across cancers and therapies (Photo credit: Shutterstock)

Blood Test Maps Tumor Microenvironment to Predict Immunotherapy Response

Immunotherapy has transformed cancer care, yet durable benefit remains limited to a subset of patients, and clinicians still lack reliable tools to predict response before treatment begins.... Read more

Multiplex Respiratory Panel Integrates Automated Extraction to Streamline High-Volume Testing

Respiratory infections drive heavy testing volumes in clinical laboratories, where accurate, timely results across multiple pathogens are essential. Many labs are seeking to streamline workflows and increase... Read more

Whole-Blood RNA Test Predicts Disease Trajectory and Treatment Response

Clinicians often must predict whether acutely ill patients will recover or deteriorate despite limited time and clinical evidence. Earlier prognostic information could improve triage and guide treatment... Read more

Hematology

view channel

Advanced CBC-Derived Indices Integrated into Hematology Platforms

Diatron, a STRATEC brand, has introduced six advanced hematological indices on its Aquila, Aquarius 3, and Abacus 5 hematology analyzers. The new Research Use Only (RUO) indices include Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte... Read more

Blood Test Enables Early Detection of Multiple Myeloma Relapse

Bone marrow biopsies remain central to diagnosing and monitoring multiple myeloma, yet the procedure is painful, invasive, and often repeated over time. Older patients—who represent most new cases—can... Read more

Single Assay Enables Rapid HLA and ABO Genotyping for Transplant Matching

CareDx (Brisbane, CA, USA) has introduced AlloSeq Nano, a nanopore‑based HLA (human leukocyte antigen) and ABO genotyping solution unveiled at the European Federation for Immunogenetics (EFI) Conference 2026.... Read more

Image: Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma and often presents with aggressive clinical behavior (photo courtesy of Shutterstock)

Prognostic Biomarker Identified in Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma and often presents with aggressive clinical behavior. Although many patients respond to standard chemotherapy with... Read more

Immunology

view channel

Image: Schematic of Mpox diagnostic methods.(A) Artificial intelligence (AI)-enhanced image classification can be leveraged to classify lesions concerning for Mpox, particularly in low resource settings where specialists (i.e., infectious disease specialists or dermatologists) are not available. (B) Clinical specimens (including nasal swabs, lesion swabs, or serum samples) can be used for molecular or biochemical confirmation of Mpox infection. (C) Rapidly, field-deployable devices or assays can be developed using various strategies(Mpox) diagnostic methods (Yilgic D, Ergonul O, Tasoglu S. Mpox diagnosis at POC. Trends in Biotechnology. DOI: 0.1016/j.tibtech.2025.04.015)

Point-of-Care Tests Could Expand Access to Mpox Diagnosis

Mpox outbreaks in non-endemic regions have underscored the need for rapid, accessible diagnostics to limit transmission. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) remains the clinical reference, yet it depends on... Read more

Image: Graphical abstract (Turano PS, Akbulut E, Dewald HK, et al. Cell Reports (2026). DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2025.116795)

T-Cell Senescence Profiling May Predict CAR T Responses

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy can deliver striking, durable remissions, yet many patients experience minimal or no benefit. The quality of patient-derived cytotoxic T lymphocytes used... Read more

Finger-Prick Lateral Flow Test Detects Sepsis Biomarkers at Point of Care

Sepsis remains a time-critical condition in which rapid risk assessment is often hindered by reliance on centralized laboratory testing. The global burden is substantial, with an estimated 166 million... Read more

Study Highlights Low Sensitivity of Current Lyme Tests in Early Infection

Accurate laboratory diagnosis of early Lyme disease remains challenging because serologic responses may be limited soon after infection. Missed detection at this stage can delay evaluation and management... Read more

Microbiology

view channel

Image: Biosensor for tuberculosis detection (photo courtesy of UPV)

Rapid Antigen Biosensor Detects Active Tuberculosis in One Hour

Tuberculosis remains a major global health challenge and continues to drive significant morbidity and mortality. The World Health Organization’s 2024 global report cites it as the leading cause of death... Read more

Image: Graphical abstract (Qin, Y. et al., Cell Rep Med 7: 102761 (2026). DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2026.102761)

Oral–Gut Microbiome Signatures Identify Early Gastric Cancer

Early detection of gastric cancer could be advanced by scalable screening strategies using minimally invasive sampling. Saliva collection is noninvasive and cost-effective, supporting wider adoption... Read more

Image: Magnetic field-enhanced alignment and detection of hemozoin in lysed infected red blood cells using polarizing microscopy (photo courtesy of Dickson Mwenda Kinyua, Kirinyaga University)

Label-Free Microscopy Method Enables Faster, Quantitative Detection of Malaria

Microscopy of blood smears remains a cornerstone for malaria diagnosis but can be slow, stain-dependent, and operator intensive. With more than 200 million infections and over 600,000 deaths annually,... Read more

Gut Microbiome Test Predicts Melanoma Recurrence After Surgery

Melanoma remains prone to relapse even after surgery and adjuvant immunotherapy, with 25% to 40% of patients experiencing recurrence. Clinicians lack reliable pre-treatment indicators to identify those... Read more

Pathology

view channel

FDA Clears AI Digital Pathology Tool for Breast Cancer Risk Stratification

Risk assessment at diagnosis is central to guiding therapy for early-stage, hormone receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HR+/HER2-) invasive breast cancer, where overtreatment... Read more

Image: Tissue sample spatial analysis (on left) and standard H&E image (on right) (Photo courtesy of QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute)

New AI Tool Reveals Hidden Genetic Signals in Routine H&E Slides

Pathologists worldwide rely on hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) slides to examine tissue architecture, yet these stains do not reveal the underlying molecular activity that often drives disease.... Read more

Image: SPARK overview, data structure and study design (Trost, F., Zhang, B., Aring, I. et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-026-04357-y)

AI System Analyzes Routine Pathology Slides to Predict Cancer Outcomes

The digital transformation of pathology is expanding how cancers are evaluated in routine practice. Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly applied to routinely collected histological tissue sections,... Read more

New Tissue Mapping Approach Identifies High-Risk Form of Diabetic Kidney Disease

Diabetic kidney disease is a leading cause of chronic kidney disease and end-stage kidney disease, affecting 20%–40% of people with diabetes and more than 107 million individuals worldwide as of 2021.... Read more

Technology

view channel

Tumor-on-a-Chip Platform Models Pancreatic Cancer Treatment Response

Pancreatic cancer remains one of the hardest malignancies to treat because tumors are embedded within a dense microenvironment that shapes growth and therapy response. Standard laboratory models often... Read more

New Platform Captures Extracellular Vesicles for Early Cancer Detection

Early diagnosis remains the most effective way to reduce cancer mortality, yet many screening tools miss disease at its earliest stages. Biomarkers shed by tumors into blood and other fluids can be scarce... Read more

Microfluidic Single-Cell Assay Predicts Breast Cancer Risk

Risk stratification for breast cancer remains imprecise, as population-based models and breast density can over- or underestimate individual risk, potentially leading to over- or under-screening.... Read more

AI Tool Predicts Non-Response to Targeted Therapy in Colorectal Cancer

Advanced bowel cancer remains difficult to treat, and many patients receive targeted therapies that do not help them but still cause harm. Clinicians need reliable ways to identify likely responders before... Read more

Industry

view channel

Roche to Acquire PathAI for Up to $1.05 Billion to Strengthen AI Diagnostics Portfolio

Roche has entered into a definitive merger agreement to acquire PathAI, a company focused on digital pathology and artificial intelligence for pathology laboratories and the biopharma industry.... Read more

FDA Clears Blood-Based Companion Diagnostic for Advanced Breast Cancer Therapy

Endocrine therapy resistance remains a significant challenge in estrogen receptor–positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2–negative (HER2-) advanced breast cancer, where tumor evolution can limit... Read more

CareDx Expands Precision Oncology Portfolio with Naveris Acquisition

CareDx Inc. (Brisbane, CA, USA), a precision medicine company advancing clinically differentiated, high-value healthcare solutions for transplant patients and caregivers, has entered a definitive agreement... Read more

Thermo Fisher Scientific to Sell Microbiology Business to Astorg

Thermo Fisher Scientific has signed a definitive agreement to sell its microbiology business to Astorg for approximately $1.075 billion, comprising cash and a $50 million seller note. Announced on April... Read more