Program includes: 

• T2MR Direct Detection of Candida in Whole Blood: Rapid, Species-Specific Identification of Candida Infections (Supported by T2 Biosystems)
• Complete, High-Resolution Whole Genome Mapping Applications in Public Health and Health Care Settings (Supported by OpGen, Inc.)
• xTAG^® Gastrointestinal Pathogen Panel Scientific Exchange (Supported by Luminex)
• bioMérieux Annual Scientific Symposium: 50 Years of Microbiology, Pioneer Today & Tomorrow (Supported by bioMérieux)

SUNDAY, MAY 19

T2MR Direct Detection of Candida in Whole Blood: Rapid, Species-Specific Identification of Candida Infections

Supported by T2 Biosystems

6:45 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Embassy Suites Denver - Downtown
1420 Stout Street
Meeting Room: Cripple Creek 1

Program Overview
Candida infections carry a mortality rate that is greater than 40%, and these patients incur significant costs that are driven by an average of 40 days of hospitalization time, including over 9 days in the intensive care unit. Early initiation of effective therapy is crucial to assure optimal outcomes for patients with candidemia and to reduce costs. Blood culture, the current gold standard for detecting and identifying Candida, takes 2 to 5 days to provide the species-specific results that are needed to determine targeted therapy. There is a significant unmet need for more rapid diagnostics to assist both in the identification of candidemic patients and the timely delivery of appropriate therapy which has been proven to dramatically reduce mortality and costs. This educational activity will provide the attendees with the latest information on the challenges of diagnosing and treating Candida. The session will also provide an overview of T2Candida, an investigational in vitro diagnostic test that utilizes
T2MR technology and is currently being studied clinically to assess the test’s ability to detect directly five species of Candida in whole blood in approximately three hours and with a targeted limit of detection of approximately 1 CFU/mL. This symposium will be in lecture format and will include a discussion session for the audience to directly interact with the speakers. T2Candida is intended for investigational use only. The performance characteristics of this product have not been established and the device is not yet cleared by the FDA for commercial use.

Complete, High-Resolution Whole Genome Mapping Applications in Public Health and Health Care Settings

Supported by OpGen, Inc.

7:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
Hyatt Regency Denver at Colorado Convention Center
650 15th Street
Meeting Room: Mineral Hall BC

Speaker by Topic
Whole Genome Mapping: A new paradigm for strain typing in public health settings

Mike Miller, PhD, D(ABMM)
Director, Microbiology Technical Services, LLC

The Hospital Microbiome Project: Tracking microbial life by comparative genomics

Dr. Jack A. Gilbert
Principal Investigator, Hospital Microbiome Project, Argonne National Laboratory

The 100K Genome Project/OpGen Partnership: Large-scale, highly curated genomes

Dr. Bart Weimer
Director, 100K Pathogen Genome Project, Director, BGI@Davis, Director Genomics Integration Core, West Coast Metabolomics Center, University of California, Davis

Program Overview
Characterization and strain-typing in support of microbial pathogen outbreak identification and resolution has evolved from phenotypic analysis to more robust molecular genetic analysis. OpGen’s Whole Genome Mapping has been recently applied to sub-typing analysis of food-borne pathogens and hospital acquired infections, bridging the gap between PFGE and wholegenome sequencing. This symposium will provide attendees an overview of OpGen’s high resolution, whole genome mapping technology and its applications in food-pathogen outbreak analysis, hospital acquired infection epidemiology, and validation of infectious organism reference genomes to accelerate the diagnosis of food- borne illness.

MONDAY, MAY 20

xTAG^® Gastrointestinal Pathogen Panel Scientific Exchange

Supported by Luminex

5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Hyatt Regency Denver at Colorado Convention Center
650 15th Street
Meeting Room: Mineral Hall A

Program Overview
Luminex Corporation is hosting a poster symposium for those interested in learning more about the first FDA-cleared multiplex test capable of ruling out > 90% of known gastrointestinal pathogens in approximately five hours. Learn from early adopters’ evaluations of the xTAG GPP assay and from Luminex’s R&D staff. In addition, come see Luminex’s latest highly integrated solution that will enable labs to obtain the benefit of
molecular methods without investing in specialized lab space or technicians. Cocktails and appetizers will be provided.

The xTAG GPP assay is a fast and comprehensive test that rules out the majority of pathogens as the cause of diarrheal disease in roughly 80% of all samples tested. In as little as five hours, laboratories will obtain results for 11 pathogens in a quick and streamlined workflow that eliminates the complexity of managing multiple samples and test methods.

The xTAG GPP IVD represents a valuable tool to diagnostic and public health laboratories. Extensive analytical and clinical validations were required to support the de novo 510(k) clearance of 11 disease causing pathogens. The established performance characteristics together with the comprehensiveness of the panel will enable laboratories to re-state the way in which they rule-in and rule-out infectious gastroenteritis.

Visit us at booth # 907 to learn more about the xTAG GPP assay and register for this symposium!

bioMérieux Annual Scientific Symposium:  50 Years of Microbiology, Pioneer Today & Tomorrow

Supported by bioMérieux

6:30 p.m.
Visit Booth #701 for more details