The annual meeting featured research on space diagnostics, mass spectrometry, chronic disease management, and ore.
Nearly 17,000 laboratory medicine professionals gathered in Anaheim, California, for ADLM 2026, the annual meeting of the Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine (ADLM). Held July 26-30, the event showcased diagnostic research and technology covering diabetes, space medicine, and oncology.
In the opening plenary, Dr David M Nathan shared lessons from five decades of leading diabetes research in the US, emphasizing the role of federal funding and partnerships. Dr Kathleen McMonigal, director of the NASA Johnson Space Center Clinical Laboratory, presented on the physiological effects of gravity changes and the management of astronaut health during lunar missions.
Clinical research sessions also addressed neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. Elizabeth Head, PhD, vice chair for research in the department of pathology and laboratory medicine at the University of California, Irvine, described research into interventions to slow or prevent Alzheimer disease in individuals with Down syndrome. Leeya Pinder, MD, an associate professor at the University of Cincinnati, discussed “transformative” developments in cervical cancer screening and healthcare equity, according to an ADLM press release.
The final plenary featured Arun Wiita, MD, PhD, physician-scientist at the University of California, San Francisco, who described how mass spectrometry can identify better testing and treatment options for blood cancers.
In the Disruptive Technology Award competition, Kompass Diagnostics earned the top prize for its rapid multimodal electrical transduction platform, IDA. The technology was among various innovations presented by biotech companies aiming to improve diagnostic accuracy.
The ADLM 2026 Clinical Lab Expo hosted 700 exhibitors across 308,611 net square feet. The exhibit floor featured tools in artificial intelligence, clinical microbiology, molecular diagnostics, automation, point-of-care testing, and mass spectrometry.
“This year’s meeting brought together clinical laboratory medicine experts from all over the world, highlighting our field’s vital—and expanding—role in driving healthcare forward,” says Melanie J Wells, CEO of the ADLM, in a release.
The next annual meeting, ADLM 2027, will be held in Chicago from July 25-29, 2027.
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