AACC has announced the addition of a number of late-breaking sessions to the schedule of its 2016 scientific meeting, including presentations on hepatitis C virus (HCV), disruptive technologies, Zika virus, and interventional gene therapy.
A three-session HCV scientific track will be offered on Monday, August 1. “Hepatitis C Virus: Research and Treatment” will discuss a variety of issues relating to the virus, including treatment challenges, global health impact, and future opportunities for research. Speakers will include Stuart Ray, MD, and Justin Bailey, MD, PhD, both of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Other sessions included in the track include “Debate: Is Hepatitis C of Continuing Concern, or Is It Going Away,” and “HCV and Laboratory Medicine: Testing in Support of Screening and Diagnosis.”
A two-part session on disruptive technologies will take place on Monday, August 1. “Technologies That Could Change the Future of the Clinical Laboratory, Parts 1 and 2” will review emerging real-time polymerase chain reaction technology advances and drone transportation of laboratory samples, among other topics. Speakers will include Carl Wittwer, MD, University of Utah; J. Michael Ramsey, PhD, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Timothy Amukele, MD, PhD, Johns Hopkins University; and James Nichols, PhD, Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
On Tuesday, August 2, “Zika Virus: Global Impact and the Role of Diagnostic Testing” will discuss Zika virus treatment, detection strategies, and patient impact, in addition to regulatory issues surrounding emergency use authorization processes. Speakers will include Randall Kincaid, PhD, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease; Stephen Lovell, PhD, FDA Center for Devices and Radiological Health; and Keith Pardee, PhD, University of Toronto.
On Wednesday, August 3, “Correcting Nature’s Mistakes and Beyond: The Promise of Gene Therapy” will offer an overview of gene editing, discussing current applications and future opportunities for therapeutic intervention. Speakers will include Michael Milone, MD, PhD, University of Pennsylvania; Valder Arruda, MD, PhD, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia; and Matthew Porteus, MD, PhD, Stanford University.
For more information on these sessions, visit AACC.
