Near(er) Patient Testing for TB, HIV, and STIs with the GeneXpert system
Peter J. Dailey, Ph.D., MPH, Lecturer, UC Berkeley
Martin Jones, Ph.D., Director, Research & Development, Cepheid
September 26th, 2013 6 pm (Meet and greet with food at 5:30 pm)
Blum Hall 330
With the worldwide re-emergence of TB, multi-drug resistant (MDR) and extensively drug resistant (XDR) strains have become an even greater threat. Current testing for drug resistance can take more than 4 weeks, leading to higher mortality and the further spread of MDR strains. The development of the Xpert MTB/RIF assay was a collaborative effort involving the Bay Area molecular diagnostic company Cepheid, scientists at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, and FIND (Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics) – funded by grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. The Xpert MTB/Rif test is a cartridge-based fully automated NAAT (nucleic acid amplification test) for TB case detection and rifampicin resistance (a marker for MDR strains), suitable for use in disease-endemic countries. It purifies, concentrates, amplifies (by rapid, real-time PCR) and identifies targeted nucleic acid sequences in the TB genome, and provides results from unprocessed sputum samples in less than 2 hours, with minimal hands-on technical time. The WHO recommended use of the technology in December 2010 and is monitoring the global roll-out of the technology to promote coordination. The speakers will discuss the development and clinical validation of the assay as well as future challenges and potential application of the technology to testing for HIV/AIDS.
Peter J. Dailey, Ph.D., MPH, Lecturer, UC Berkeley
Martin Jones, Ph.D., Director, Research & Development, Cepheid
September 26th, 2013 6 pm (Meet and greet with food at 5:30 pm)
Blum Hall 330
With the worldwide re-emergence of TB, multi-drug resistant (MDR) and extensively drug resistant (XDR) strains have become an even greater threat. Current testing for drug resistance can take more than 4 weeks, leading to higher mortality and the further spread of MDR strains. The development of the Xpert MTB/RIF assay was a collaborative effort involving the Bay Area molecular diagnostic company Cepheid, scientists at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, and FIND (Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics) – funded by grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. The Xpert MTB/Rif test is a cartridge-based fully automated NAAT (nucleic acid amplification test) for TB case detection and rifampicin resistance (a marker for MDR strains), suitable for use in disease-endemic countries. It purifies, concentrates, amplifies (by rapid, real-time PCR) and identifies targeted nucleic acid sequences in the TB genome, and provides results from unprocessed sputum samples in less than 2 hours, with minimal hands-on technical time. The WHO recommended use of the technology in December 2010 and is monitoring the global roll-out of the technology to promote coordination. The speakers will discuss the development and clinical validation of the assay as well as future challenges and potential application of the technology to testing for HIV/AIDS.
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