In an ever-evolving medical landscape, molecular diagnostics (MDx) has become not only a central part of domestic healthcare, but one of the fastest-growing fields in healthcare worldwide.
Celebrating its 25th anniversary, the 2019 Association for Molecular Pathology‘s (AMP) Annual Meeting & Expo takes place from November 7—9, in Baltimore, Maryland. The annual meeting welcomes their 2,500+ members, as well as molecular and medical professionals, patients and interested members of the industry.
AMP’s mission is to advance the field of MDx through clinical practice, education and advocacy. Their “Clinical Practice Guidelines and Reports” was developed to assist laboratory and other healthcare professionals by providing recommendations for particular areas of practice.
Founded in 1995, this close-knit community will explore all aspects of MDx, including technical advancements, legislative achievements and working as an essential partner in precision medicine. The ultimate goal? Improving outcomes for patients fighting cancers, infectious diseases and inherited conditions. However, this not-for-profit scientific society supports multiple healthcare “subdivisions” including genetics, hematopathology, informatics and solid tumors.
Did you know that out of 535 members of Congress, there are only 19 healthcare providers and zero pathologists or molecular professionals? In collaboration with their annual expo, AMP Advocacy Day 2019 is a limited-attendance, no-fee event, held on the Tuesday prior to the annual meeting. AMP members will travel from Baltimore to Capitol Hill for a full day of meetings with members of Congress and/or their staff to advocate for molecular professionals and the patients you serve.
Medical Laboratory Observer (MLO) also supports MDx, and is grateful for our exclusive seven-year (and counting) relationship with MLO Advisory Board Member and President of PathoID Incorporated, Dr. John Brunstein. PathoID provides consultative and laboratory services in the development, validation, regulatory approval, deployment and ongoing interpretation of molecular assays for clinical and research applications. It also supports end user needs assessment, evaluating infrastructure requirements, platform evaluation and other aspects of due diligence in the establishment or expansion of molecular-based testing programs.
Brunstein contributes to MLO with his monthly column, “The Primer.” This month’s article, “Reverse transcriptase inhibitors: NRTIs vs NNRTIs,” quotes American molecular biologist Dr. Joshua Lederberg (1925–2008), winner of the 1958 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine. It reads, “The single biggest threat to man’s continued dominance on this planet is the virus.” Lederberg was only 33 when he won the prize for discovering that bacteria can mate and exchange genes (bacterial conjugation).
In addition to Brunstein’s MDx article on page 34, MLO also presents “Molecular assay design strategies for impactful patient management” on page 14; a “New flu testing guidelines highlight utility of rapid molecular diagnostics” article on page 24; and some interesting MDx “Fast Facts” found on page six.
Lucky for you, both Dr. Brunstein and the MLO team will be in attendance at AMP this year. Please stop by to see us at Booth 2754!
