Abstract
Sequencing continues to have the potential to transform clinical microbiology and even public health by enabling the simultaneous, hypothesis-free identification of multiple disease-causing organisms (including bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites). Multiple approaches for this type of testing exist – from sampling of microbes in sources of infection to newer cell-free approaches from body fluids. Despite its tremendous promise, sequencing has not seen the routine uptake many predicted due to a variety of technical, scientific and broader structural reasons.
While implementation in routine practice remains in early stages, the potential impact on healthcare delivery and patient outcomes warrants serious consideration from forward-looking healthcare leaders.
Join us for a dynamic moderated discussion between two widely recognized experts in the field of microbiology, Charles Chiu, MD PhD, and Brad Perkins, MD, as they discuss the future of sequencing in clinical microbiology.
Discussion Highlights:
- Sequencing’s transformative potential in diagnostics.
- Real-world patient impact and success stories.
- Assessing where we are in the adoption cycle.
- Advances in various types of methodologies, infrastructure, and approaches.
- Addressing unmet needs in infectious disease diagnostics and healthcare delivery.
- Building the clinical evidence base to drive broader adoption.
- Overcoming barriers through innovation, collaboration, and guideline development.
- Envisioning the future.
Charles Chiu, MD, PhD.
Professor, Laboratory Medicine and Medicine / Infectious Diseases at University of California, San Francisco
Charles Chiu is a microbiologist and infectious diseases physician who has pioneered the development of metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) testing for clinical diagnosis of infectious diseases. He currently leads a translational research laboratory and is the principal investigator of the nationwide “Precision Diagnosis of Acute Infectious Diseases” study to investigate the clinical impact and cost-effectiveness of a validated mNGS assay for diagnosis of encephalitis and meningitis. He has authored more than 50 peer-reviewed publications since 2011, holds over 10 patents, and serves on the scientific advisory board for Therabio and Mammoth Biosciences.
Brad Perkins, MD.
Chief Medical Officer at Karius
Brad is a physician, scientist, and entrepreneur with extensive experience in microbial and human genomics research, application, and commercialization. At the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), he led the anthrax bioterrorism investigations following 9/11, and later served as CDC’s Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer. More recently, he was EVP for Strategy and Innovation at Vanguard Health Systems, and he was the founding Chief Medical Officer for Human Longevity Inc., working with genomics pioneer JC Venter. Brad is board-certified in Internal Medicine.
