Advances in microfluidics and nanofabrication have led to the manufacture of technologies capable of utilizing hundreds to millions of small-scale partitions. Digital enumeration, whether it is done through digital PCR, microfluidics, or next-generation sequencing, is finding growing utility in both basic research and clinical applications. By allowing for detection of nucleic acids at higher resolution and lower target levels, digital detection technologies have the ability to identify diseases earlier in progression, providing an advantage for diagnostics and preventative medicine. Cambridge Healthtech Institute's Inaugural Integrating Digital PCR conference will cover digital PCR, microfluidics, and single-cell analysis and how these technologies are best used in a clinical setting. The evolution of qPCR to a more digital format will also be discussed. Special focus will be given to clinical translation and future trends driving the field.
Featured Presentations:
Use of Digital PCR in Oncology: Changing the Paradigm for Systemic Therapy Administration
Ben Ho Park, M.D., Ph.D., The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins
Digital PCR in Oncology
Extreme PCR: Efficient Amplification in Less than One Minute
Carl Wittwer, M.D., Ph.D., Professor, Pathology, University of Utah
The Evolution of PCR: Amplification in Under a Minute
Cambridge Healthtech Institute's Integrating Digital PCR will cover:
- Validating digital PCR for clinical use
- Novel digital PCR technologies and techniques
- Moving digital PCR to the clinic
- Single cell analysis methods
- Future trends driving the field
Dinner Short Course
7:00 Dinner Buffet
7:15 Clinical Uses of Digital PCR and Measurement Issues
Ross Haynes, Biological Science Technician, Biochemical Science Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology
Digital PCR can be used to detect absolute quantity of material, copy number variations, relative expression levels, and rare alleles. The presentation will briefly go over how digital PCR works and anintuitive look at Poisson statistics, and will focus on possible measurement issues. These measurement issues illustrate that some prior knowledge of the material may be required to make good measurements.
8:15 Advanced Applications of Digital PCR
Yann Jouvenot, Ph.D., Staff Scientist, Bio-Rad Laboratories
Since its relatively recent introduction, the field of applications of digital PCR has rapidly expanded to more than just nucleic acid quantification. Some of the more innovative uses of the QX100 ddPCR system will be described in this presentation, outlining the wide range of applications enabled by this technology.
9:00 Close of Course
*Separate registration required.