Advances in Big Data for Precision Medicine, Novel Technologies to Determine a Pathogen’s Susceptibility to Antibiotics, the Microbiome’s Impact on Childhood Undernutrition, and More Draw Nearly 20,000 Attendees to 2023 AACC Annual Scientific Meeting

Newswise — ANAHEIM—The Association for Diagnostics and Laboratory Medicine (ADLM), formerly AACC, welcomed thousands of laboratory experts to the 2023 AACC Annual Scientific Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo from July 23-27. At this year’s special meeting celebrating ADLM’s 75^th anniversary, the organization officially rolled out a new name that reflects the association’s role as advocate and champion for a larger community specializing in diagnostics and laboratory medicine, as well as its global reach.

The meeting also highlighted groundbreaking advances in using big data for precision medicine, addressing undernutrition using microbiome-directed therapy, detecting antimicrobial resistance through technology, and much more, along with the importance of working toward racial and gender equity in healthcare. The meeting’s 250-plus sessions affirmed that laboratory medicine professionals are essential to patient care.

As of Thursday, July 27, nearly 20,000 laboratory medicine professionals had registered for the meeting—a significant increase over last year’s attendance and a clear signal that meeting participation has returned to pre-pandemic levels. More attendees are expected today, the last day of the meeting. In addition, this year’s Clinical Lab Expo boasted 910 exhibitors, a testament to the health and vibrancy of the field.

Attendees also had the opportunity to see five plenary talks presented by life sciences pioneers.

In the opening plenary, Dr. Jeffrey I. Gordon—the 2023 Wallace H. Coulter Lectureship Awardee—discussed whether disruptions to the normal development of the human gut microbiome (a collection of microbes in the gastrointestinal tract) could play a role in childhood undernutrition. He explored microbiome-directed therapies that could help address this devastating global health problem.

On Monday, Dr. Atul Butte, chief data scientist at the University of California, San Francisco, explained how trillions of points of molecular, clinical, and epidemiological data are being harnessed to improve disease diagnostics and therapeutics.

Tuesday’s plenary speaker, Dr. Thea James, described one healthcare system’s enterprise-wide transformation toward equity. James is the co-executive director of the Health Equity Accelerator at Boston Medical Center.

On Wednesday, Dr. Nanette K. Wenger, a professor at Emory University School of Medicine, spoke about how the underrepresentation of women in medical research has led to pervasive sex-based gaps in knowledge and care delivery—and then provided a prescription for progress.

In today’s closing keynote, Dr. Mark C. Walters, chief of the hematology division and professor of pediatrics/hematology at the University of California, San Francisco, will discuss advances in curative therapies for sickle cell disease that apply genomic modifications to patients’ cells.

As part of ADLM’s Disruptive Technology Award competition, biotech innovators presented novel technologies that could help more patients get accurate diagnoses. Pattern Bioscience won with its single-cell microbiology technology, a culture-free test that can quickly identify the pathogen causing an infection and determine its susceptibility to antibiotics using a combination of single-cell analysis and artificial intelligence.

The 2023 AACC Clinical Lab Expo covered an astonishing 277,108 net square feet. This dynamic exhibit featured cutting-edge tests from all laboratory medicine disciplines, including artificial intelligence, mobile health, molecular diagnostics, mass spectrometry, point of care, automation, and much more.

“I can’t imagine a better way to launch our new name than at the premier gathering of our robust and growing community,” said ADLM CEO Mark J. Golden. “Our annual meeting has pushed the boundary of laboratory medicine for 75 years, and this year’s gathering built on that proud tradition. I was pleased to see healthcare equity take center stage at the 2023 meeting, along with key advances in disease diagnostics and therapeutics that will drive the field of laboratory medicine forward. I hope attendees were as inspired as I was by this year’s excellent program and return to work reenergized and focused on the future. I am excited to see what next year’s meeting will bring.”

ADLM 2024 will be held in Chicago from July 28-August 1, 2024. 

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About the 2023 AACC Annual Scientific Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo

The 2023 AACC Annual Scientific Meeting offers 5 days packed with opportunities to learn about exciting science from July 23-27 in Anaheim, California. Plenary sessions will explore microbiome-directed therapies for undernutrition, big data for practicing precision medicine, healthcare equity, cardiovascular disease in women, and promising sickle cell disease treatments.

At the Clinical Lab Expo, more than 900 exhibitors will fill the show floor of the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California, with displays of the latest diagnostic technology, including but not limited to COVID-19 testing, artificial intelligence, point-of-care, and automation.

About the Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine (ADLM)

Dedicated to achieving better health through laboratory medicine, ADLM (formerly AACC) brings together more than 70,000 clinical laboratory professionals, physicians, research scientists, and business leaders from around the world focused on clinical chemistry, molecular diagnostics, mass spectrometry, translational medicine, lab management, and other areas of progressing laboratory science. Since 1948, ADLM has worked to advance the common interests of the field, providing programs that advance scientific collaboration, knowledge, expertise, and innovation. For more information, visit www.myadlm.org.