Prof. Richard O’ Kennedy, Scientific Director, Biomedical Diagnostics Institute – Dublin has joined the speaker panel for the In Vitro Diagnostics: Oncology and Infectious Diseases Conference. The two-day, two-stream conference organized by Markets and Markets Conferences, is scheduled for 9th – 10th November 2016 in London – UK, and will gather IVD experts from hospitals, reference laboratories and academic institutes to discuss about the potential growth of IVD in Oncology and Infectious Diseases and current challenges being faced.

Prof. O’ Kennedy will be presenting at the conference on optimizing point-of-care platform performance by incorporation of highly defined bio-recognition elements. Prof. O’ Kennedy spoke to the marketing team at Markets and Markets Conferences, a brief pre-event interview. Talking about the latest advances in IVD market; he said,” New developments in microfluidics and lab-on-a-chip approaches offer significant potential. Though there have been significant issues with antibodies and their performance due to problems with specificity, sensitivity, immobilization, orientation and stability, many of these issues can be successfully addressed by the use of highly defined recombinant antibodies and very rigorous screening and characterization”. Talking about the important aspects of Point-of-Care, he said, “Systems need to be robust, sensitive, reliable, user-friendly and widely deployable e.g. in resource-limited areas. Increasingly there is a need to have ‘built-in’ or associated data handling or result processing technologies e.g. modified mobile phones that facilitate data handling and transfer of relevant information to qualified health-care professions for result interpretation/monitoring, prior to interaction with patients”.

Joining Prof. O’ Kennedy on the panel will be experts representing organizations such as British in Vitro Diagnostics Association (BIVDA), Imperial College Healthcare, UCLH NHS Foundation Trust, University of Dundee, St Vincent’s University Hospital, University of Antwerp, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, The Royal Victoria Hospital, University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire, St. Anna Kinderkrebsforschung, University of Cambridge, Uppsala University, University of Sheffield, Hospital Erasmus, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Göttingen, University Hospital Charité, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Centre for Cancer Research and Cell Biology and University College London.

Ageing population, rising chronic lifestyle diseases and increasing usage of point of care testing are the driving factors for the growth of in vitro diagnostics industry. Taking these elements into consideration some of the key topics of discussion at the conference will be upcoming regulations impacting on health care providers and IVD companies, novel markers for various types of cancer and there challenges, study of mutation and the predictability for cancer recurrence, molecular testing and diagnostics using PCR and mass spectrometer, rapid testing and diagnostics for various infectious diseases, quality control of point of care and its advancements and effectiveness of anti-microbial resistance and POCT with new AMR stewardship provisions.

The conference being held at the London Heathrow Marriot Hotel will be a great opportunity to network, share expertise and stay updated with the latest technological advancements in the IVD market. The conference is supported by British In Vitro Diagnostics Association (BIVDA), MEDEC, The Swiss Biotech Association (SBA), European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID), BioPartner, OBN and UK Pharmacogenetics and Stratified Medicine Network.