Dr. Persing Adds to Cepheid's Stellar History

Mar 29, 03:40 AM

Current Headlines: By Long, Allison

David H. Parsing, MD, PhD

Professional

Executive VP; Chief Medical/Technology Officer, Cepheid, since 2005

VP Diagnostics; Senior VP; Chief Scientific Officer, Corixa Corp., 1999-2005

Member, Clinical & Research Faculty, Mayo Clinic, MN, 1990-1999

Founder/Director, Molecular Microbiology Lab, Mayo Clinic, MN, 1992

Education

MD, University of California;

PhD, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics,

University of California

Personal

Resides with his wife in San Martin, CA.

Associate editor, Molecular Diagnostics, since 1 996.

Editor-in-chief for three molecular diagnostics textbooks.

Author of over 240 peer-reviewed articles.

Holds five U.S. patents.

Winner of various awards in liver- and infectious-disease research.

Consultant to/expert witness for Attorney Barry Scheck in the O.J. Simpson criminal trial.

The microRNA evolution. MicroRNA, an emerging category of genetic marker, plays an important role in gene regulation and expression - particularly in cancer and infectious diseases. This technology may potentially enable tumor classification with a relatively small number of genetic markers, making it more robust and reliable than today's diagnostic markers. Companies like ours are creating more accurate, specialized, and automated diagnostic solutions. Automating high-impact diagnostics helps labs be more efficient by processing samples around the clock, spending less time on labor- intensive batch tests and more time on high-priority tasks.

Reading the signs. New rapid diagnostic technologies are essential for improving society's defense against antibiotic- resistant organisms, global pandemics, and bioterrorist threats. Accurate, timely data empowers fast, informed decision-making. A decade ago, sudden cardiac arrest meant you were unlikely to receive the potentially life-saving benefit of a defibrillator until you got to the ambulance or hospital. Today, defibrillators save lives on airplanes, in sporting arenas, and at shopping centers. The same phenomenon is now being seen with automating molecular diagnostics; more "frontline workers" in labs can perform sophisticated tests and can have a direct impact on enabling better treatment decisions. Our technology is already being used to help hospitals quickly screen newborns for group B streptococcus (a potentially fatal bacterium). Soon, the technology will perform rapid diagnostics for public- health threats like avian flu (H5N1) and MRSA.

A constellation of collaboration. When it is not financially feasible to sustain the R&D for a particular diagnostic that is both financially and socially beneficial, diagnostic manufacturers must collaborate with government agencies and non-profit organizations. We are working with the CDC and HHS to develop a CLIA-waived influenza test that could screen for seasonal and H5N1 flus. We are also collaborating with FIND, a non-profit funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, to develop a rapid molecular test for TB, a common co-infection in HIV-positive populations. Existing tests take weeks to yield results. In places where HIV-positive patients may not receive regular care, people can die from TB before the lab results are back. Additionally - and of utmost importance - the commercial sector must improve information-sharing of existing and emerging pathogens. The race is on to formulate faster, smarter tests that can help control deadly viral or bacterial outbreaks. Diagnostics are the first line of defense in preventing the spread of infectious disease, but viable tests can only be created when scientists have access to the most current strain information. The diagnostic industry must encourage the development of a standardized, international, government-regulated system of information-sharing among competitors. This public-health issue supercedes the financial goals of individual companies. Our plan is to publish our data regarding the emergence of new strains.

An expanding lab universe. Our R&D has improved clinical labs by expanding access to molecular technology and making labs more efficient through easier sample preparation and nucleic acid amplification. These complicated steps require sophisticated molecular labs and highly trained technicians. Our system simplifies these processes through a patented microfluidic cartridge that handles all the complex steps of DNA extraction. With access to this state-of-the-art technology, more staff across different lab environments can use it. Multiple diagnostics can be run simultaneously; there is no absolute requirement for batch processing, unlike other molecular diagnostic tests. As a pathologist colleague recently admitted, batch-mode testing is usually better for the lab than it is for the patient.

New lab-diagnostics age. We sponsor workshops at many national meetings, provide presentations at hospitals and regional meetings, and encourage publication of data derived from our sponsored studies and clinical trials. The underlying message is consistent: It is time for the democratization of molecular diagnostics, and our technology is a critical part of this strategy. For those entering the field, access to new technology is an important motivator, and knowing that such access is now making its way down to small and medium-sized hospital labs will foster a new level of excitement.

By Allison Long, Associate Editor

Copyright Nelson Publishing Mar 2007

(c) 2007 Medical Laboratory Observer; MLO. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.