SAB NewsA Conversation with an ExpertPosted 7/2/2003 The live discussion focused on the findings from The Science Advisory Board’s study on Microbial Genotyping. As part of the popular Snapshots Live series, this discussion offers the opportunity for members of The Science Advisory Board to listen to a stimulating conversation about cutting edge adaptations and overall best practices in microbe-based research. This event was designed to answer members’ heretofore-unanswered questions about “who’s doing what and how” when it comes to genotyping technologies. By listening to this Snapshots Live recording, you can learn more about the kits, reagents and instrumentation that are commonly used for microbial identification and analysis. Because microbes are so critical to human existence, a great deal of research has centered on finding ways to detect and identify bacteria, viruses, parasites, and other microscopic life forms. Despite significant progress, the field of diagnostics has been hindered by the need to culture microbes before they can be identified. Resulting delays in the diagnosis of infections have led to the deaths of many patients from a wide variety of diseases and disorders. It is estimated that over 95% of microorganisms present in an environmental sample cannot be cultured. Thus, emerging pathogens and new, potentially useful microorganisms may never be identified due to the limitations of culture-based analytical techniques. Epidemiology, agriculture, bioremediation, food safety, forensics, and bioterrorism are just some of the fields that promise to benefit from DNA and RNA-based diagnostic techniques. These 30-minute teleconferences feature a brief online presentation of the study results, coupled with insights provided by our in-house team of analysts. Each teleconference features a question and answer session where study participants discuss key issues and ask questions about the spotlighted technology. You can access the results of the latest studies and listen to an MP3 recording of the call itself. Visit http://scienceboard.net/snapshotslive/ to access the page. If you have participated and completed a survey, and reside in North America, we will welcome your voice and ideas on future teleconferences. Please contact Jen Halverson at j.halverson@scienceboard.net for more information. Come and voice your opinions!!! |
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