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June 12-13, 2019 | Edinburgh, Scotland
8th European Clinical Microbiology and Immunology Congress
&
3rd World congress on Biotechnology
Joint Event
Microbiology: Current Research | Volume: 3 | ISSN: 2591-8036
Precision liquid biopsy based nucleic acid based molecular diagnostics powered by
xenonucleic acids
Michael J Powell
DiaCarta, Inc., USA
Current clinically available molecular tests for detection
of pathogenic nucleic acid variations especially tumor
derived oncogenic 'driver' and drug resistant somatic
mutations that are performed on circulating cell-free
nucleic acids present in biological fluids such as patient’s
blood plasma have limited sensitivity. This is because
of the low frequency of these gene variations and the
large excess of wild-type nucleic acids present. In order
to achieve high sensitivity for the detection of only a few
target molecules (mutant alleles) present in a vast excess
of non-target molecules (wild-type alleles) sophisticated
methodologies that require expensive instrumentation,
highly skilled operators and in some cases intensive
computational bioinformatics methods such as digital-
droplet PCR (ddPCR), BEAMing PCR and next generation
deep sequencing (NGS) are being employed in large clinical
research centers. The limited availability, high cost and long
analysis times of these methods prompted us to develop a
new technology that can be performed globally by existing
pathology personnel with instrumentation that is already
present in every hospital pathology laboratory. At the
heart of this innovative technology are novel molecular
nucleic acid analogs that we call xenonucleic acids (XNA)
that possess all the natural bases that occur in DNA
appended to a new chemical backbone that imbibes these
oligomeric nucleic acid binding molecules with exquisite
specificity and high binding affinity for complementary
target sequences. Any variation in the sequence that the
XNA binds to creates a differential binding phenomena
that can be exploited to develop real-time qPCR and
extremely high sensitivity NGS assays that can detect as
little as 2 copies of variant templates in a large excess of
wild-type templates in DNA obtained from tissue biopsies
or more preferably plasma. Commercial CE/IVD Certified
Products have been developed and validated that include
QClampTM gene specific real-time qPCR based tests, a new
highly sensitive blood-based colorectal cancer detection
test called ColoScapeTM and a high sensitivity targeted
amplicon based target NGS platform called OptiSeqTM.
This presentation will discuss the new technology and the
improved and widely available opportunities that it affords
for improved precision diagnostics and targeted therapies
of human diseases particularly cancer.
Speaker Biography
Michael J Powell is currently chief scientific officer at DiaCarta, Inc.
where he manages the company’s scientific and strategic direction in
molecular diagnostics for oncology and infectious disease personalized
diagnostics markets, most notably the development of branched DNA
(bDNA) signal amplification and a novel somatic gene mutation Real-
Time PCR based assay technology called QClampTM for applications
in the diagnosis of cancer and infectious diseases and the rapid
detection of cancer 'driver' and drug resistance genetic variations.
He was previously a founder of Odyssey Thera Inc., a privately held
company that commercialized a proprietary fluorescent live cell-based
assay and diagnostic imaging technology for the application in target
validation and drug discovery. He was the director of new technology at
Roche diagnostics (Roche acquired Boehringer Mannheim Corporation
in May, 1997 for $11B). Prior to the acquisition by Roche, he was
director of new technology at Boehringer mannheim. He was also the
director of new technology at Microgenics corporation, in Concord,
California. He was pioneer and lead scientist and inventor of the
electrochemiluminescence (ECL) assay technology and also developed
catalytic antibodies at IGEN, Inc. The ECL technology is the basis of
Roche Diagnostics automated ‘ in-vitro’ diagnostics immunoassay
platform: ‘ElecSys’. He has held several other R & D senior management
positions at integrated genetics Inc., Medisense and Celltech PLC, in
the UK. He has published many research papers in leading scientific
journals and holds over 30 patents and patent-pending applications.
He received his PhD in medicinal organic chemistry from Loughborough
University, UK and PhD from University of Nottingham, UK.
e:
Michael J Powell, Microbiol Curr Res, Volume 3
ISSN: 2591-8036