Delighted to learn that Thao Truong, PhD, who performed a three month rotation in our clinical microbiology laboratory and participated in our translational research efforts, later obtaining a CPEP fellowship position at UCLA Children's Hospital, is now a clinical microbiology faculty member at the University of Washington!   Way to go, Thao!

See our study in collaboration with the Kanki Laboratory at the Harvard School of Public Health.   We used live cultured WA1, Omicron and Delta to compare limits of detection.   Live virus was used to avoid artifact potentially introduced by use of gammma-irradiated or heat-inactivated virus used by manufacturer's in their submission to the FDA for EUA designation.   Omicron detected just as well as WA1.  Delta less well.  Published in Journal of Clinical Microbiology today

Congratulations to Clin Micro Faculty Member, Ramy Arnaout: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0265233journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0265233

This $900,000 award is to examine association of  real-world  data with SARS-CoV-2 PCR and antigen test performance and advise the FDA on streamlining its regulatory approach for these tests.  Submitting PI clin micro faculty Ramy Arnaout.  Co-PI's, Phyllis Kanki (HSPH), and clin micro faculty Stefan Riedel and James Kirby.  Announcement: Reagan-Udall Foundation for the FDA Awards $1.8 Million in Research Funding for Studies on the Real-World Performance of COVID-19 Tests

See our Preprint just posted.  Not consistent with statement on FDA website indicating that Omicron detected less efficiently.

Check out the visualization of the relationship of mortality versus case numbers during different ways of the pandemic by country: 

There are Research Associate Positions Available in the Arnaout, Riedel and Brennan-Krohn Research Laboratories.  Please Inquire!!!   Dedicated Mentorship, Addressing Topics of Compelling Medical Need

Dr. Brennan-Krohn brings a wealth of experience and exciting new research programs to the Clinical Microbiology Team.  Dr. Brennan-Krohn is trained both as a pediatric infectious disease physician and as an ABMM board certified clinical microbiologist.  Her NIH-funded research program investigates and discovers novel combination therapies for Gram-negative infections including CRE and Burkhoderia.  We are delighted to now have a four member academic clinical microbiology team with a highly active bench-to-bedside basic and translational research program that spans novel antimicrobial development, antimicrobial resistance, diagnostic method evaluation and implementation, immunological response to infectious disease, and that investigates every class of microbial pathogen from bacteria to viruses to fungi to protozoa.

Keynote Address Silverstein Symposium.   Link to Talk by Kirby and Arnaout: Innovating out of Crisis: Rising to the Laboratory-Diagnostic Challenges of the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic at BIDMC.  Start at 1 hour 15 minutes 30 seconds.

Highlights Include:  Discussion of Limits of Detection, Distribution of Viral Loads in Patients from March through June 2020, Reproducibility of Patient Sampling, 3-D Printed Swab Initiative Serving Acute Needs and Leading to the National Swab of Belgium, Collaboration, Collaboration, Collaboration!!!!