CSCI/RCPSC HENRY FRIESEN LECTURE: Revolutionizing the practice of medicine through rapid (< 1h) DNA-based diagnostics

Twenty years ago, I dreamed of using DNA detection for speeding the microbiological identification of microorganisms from two days to less than one hour. This dream is slowly becoming a reality as we were the first to develop and put on the market real-time PCR assays, approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration and Health Canada, for the detection of several pathogens including Group B streptococci, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, vancomycin-resistant enterococci and Clostridium difficile. Since 2000, my team and I have been interested to bring this laboratory revolution to the bedside, by developing a microfluidic centripetal device, a compact disc-like platform that, instead of reading music, reads DNA. This futuristic approach to the management of infectious diseases at point-of-care will undoubtedly necessitate a 'change in culture without culture'