SPEAKER 1:
Dr. Fahed Elian is currently a Senior Clinical Biochemistry Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Alberta. He obtained his MSc and PhD from the Department of Medical Genetics at the University of Alberta. Prior to starting his fellowship, Dr. Elian held several roles, including serving as a member of the Health Research and Innovation Team at Alberta Innovates, where he managed and coordinated provincial funding for research projects. He later joined the formulation team at Entos Pharmaceuticals, where he contributed to the development of lipid nanoparticles as delivery systems for therapeutic DNA, RNA, and proteins.
topic 1:
What the HIL Is Happening? A Comparative Evaluation of Hemolysis, Icterus, and Lipemia Interference on Roche and Vitros Chemistry Analyzers
overview 1:
This lecture will review the current recommended CLSI practices for verifying hemolysis, icterus, and lipemia (HIL). It will also provide insights into the limitations of HIL indices in clinical practice. Additionally, the session will examine the variability of HIL interference across different chemistry analyzers and explore the potential for standardization across platforms.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES 1:
At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to:
1) Define hemolysis, icterus, and lipemia and recognize their impact on patient testing.
2) Describe how hemolysis, icterus, and lipemia indices are detected and assessed in the clinical laboratory.
3) Compare and contrast how Roche and Vitros automated analyzers measure HIL indices and what are their limitations.
SPEAKER 2:
Dr. Mehdi Hooshmandi completed his undergraduate studies in Anesthesia and Intensive Care, followed by a master’s degree in medical Physiology, then pursuing a PhD in Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience at McGill University. His doctoral research focused on protein synthesis pathways in autism and Fragile X syndrome, which led to the discovery of a novel signaling pathway, the Integrated Stress Response (ISR), implicated in autism. This work was published in Neuron journal and earned several prestigious scholarships, including the Brain Canada Award and the Quebec Transforming Autism Care Consortium Award. Through this research, Dr. Hooshmandi developed a deep appreciation for the complexity of biochemical signaling pathways, particularly in the context of neurodevelopmental disorders, which ultimately fueled his interest in biochemistry and its clinical applications. This journey led him to the field of clinical chemistry. He is currently a first-year Clinical Chemistry fellow at the University of Toronto.
TOPIC 2:
Validation of two open-channel assays for measuring serum total bile acid (TBA) and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) using the Cobas® Pro analyzer
OVERVIEW 2:
This presentation will be focused on the validation of two open-channel assays for the measurement of serum total bile acid (TBA) and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) on the Cobas® Pro analyzer. Key analytical performance characteristics such as precision, accuracy, linearity, and method comparison will be evaluated according to CLSI guidelines. Moreover, the clinical utility of these tests will be discussed. This session also aims to provide practical insights into the verification process required to ensure reliable and accurate results in a clinical laboratory setting.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES 2:
At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to:
1) Learn key validation steps, challenges, and performance criteria for total bile acid and angiotensin-converting enzyme open-channel assays.
2) Understand the clinical utility of the serum total bile acid (TBA) and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) testing in the context of liver and cardiovascular diseases