Future Technology

This is a very exciting time for the field of clinical diagnostics. In recent years, there has been an explosion in new methodologies and instrumentation to diagnose infection, with a focus on optimization of therapy and antimicrobial stewardship. The result is new technology that improves the diagnosis, characterization, and monitoring of viral infections. These technologies are changing almost every aspect of the laboratory workflow. Most of these new methods achieve marked improvements in turnaround time compared to conventional methods, but this often comes at an increased cost, might be technically demanding, and may require specialized equipment. It is unclear how many of these emerging technologies will rise to widespread, routine clinical use. There are a number of challenges that precede widespread adoption, including regulatory approval and demonstration of adequate analytical performance characteristics. This chapter highlights and summarizes some of the emerging technologies for the diagnosis of viral infections, including digital PCR, next-generation sequencing methods, mass spectrometry, surface plasmon resonance assays, and novel approaches to point-of-care diagnostics. The strengths and limitations of each methodology, as well as potential clinical diagnostic applications, will be described.