Teach Me in 10: Future of Molecular Diagnostics

Dr. Mikael Kubista is a globally recognized expert in quantitative PCR (qPCR) and digital PCR (dPCR), and a coauthor of the foundational MIQE and dMIQE guidelines. He has also contributed to ISO standards and the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) white paper on PCR use in cell and gene therapies. A serial entrepreneur, Dr. Kubista co-founded MultiD Analysis, Tataa Biocenter, Life Genomics, and SimSen Diagnostics—companies focused on molecular analysis, diagnostics, and ultrasensitive sequencing. His work has been recognized with the Frost & Sullivan Award for Customer Value Leadership in 2013. Currently, he splits his time between BIOCEV in Prague and Gothenburg University in Sweden. Most recently, he co-founded Precision BioAnalytics to support advanced therapy development through high-quality molecular analysis services.

Dr. Jong-Hyuk Lee is an Assistant Professor of Genetics in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at Mercer University School of Medicine and an affiliated faculty member of Mercer’s Center for Gerontology. His research centers on the epigenetic mechanisms of aging and age-related diseases, with a particular focus on chromatin dynamics and DNA repair pathways in premature aging syndromes such as Cockayne Syndrome. Dr. Lee received his Ph.D. in Biomedical Science from Seoul National University, where he investigated p53 and histone modifications in DNA damage responses. He completed postdoctoral training at the National Institute on Aging, where he made significant contributions to understanding how NAD+ metabolism and DNA repair impact cellular aging. His work continues to explore rejuvenation strategies by targeting epigenetic alterations.

Carole Durand is Senior Global Product Manager for Agilent's Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) portfolio. With over 20 years of experience in the oncology and infectious disease testing industries, she has been instrumental in enabling access to innovative molecular biology technologies, serving applications that range from research to diagnostics.

Emma received her bachelor’s degree in Evolutionary Biology from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2020 and her MS in Bioinformatics from New York University in 2023. Previous experience includes leading the Outcomes Data department at Tempus Labs and serving as Program Manager for the University of California Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center and Cancer Data Sciences.