TTD III: West Nile Virus
Program Code: 131-S
Saturday, October 23, 2004
4:00 PM to 5:30 PM (ET)

SPEAKERS
Susan Stramer, PhD, American Red Cross Biomedical Services
Michael Busch, MD, PhD, Blood Systems, Inc.; & Blood Systems Research Institute
Susan P. Montgomery, DVM, MPH, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

DESCRIPTION
The session will include industry speakers who will describe the performance of various test kits and will review clinical data collected following the implementation and two-year experience with WNV NAT under an IND application. Emphasis will be placed on how the industry managed blood components in areas reporting high human WNV activity from both a testing and blood collection/distribution perspective. Speakers will update the audience on the status of animal infectivity studies, retrospective and prospective, addressing the infectivity of blood components containing low levels of WNV in the absence and presence of IgM/IgG antibodies.

OBJECTIVES

• Describe the first two-year experience with nucleic acid testing (NAT) for West Nile virus (WNV) under an Investigational New Drug (IND) application
• Discuss future testing initiatives and how testing might change in the future depending on the location and spread of WNV
• Analyze all available data regarding the infectivity of components having low levels of WNV both in the absence and presence of antibody
• Explain how the industry managed testing and component distribution in areas of high WNV incidence, that is, single unit versus pooled testing, collection and distribution of frozen products and other related issues

AUDIENCE
Physicians, Scientists, Technologists, Nurses, Managers/Supervisors, CEOs/CFOs

PROGRAM LEVEL
Intermediate to Advanced