AUSTRALIA–INDONESIA JOINT SYMPOSIUM IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Jakarta, 13-17 September 2006
New directions in disease diagnosis and control
Professor Stephen Prowse, CEO, Australian Biosecurity Cooperative Research Centre for Emerging Infectious Disease, University of Queensland
We are faced with a rapidly changing global environment that requires a heightened disease response capability to protect trade, market access and human health. Diagnosis is an integral part of that capability. New diagnostic technologies have the potential to revolutionise the way in which we perform disease diagnosis. The new technologies include high throughput systems, multiplex diagnostic tools and field tests. The capability to generate information in real time is also a reality. The production of large amounts of data requires information management, ownership and analysis to be addressed. However, new technologies are of limited use without some form of validation and their transfer from a research environment into a quality assured diagnostic setting. The application of new diagnostic tools needs to be considered in the context of new approaches to disease surveillance. The Australian Biosecurity Cooperative Research Centre for Emerging Infectious Disease supports biosecurity research in diagnosis, disease ecology and surveillance through a portfolio of interconnected projects undertaken in a broad national and regional context. A number of these projects involve collaborative activities with partners in Indonesia.
Professor Stephen Prowse is the CEO of the Australian Biosecurity Cooperative Research Centre for Emerging Infectious Disease (AB-CRC) and an Adjunct Professor in the Faculty of Biological and Chemical Sciences at the University of Queensland. The objective of the AB-CRC is to build capabilities to detect, monitor, assess and predict emerging infectious disease threats which impact on national and regional biosecurity (www.abcrc.org.au). Professor Prowse has a background in disease research in humans and livestock with a focus on pathogenesis, and the development of vaccines and diagnostics. Prior to his current appointment he was the Manager for Strategy and Evaluation in the CSIRO Division of Livestock Industries, where he had responsibility for leading the development and implementation of scientific strategy, and for the evaluation of the Programs and projects. In 2001, Professor Prowse was Acting Director of the CSIRO Australian Animal Health Laboratory, Australia's primary emergency animal disease diagnosis laboratory. Professor Prowse is the author of over 100 publications in refereed journals, books, industry journals and on-line. Professor Prowse is a reviewer for various journals and funding organisations and has served on Government and industry advisory and policy committees.
