Dev Mittar, Ph.D., Scientific Director of the ASM Health Scientific Unit discusses the use of metagenomic next generation sequencing to develop agnostic diagnostic technology, giving scientists and clinicians alike, a tool to diagnose any infectious disease with one single test. He also discusses how the ASM Health Unit is empowering scientists and leveraging microbial science innovations to address critical global health challenges and improve lives worldwide.

Ashley's Biggest Takeaways

• The Division of Research, Innovation and Ventures is a small entrepreneurial arm of BARDA that takes on early-stage projects with high potential of turning into medical countermeasures.
• Prior to his role as Scientific Director for ASM Health, Mittar worked as a health scientist and program officer at DRIVe, where he focused on advancing high-impact science.
• He is particularly passionate about his work to develop agnostic diagnostics—a single test that uses metagenomic next generation sequencing to identify any pathogen from 1 clinical sample.
• Mittar discusses applications for this technology in surveillance (pandemic preparedness), variant detection, AMR and clinical settings (diagnosing complicated infections where etiology is not clearly defined).
• He also shares how a recent bout with illness emphasized the value and potential of this technology to save money, time, pain and suffering of the patient.
• Agnostic diagnostics can also help prevent the overuse/misuse of antibiotics, which are key factors in the spread of antimicrobial resistance.
• Furthermore, when this technology is coupled with the use of metatranscriptomics, it can provide information about the patient’s immune profile that can be helpful in developing personalized treatment strategies, as opposed to a one-size-fits-all approach.
• ASM is organizing around 3 scientific units, ASM Health, ASM Mechanism Discovery and ASM Applied and Environmental Microbiology.
• These units will empower researchers and scientists to use science make a difference in the world and provide a forum for them to come together to shape the future of the field.

Links for This Episode

• Learn More About ASM’s Scientific Units.
• Join the Conversation on ASM Connect, our online community platform.
• Browse Volunteer Opportunities.
• Become an ASM Member.
• Register for ASM Microbe 2025.