Your life in a drop of blood | Dr Terry Pearson | TEDxVancouver

This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. Terry reminds us that we are individuals down to the smallest level and explains how we can harness this fact to change diagnostic medicine. Personalized monitoring of molecules in blood will allow improved wellness and clinical outcomes in acute and chronic diseases. Professor, medical industry entrepreneur, and disease diagnosis specialist, Dr. Terry Pearson and his colleagues are about to change the way we view and monitor our health. By combining ground- breaking biotechnology and cost effective diagnostic testing using a single drop of blood, the team is able to capture more personalized medical data that will facilitate much more meaningful analysis. It’s a revolutionary approach that could alter the face of medicine in the very near future. Dr. Pearson is a professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology at the University of Victoria. He obtained his PhD at UBC and after postdoctoral work at the Medical Research Council Laboratory in Cambridge, England, Dr. Pearson worked as a staff scientist in its Division of Cell Biology. He was then recruited to Nairobi, Kenya as a research scientist at the newly formed International Laboratory for Research on Animal Diseases where he introduced monoclonal antibody technology to Africa. This experience led to a love of and fascination with the African continent. For more than 35 years his research has focused on tropical diseases, mainly African sleeping sickness, and on diagnosis of disease. In the past decade, his research has focused on translation of basic research discoveries into application to clinical diagnostic medicine in both the developed and developing world. In addition to serving on the boards of several private and public biotechnology companies, he is co-founder of SISCAPA Assay Technologies, Inc., a privately held biotechnology company focused on developing diagnostic tests for personalized medicine. About TEDx, x = independently organized event In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)