Publications

• T. Yap, S. Khor, J.S Kim, J. Kim, S.Y Kim, J.S Kern, R. Martyres, G. Varigos, H.T Chan, M.J McCullough, M.L Thomas, and L. Scardamaglia (2020). Intraoral human herpes viruses detectable by PCR in majority of patients. Oral Dis. 2020;00:1–10.

• G. Dirani, S. Zannoli, E. Paesini, P. Farabegoli, B. Dalmo, C. Vocale, G. Liguori, S. Varani, and V. Sambri (2019). Easyscreen^TM Enteric Protozoa Assay For The Detection Of Intestinal Parasites: A Retrospective Bi-Center Study. Journal of Parasitology 105(1) 58–63

• R. Gough, J. Ellis, D. Stark (2019). Comparison and Recommendations for the use of Dientamoeba fragilis Real-Time PCR assays. Journal of Clinical Microbiology (In Press)
• J. Harkness, D. Marriott, J. Ellis, D. Stark (2019). Evaluation of the EasyScreen^TM Protozoan Detection Kit for the diagnosis of Entamoeba histolytica. Pathology (In Press)
• D. Stark, D. Marriott R, J. Harkness, R. Gough (2019). A syndromic approach to screening sexually-transmitted infections using EasyScreen^TM Multiplex PCR. Poster presentation, ECCMID, 2019.
• Marriot D., and Harkness J., Gough R., Barratt J., Ellis J., and Stark D. On the importance of Validating Dientamoeba fragilis Real-time PCR Assays  Oral Presentation, NRL Workshop on Molecular Diagnostics, Melbourne, October 2018
• Stark D., Marriot D., and Harkness J. EasyScreen™ Multiplex PCR for STI Infections, a Year in Review. Oral Presentation, NRL Workshop on Molecular Diagnostics, Melbourne, October 2018
• Gough R., Barratt J., Ellis J., and Stark D. Importance of validating RT-PCR methods for Dientamoeba fragilis.  Oral presentation at The British Society for Parasitology Spring 2018 Conference Aberystwyth, UK April 2018.
• Chan D., Barratt J., Roberts T., Phillips O., Šlapeta J., Ryan U., Marriott D., Harkness J., Ellis J., and Stark D. Detection of Dientamoeba fragilis in animal faeces using species-specific real-time PCR assay. Veterinary Parasitology, Volume 227, Pages 42-47, 30 August 2016
• Wynn M. Real-time PCR detection of Human Rhinoviruses. Oral Presentation, 5th Molecular Microbiology Meeting, Sydney, Australia, March 2016
• Stark D. Pathogenicity of Dientamoeba fragilis. Oral Presentation, 5th Molecular Microbiology Meeting, Sydney, Australia, March 2016
• Stark D. Dientamoeba Fragilis PCR-Too Good To Be True. Oral Presentation, NRL Workshop on Molecular Diagnostics, Sydney, July 2015
• Stark D, Roberts T, Marriott D, Harkness J. Evaluation of the EasyScreen™ Enteric Parasite Detection Kit for the detection of Blastocystis spp., Cryptosporidium spp., Dientamoeba fragilis, Entamoeba complex, and Giardia intestinalis from clinical stool samples. Diagnostic Microbiology & Infectious Disease Volume 78, Issue 2 , Pages 149-152, February 2014
• Thomas L, Olma T, Chen S. Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology Laboratory Services, ICPMR, Westmead Hospital, NSW. EasyScreen™ multiplexed real-time PCR assays providing rapid and cost effective routine detection of faecal pathogens in a clinical microbiology laboratory 3rd Molecular Microbiology Meeting, Sydney March 2013
• Thomas L. EasyScreen™ Molecular Diagnostic Assays for Routine Detection of Faecal Pathogens, Oral Presentation, 3rd Molecular Microbiology Meeting, Sydney March 2013
• Thomas L. EasyScreen™ Molecular Diagnostic Assays for Routine Detection of Faecal Pathogens The Australian Society for Microbiology, Adelaide, Australia July 2013
• Huntington, P., Darber, A., Kotsiou, G., Clostridium difficile PCR ribotype 027 in a northern Sydney hospital: a retrospective investigation. The Australian Society for Microbiology, Annual scientific meeting Hobart, Australia 4 – 8 July 2011

Genetic Signatures Publications

• Garae C., Kalo K., G.J Pakoa., Baker R., Isaacs P., and Millar D.S. Validation of the easyscreen flavivirus dengue alphavirus detection kit based on 3base amplification technology and its application to the 2016/17 Vanuatu dengue outbreak PLOS One January 17, 2020.
• Siah S.P., Merif J., Kaur K., Nair J., Huntington P.G., Karagiannis T., Stark D., Rawlinson W., Olma T., Thomas L., Melki J.R., and Millar D.S. Improved detection of gastrointestinal pathogens using generalised sample processing and amplification panels. Pathology 46(1), pp. 53–59, January 2014
  We would like to acknowledge the following people for independent confirmatory PCR/OCP/Tissue Culture:
  *Diane Grote, Virology Department, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead.
  *Steven Siarakas, Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Concord Hospital.
  *Rogan Lee, Parasitology, CIDMLS, Westmead Hospital.
  *Ken McPhee, Viral Laboratory, CIDMLS, Westmead Hospital.
  *Susie Roczo-Farkas, Enteric Virus Group, The Royal Children’s Hospital, Victoria.
• Melki J.R, Millar D.S. What do hospital labs really need to streamline diagnostic testing: Apple vs. Microsoft environment? Journal of Commercial Biotechnology 18, 25–32. 2012
• Baleriola C, Millar D, Melki J, Coulston N, Altman P, Rismanto N and Rawlinson W. Comparison of a novel HPV test with the Hybrid Capture II (hcII) and a reference PCR method shows high specificity and positive predictive value for 13 high-risk human papillomavirus infections. J. Clin. Virol. 42:22-6. 2008
• Frommer et al., A genomic sequencing protocol that yields a positive display of 5-methylcytosine residues in individual DNA strands. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA ol. 89, pp. 1827-1831, March 1992

Genetic Signatures Conference Posters, Abstracts & Presentations

• Abeysekera D.M., Stark D., Melki J.R., and Millar D. Irish evaluation of the EasyScreen™ ESBL/CPO Detection Kit Using Primary Patient Swabs Molecular Microbiology Meeting, Sydney, Australia 11 – 12th April 2018
• Abeysekera D.M., Stark D., Melki J.R., and Millar D. A 3base™ Real-Time Multiplex-PCR for the detection of Extended-Spectrum β -Lactamases (ESBL) and Carbapenemase- Producing Organisms (CPO) NRL 2017 Molecular Diagnostics, Hobart Australia 16-17^th October 2017:
• Stark D., Rawlinson P., Stelzer-Braid S., McGrath E., Cormican M., White P., and Lun J. 3base™ Technology and Applications to Infectious Disease Testing EMMD 2017 Amsterdam, Netherlands 11-12^th October 2017
• Lun J., Baker R.T., Kaur K., Morrell L., Melki J.R., White P.A., and Millar D. Clinical evaluation of the 3base™ EasyScreen™ Enteric Viral Detection Kit EV002 Australian Scientific Meeting, Hobart, Australia 2- 5th July 2017
• Melki J.R., and Millar D. A novel 3base™ assay for the rapid detection of flavivirus/alphavirus in clinical samples Australian Scientific Meeting, Hobart, Australia 2- 5th July 2017
• Abeysekera D.M., Stark D., Melki J.R., and Millar D. A 3base™ Real-Time Multiplex-PCR method for the detection of Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamases (ESBL) and Carbapenemase-Producing Organisms (CPO) Australian Scientific Meeting, Hobart, Australia 2- 5th July 2017
• Chen W.Y., Stark D., Melki J.R., and Millar D. Rapid, Sensitive and Automated Detection of 12 Bacterial and Viral Causes of Sexually Transmitted Infections using the 3base™ EasyScreen™Sexually Transmitted/Genital Detection Kit Australian Scientific Meeting, Hobart, Australia 2- 5th July 2017
• Melki J.R., and Millar D. 3base™ technology and its application to the detection of flavivirus/alphavirus in the 2016/17 Vanuatu dengue outbreak 26th ECCMID Meeting, Vienna, Austria 22 – 25th April 2017
• Stark D., Harkness J., Melki J.R., and Millar D. A Rapid 3base™ Real-Time PCR for the detection of Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamase and Carbapenemase-Producing Organisms using Multi-Coloured Fluorogenic Probes. 25th ECCMID Meeting, Amsterdam, Netherlands 9 – 12th April 2016
• Gow I., Shoo Siah S.P., Elmore A., Warby D., Stark D., Harkness J., Melki J.R., and Millar D. S. Comparison of the Efficiency Of Commercially Available Automated Nucleic Acid Extraction Platforms to Detect a Wide Range of Respiratory Viruses. 43rd Annual Scientific Meeting and Trade Exhibition of the Australian Society for Microbiology, Canberra, Australia, 12th-15th of July 2015
• Gow I., Shoo Siah S.P., Elmore A., Warby D., Stark D., Harkness J., Melki J.R., and Millar D. S. Comparison of the Efficiency Of Commercially Available Automated Nucleic Acid Extraction Platforms to Detect a Wide Range of Respiratory Viruses. 24th ECCMID Meeting, Copenhagen, Denmark 25-28th May 2015
• Melki J.R.,  Seo  S., Nair J., French C.,  Siah S.P., Kaur K., Rawlinson W., and Millar D.S. A novel 3base™ multiplex PCR assay for the rapid detection and stratification of MRSA The Australian Society for Microbiology, Annual scientific meeting. Melbourne 6th – 9th July 2014
• Carson K., Siah S., Millar D., MacKenzie  B., Melki  J., Riley T. Evaluation of the EasyScreen™ C. difficile detection kit for tcdA and tcdB. 24th ECCMID meeting, Barcelona, Spain 10th – 13th May 2014
• Melki J.R. 3base™ The Science Behind EasyScreen™ Molecular Diagnostic Assays Molecular Microbiology Meeting, Sydney, Australia 5th – 6th May 2014
• Melki J.R., Siah S.P., Kaur K., Nair J., Rawlinson W., and Millar D.S.  A novel rapid multiplex PCR assay for the detection of 13 bacterial and viral causes of sexually transmitted infection (STI). 23rd ECCMID meeting, Berlin, Germany 27th-30th April 2013
• Melki J.R., Siah, S.P., Kaur, K., Nair, J., Rawlinson, W., and Millar D.S. A novel multiplex PCR detection method for Mycobacteria, Mycobacterial avium intracellular complex (MAIC) and M. tuberculosis from clinical samples. 23rd ECCMID meeting, Berlin, Germany 27th-30th April 2013
• J.R. Melki, S.P. Siah, K. Kaur, J. Nair, W. Rawlinson and D.S. Millar. A novel multiplex PCR assay for the detection of 18 bacterial, yeast and viral causes of Meningitis. 23rd ECCMID meeting, Berlin, Germany 27th-30th April 2013
• J.R. Melki, S.P. Siah, K. Kaur, J. Nair, N. Coulston, D.S. Millar. Multiplex PCR detection of all major gastrointestinal pathogens employing a novel universal extraction method. 22nd ECCMID meeting, London, 31st March – 3rd April 2012 England 2012
• Melki, J.R. Innovation in Molecular Diagnostic Assays (for selected viral, bacterial and protozoan targets). Invited speaker, AusMedTech conference, Sydney, Australia. 14-15 May 2012
• Siah SP, Melki J, Huntington P, Karagiannis T, Rawlinson W, Riley T, and Millar D. Validation of a novel test for hypervirulent strains of Clostridium difficile including BI/NAP1/027. Proferred paper/Oral presentation. The Australian Society for Microbiology, Annual scientific meeting. Hobart, Australia 4 – 8 July 2011
• N. Boulter, S.P. Siah, N. Coulston, C. Vockler, K. Warton, P. Rajasekariah, J.R. Melki and D.S Millar. Specific detection of Hepatitis C virus in clinical samples using a novel simplification strategy. 18th ECCMID meeting, Barcelona, 19-22 April 2008
• D. S. Millar, C. J. Vockler, J. R. Melki. The Application of a Novel DNA Simplification Approach for the Universal Detection and Subtyping of Gram-Positive Bacteria. 107th American Society for Microbiology General Meeting, Toronto, Canada May 21-25, 2007
• N. Boulter, S.P. Siah, N. Coulston, C. Vockler, K. Warton, P. Rajasekariah, J.R. Melki and D.S Millar. A novel nucleic acid simplification procedure capable of detecting multiple strains of both DNA and RNA viruses in a single reaction. 24th Annual Clinical Virology Symposium. Daytona Beach, FL, U.S.A. 27 – 30 April, 2008
• N.A. Coulston, S.P. Siah, D.S. Millar. Specific Detection of High-Risk HPV Genotypes Using a Novel DNA Simplification Strategy. 17th ECCMID meeting, Munich, Germany 31 March – 3 April 2007