Droplet Digital PCR World 2025 On-Demand

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Curtis Hughesman, Ph.D., P.Eng
Research and Development Scientist

Dr. Curtis Hughesman is a research and development laboratory scientist in the clinical genetics and genomics laboratory at BC Cancer. Among his many roles in this position, one that he enjoys the most is being responsible for the development, validation and implementation of molecular diagnostic tests, including ddPCR based assays, that are aimed at improving diagnosis and treatment for patients in BC. Examples of ddPCR based assays that have been deployed for clinical testing at BC Cancer includes detecting resistant mutation in ctDNA from lung cancer patients, minimum residual disease (MRD) monitoring in Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) patients and confirming germline copy number variations detected by hereditary cancer NGS testing. Dr. Hughesman is a professional engineer and holds a PhD in Chemical and Biological Engineering from the University of British Columbia. His research work during his Ph.D and Post-Doctoral focused on developing unique assays for qPCR and ddPCR, several of which were adopted by BC Cancer for clinical testing.

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Laura Dillon, Ph.D., FACMG
Research Associate Professor, Virginia Tech FBRI Cancer Research Institute, United States

Laura Dillon, PhD, FACMG is a Research Associate Professor at the Virginia Tech FBRI Cancer Research Center in Washington, DC. She received her BS from Virginia Tech in 2006 and her PhD from Wake Forest University in 2012. She completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Virginia in 2015. In 2020 she completed the Medical Genetics and Genomic Medicine fellowship training program at the National Human Genome Research Institute and is ABMGG board‑certified in Laboratory Genetics and Genomics. Dr. Dillon performs translational research focused on developing high sensitivity genomic tools for the detection of measurable residual disease in Acute Myeloid Leukemia patients after treatment, with the goal of predicting which patients may be at risk of relapse and whom may benefit from additional therapy.

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Leisa Jackson
Scientist, Biodesix, United States

Leisa Jackson is a research and development scientist at Biodesix, Inc., in Louisville, Colorado. She has over 20 years of experience in molecular biology research, with a focus on translational science applications, including 9 years developing ddPCR and NGS assays for oncology diagnostic tests for both RUO and IVD applications. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Science from Florida State University and has contributed to research in academic (FSU, Duke University, CU Boulder), clinical (National Jewish Health), and industry (Biodesix, Inc. and Invitae Corp.) settings.

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Julia Burnier, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Pathology, Oncology McGill University, Canada

Dr. Julia Burnier is an Associate Professor in the Gerald Bronfman Department of Oncology and the Department of Pathology at McGill University, and a Scientist at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC). She earned her Ph.D. in Molecular and Cell Biology at McGill, focusing on invasion and metastasis, followed by postdoctoral training in Montreal and Barcelona. She later specialized in cancer genomics and liquid biopsy in clinical trials at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. Dr. Burnier is a Fonds de Recherche en Santé Research Scholar and a recipient of the Canadian Cancer Society Emerging Scholar Award and William Dawson Award. As Director of the Liquid Biopsy Lab at RI-MUHC, her research focuses on circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), CTCs, and extracellular vesicles to monitor treatment response and explore their role in tumor progression and resistance.

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Laura Muinelo Romay, Ph.D.
Miguel Servet researcher at the Health Research Institute of Santiago de Compostela, Spain

Dr. Laura Muinelo is the Head of the Liquid Biopsy Analysis Unit at Health Research Institute of Santiago de Compostela (IDIS) and co‑coordinator of the Liquid Biopsy working group of CIBERONC. The Unit is specialized in the study of circulating biomarkers, mainly CTCs and ctDNA, as a tool to characterize tumors and develop a more personalized oncology. Her research is focused on the validation and application of liquid biopsy in the context of MRD detection, treatment selection and monitoring for different solid tumours, and specially for endometrial cancer.

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R Sean Norman, MS, Ph.D.
Director Molecular Microbial Ecology Lab, University of Southern Carolina, United States

Dr. R. Sean Norman is an Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at the Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina. A microbiologist by training, Dr. Norman leads a research program that investigates the roles of microorganisms in ecosystem and human health. His laboratory specializes in the use of droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) and DNA sequencing to support wastewater-based surveillance for the detection, modeling, and forecasting of infectious disease outbreaks. His team has also applied these methods to monitor pathogens across a university campus and to study the dissemination of microbial antibiotic resistance genes locally and globally. This work contributes to a deeper understanding of the socio-ecological dimensions of antibiotic resistance and its implications for public health.

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Annemarie Martin, M. Sc.
Project Lead for Droplet Digital™ PCR, GBD Gesellschaft für Biotechnologische Diagnostik mbH, Germany

Annemarie Martin is a molecular biologist with a strong background in biotechnology and physiology. She holds a B.Sc. in Biotechnology from Lausitz University of Applied Sciences and an M.Sc. in Molecular Biology and Physiology from Ernst Moritz Arndt University. Her academic journey included research stays at renowned institutions such as the Dana‑Farber Cancer Institute in Boston and Charité University Hospital in Berlin. Professionally, she has gained extensive experience in both academic research and applied diagnostics. From 2015 to 2018, she worked as a research associate at the Technical University of Berlin, focusing on zinc‑mediated signal transduction in mammalian cells. Since 2019, she has been involved in planning and analyzing interlaboratory comparison studies at a Berlin‑based diagnostics company with a focus on quality control processes and samples, where she currently leads a Droplet Digital™ PCR project.

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Peter Braun Dr.
Head of Molecular Biotechnology Fraunhofer ITMP, Germany

Peter Braun is currently the Head of Molecular Biotechnology at the Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMP, focusing on Immunology, Infection, and Pandemic Research. Previously, he served as a Group Leader and Research Scientist at the Bundeswehr Institute of Microbiology in Munich, specializing in bacteriology, toxicology, and anthrax research.