Volunteers are sought to lend their ingenuity to the development of voluntary consensus guidelines for the basic biological research, biotechnology, and diagnostics of Microarray Detection of Microorganisms. The activity is being conducted by ASTM Subcommittee E48.02, Characterization and Identification of Biological Systems, a subgroup of Committee E48 on Biotechnology. E48 consists of over 100 research scientists, engineers, manufacturers, government representatives, and others who develop biotechnology standards.

“I am aware that this will be a challenging project,” said Larry E. Bockstahler, Ph.D., U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Rockville, Md., the chairman of ASTM Subcommittee E48.02. “We shall work closely with NCCLS [National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards] and other standards organizations so that duplication of effort can be avoided.”

Committee E48 develops standard guidelines, practices, specifications, test methods, and other documents. E48 standards developed in the area of molecular detection of microorganisms in the last four years, are:

• E 1873, Standard Guide for Detection of Nucleic Acid Sequences by the Polymerase Chain Reaction Technique (1997);
• E 2048, Standard Guide for Detection of Nucleic Acids of the Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Complex and Other Pathogenic Mycobacteria by the Polymerase Chain Reaction Technique (1999); and
• E 2146, Standard Guide for the Detection of Nucleic Acid Sequences of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus HIV-1 by the Polymerase Chain Reaction Technique (2001).

To obtain further technical information, contact Larry E. Bockstahler, Ph.D., U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Rockville, Md. (phone: 301/443-7287). For details about Committee E48 meetings or membership, contact Staff Manager Diane Rehiel, ASTM (phone: 610/832-9717). //

Copyright 2001, ASTM