Broadcast Date Date: April 8, 2020
Why is this important?
Test validation is essential to ensure reliable diagnostics to support inspection activities by National Plant Protection Organizations. EPPO is supporting the harmonization of diagnostics for regulated pests in the EPPO region through the development of diagnostic protocols. The Organization has developed horizontal standards on quality assurance/accreditation (including recommendations on how to perform validation) and on the organization of Test Performance Studies (TPS) between laboratories to evaluate the performance characteristics of individual tests.
In the framework of the EU funded VALITEST project, TPS were conducted to produce validation data for laboratory tests and in-field kits. The studies targeted eleven important pests and included international audience for participation. This project also focusses on improvement of validation procedures for an appropriate use of statistical analysis in plant health and to better fit with the upcoming technologies (e.g. HTS). Beyond validation, the project addresses the question as to the proficiency of end users, of diagnostic tools, and on a fit for purpose and reasonable approach.
Join us as we talk about:
- Test validation
- The need for regular verification of laboratory proficiency
- The use of harmonized procedures for global validation of data
About the Presenters
Speaker 1: Françoise Petter
| Françoise studied agronomy in France and first worked for the French National Plant Protection Organisation (NPPO). She began my career as the manager of a regional quarantine division in the Paris area and joined the national level of the French NPPO in 1994 as policy officer. In that role, She was successively in charge of the coordination of import inspections and overseeing the implementation in France of the EU plant passport system. This included coordinating and preparing French positions the EU plant health legislation, including consulting with industry. From 1995 to 2002, She was in charge of international activities such as coordinating and preparing French positions at EPPO (European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization), IPPC (International Plant Protection Convention) and SPS level (The Sanitary and Phytosanitary Committee, including participation as a French expert in bilateral negotiations), and participating in IPPC expert working groups for the preparation of International Standards on Phytosanitary Measures. |
Speaker 2: Geraldine Anthione
| Geraldine Anthoine, PhD-engineer, is a senior scientist and the deputy head of ANSES – Plant Health Laboratory (France). She initially worked for some years in virology, but then specialized in nematology. She has a long experience, more than 20 years, in laboratory activities focusing mainly on quarantine and emerging pests (analysis, evaluation of tests, drafting of operating procedures, organization of test performance studies and proficiency tests) in the framework of National Reference Laboratory’s mandate. In addition, she is involved in standards development at national, regional (EPPO) and international (FAO – IPPC – TPDP) levels. She also acts as technical assessor for national accreditation bodies. She is taking part to international network for research coordination (Euphresco) and is currently coordinating an EU funding project,
VALITEST, dealing with validation of diagnostic tools.
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