ADLM 2026 to Showcase Breakthroughs in Diabetes, Space Medicine, Alzheimer's-Down Syndrome Link, and Cancer Diagnostics
Key Insights
ADLM 2026 convenes July 26–30 in Anaheim, California, bringing together nearly 17,000 global leaders in clinical laboratory medicine.
Dr. David M. Nathan will open the meeting reflecting on five decades of diabetes research, including his pioneering work establishing hemoglobin A1c (search) as the gold-standard test and the role of GLP-1 (search) in glucose regulation.
Dr. Elizabeth Head will present her 25-year investigation into the Alzheimer's–Down syndrome (search) connection, exploring intervention targets that may inform precision medicine for the broader aging population.
From July 26–30, 2026, the Anaheim Convention Center in California will host ADLM 2026, the annual scientific meeting of the Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine (search). The five-day conference will convene nearly 17,000 clinical laboratory professionals, physicians, research scientists, and business leaders from around the world to explore advances spanning diabetes care, space medicine diagnostics, the Alzheimer's–Down syndrome (search) connection, cervical cancer (search) screening innovations, and mass spectrometry-based cancer biomarker discovery.
A Half-Century of Diabetes Research
The opening plenary on Sunday, July 26, will feature Dr. David M. Nathan, director of the Clinical Research Center at Massachusetts General Hospital and the 2026 Wallace H. Coulter Lectureship awardee. Over five decades, Dr. Nathan's work helped establish hemoglobin A1c (search) as the gold-standard blood test for managing long-term diabetes. He was also the first to demonstrate the role of the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1 (search)) hormone in lowering glucose, a discovery that paved the way for transformative medications now used to treat diabetes and obesity.
Dr. Nathan will reflect on two essential components to his success: the right colleagues and sustained federal research funding. "Together with nearly seventeen thousand other global leaders in our field, they will make ADLM 2026 the ultimate meeting of great minds," said ADLM CEO Melanie J. Wells.
Diagnostics Beyond Earth's Atmosphere
On Monday, July 27, Dr. Kathleen McMonigal, director of the NASA Johnson Space Center (search) Clinical Laboratory, will address the complexities of monitoring astronaut health during spaceflight. The recent Artemis II lunar flyby has ushered in a new era for crewed space exploration, and Dr. McMonigal will explain how zero- and micro-gravity environments can trigger bone loss, fluid shifts, and other physiological changes.
She will describe emerging biomarker innovations and emphasize the critical need for portable diagnostics as missions extend to the moon and Mars. Such devices, she notes, would function not unlike the fictional "tricorder" from Star Trek, enabling continuous healthcare in space.
Alzheimer's Disease (search) and Down Syndrome (search): A Shared Biology
Tuesday's plenary features Dr. Elizabeth Head, dean's professor and vice chair for research in the department of pathology and laboratory medicine at the University of California, Irvine. People with Down syndrome (search) have a greatly increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (search), likely because they carry an extra copy of a chromosome involved in Alzheimer's pathology.
Dr. Head has spent more than 25 years studying this link. Her plenary will describe efforts to identify targets for interventions that could slow or prevent Alzheimer's in people with Down syndrome (search), with implications for the general aging population. Notably, because some individuals with Down syndrome appear resistant to Alzheimer's disease (search), her findings could inform precision medicine approaches aimed at protecting brain health.
Closing Gaps in Cervical Cancer (search) Screening
On Wednesday, July 29, Dr. Leeya Pinder, a gynecologic oncologist and associate professor at the University of Cincinnati, will outline game-changing developments in cervical cancer (search) screening. She will highlight how self-collection kits for human papillomavirus (search) (HPV)—the virus behind most cervical cancer cases—are expanding global access to screening and connecting more women to lifesaving treatment.
Dr. Pinder will also discuss new low-cost technologies such as thermal ablation and the potential for using artificial intelligence to improve screening accuracy and availability worldwide.
Mass Spectrometry and the Future of Cancer Biomarkers
The closing plenary on Thursday, July 30, will feature Dr. Arun Wiita, a physician-scientist and professor in the department of laboratory medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Wiita and his team are integrating chemical biology, mass spectrometry, and computational methods to study the unique proteins found on cell membranes in blood cancers (search).
Mass spectrometry offers exceptional precision in identifying and measuring proteins and other molecules, making it a powerful technique for discovering novel biomarkers. This research holds promise for yielding new cancer tests and immune-based therapies.
All plenary sessions will take place in Ballroom ABC of the Anaheim Convention Center. The accompanying ADLM 2026 Clinical Lab Expo will feature more than 700 exhibitors showcasing the latest diagnostic technology, including artificial intelligence, point-of-care, and automation platforms.