P-184 - Diagnostic Assay Validation Network Year 3: Enhanced Validation Tools and Resources

The Diagnostic Assay Validation Network (DAVN.org), established in 2023, offers essential tools and resources to improve the development and interpretation of validated plant disease diagnostic assays. DAVN supports assay developers, users, and professionals across government, industry, and academia by promoting the sharing of standard diagnostic methods and validation practices within the plant pathology community. Since its inception, DAVN has released valuable resources, with the following highlights from the past year: a suite of validation statistical calculators for determining test performance characteristics such as sensitivity, precision, and accuracy; the searchable, sortable Controls database, which compiles a comprehensive review of controls (internal exogenous/endogenous, positive, negative) used in peer-reviewed plant pathogen diagnostic assays since 2011; and the Nucleic Acid database, released in 2023, which is undergoing updates to incorporate more recent publications. Last year, DAVN hosted a well-attended workshop at the Plant Health conference, where DAVN tools were showcased and tested. All presentations from the workshop are available in the DAVN Knowledge Center, DAVN is preparing to release its second focus issue, "Diagnostic Assay Development and Validation: The Science of Getting It Right II," in PhytoFrontiers by mid-2025, comprising 16 peer-reviewed articles. The plant pathology community is encouraged to engage with DAVN and explore these resources further via the DAVN Communities.