About

Carl Yamashiro is an Associate Clinical Professor and the Program Coordinator for the Biomedical Diagnostics MS degree program in the College of Health Solutions at Arizona State University. His research interests are broad and dynamic, with a primary focus on technology assessment and development in the healthcare field, particularly in diagnostics. His expertise extends to clinical trials and research, informatics, smart wearable devices for wellness monitoring and management, and entrepreneurship. Yamashiro's educational background includes a postdoctoral fellowship in Molecular Genetics at Stanford University, a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the University of Oregon, and a B.S. in Biochemistry from UCLA. Throughout his career, he has contributed to various research activities, including the development of molecular diagnostic tools, DNA extraction and amplification techniques, and the assessment of innovative healthcare technologies. He has also been involved in industry roles, including positions at Applied Biosystems, Roche Molecular Systems, and Motorola Life Sciences, among others. His work has earned recognition such as the ASU President's Award for Innovation in 2010 and the PROSE Award for Excellence in Biology & Life Sciences in 2008.

Research topics

• Biology
• Molecular biology
• Biochemistry
• Genetics
• Cell biology

Selected publications

• Overview of PCR

  Current Protocols Essential Laboratory Techniques · 2018-10-23 · 11 citations

  articleSenior author

  Abstract The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has revolutionized molecular biology and has enabled many other technologies and applications commonly used in research, and is part of many life science products. This unit will cover the basic principles of PCR, including how to carry out PCR in a laboratory that has not used this powerful technique previously. In addition, a number of different applications utilizing the basic PCR technique will be described. © 2018 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

  PublisherDOI

• Simplified, highly multiplex pathogen analysis for agricultural, food, water, and environmental sampling

  INFORM International News on Fats Oils and Related Materials · 2017-03-31

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  PublisherDOI

• Examining Cognitive Functioning Following TASER Exposure: A Randomized Controlled Trial

  Applied Cognitive Psychology · 2015-04-18 · 6 citations

  article

  Summary Individuals who experience electrical injury suffer significant, sometimes long‐term deficits in neuropsychological functioning. The TASER, an electrical device used by thousands of police departments, generates a high‐voltage (up to 50 000 V), low‐amperage (2.1 mA) current of electricity that is designed to disable a resistive criminal suspect. Questions have emerged regarding the potential for TASER exposure to cause impairment in cognitive functioning. In the current study, healthy human volunteers were randomly assigned to four groups, two of which received a TASER exposure. Participants completed a battery of cognitive tests before and after receiving their assigned treatment. Participants who received a TASER exposure experienced statistically meaningful declines in measures of verbal learning and memory, although deficits lasted less than 1 hour. After TASER exposure, participants also self‐reported significant difficulties with concentration, anxiety, and feeling overwhelmed. Other dimensions of cognitive functioning were not affected. Our findings show that the effects of TASER exposure on brain functioning are not well understood. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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• Overview of PCR

  Current Protocols Essential Laboratory Techniques · 2008-01-01 · 6 citations

  articleSenior author

  Abstract As a means of rapidly copying and amplifying a selected template sequence from a pool of DNA in vitro, the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) as a stand‐alone technique and in combinations with other methods has a vast range of applications. This chapter provides an overview of the theory and applications for this powerful and versatile laboratory method. A generic protocol for the broadest application is described in this unit along with the basic theory underpinning PCR to foster an understanding of how to make modifications to the protocol that can be applied to specific applications of the PCR technique. There is a troubleshooting table provided to describe and resolve the most common problems associated with PCR, as well as a table for suppliers and manufacturers of thermal cycling instruments. A detailed discussion of various DNA polymerases and suppliers is also provided.

  PublisherDOI

• A 3.9-Centimorgan-Resolution Human Single-Nucleotide Polymorphism Linkage Map and Screening Set

  The American Journal of Human Genetics · 2003-07-28 · 115 citations

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Extraction and Amplification of DNA From Formalin-Fixed, Paraffin-Embedded Tissues

  Applied immunohistochemistry & molecular morphology · 2002-09-01 · 83 citations

  article

  Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue (PET) is an invaluable resource for retrospective molecular genetic studies, but the extraction of high-quality genomic DNA from the PET may be problematic. We report a simple method that significantly improves the ability to amplify DNA recovered from formalin-fixed PET. Based on the standard procedure of a commercially available DNA preparation kit, the QIAamp DNA mini kit or the HighPure DNA preparation kit, we developed this method by eliminating the xylene/ethanol extraction step and adding a heat-treatment step. With this method, we have observed a five- to 10-fold increase in amplification efficiency of a fragment in a range of 90 to 386 base pairs. We also have obtained much higher amplification efficiencies for a multiplex polymerase chain reaction.

  PublisherDOI

• A Fluorogenic PCR-Based Assay for the Rapid Detection of Salmonella

  2000-01-01

  book-chapterSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Rapid detection of Listeria monocytogenes in dairy samples utilizing a PCR-based fluorogenic 5? nuclease assay

  Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology · 1998-09-01 · 27 citations

  article

  The presence of Listeria monocytogenes as a dairy food contaminant is a lethal threat to dairy industrialists; therefore, products tainted with L. monocytogenes must be quickly detected and removed from production. This fluorogenic PCR-based assay was developed to rapidly detect L. monocytogenes contamination in dairy samples before a final product is distributed. The detection method employed uses a PCR primer pair and a fluorogenic TaqMan probe which bind to a region of a virulence determinant gene specific to L. monocytogenes. As the DNA target is amplified, the 5′ nuclease activity of Taq DNA polymerase hydrolyzes the internal fluorogenic probe creating a change in fluorescence that can be monitored and automatically analyzed with a fluorometer. Sensitivity studies indicated a lower detection limit of under 10 CFU for pure culture extracts and spiked dairy enrichments. A study was performed on 266 dairy product samples obtained from Central California dairy production plants. Eighty-three of these samples were artificially spiked with both high and low concentrations of L. monocytogenes before an overnight enrichment in TSB/LiCl/colostin sulfate/moxalactam media. DNA from enriched samples was obtained using a rapid Chelex extraction specifically designed for dairy sample enrichments and automated analysis. The extraction was followed by the fluorogenic PCR assay and measurement of fluorescence increase. The assay was completed within 24 h, with an observed 95.2% sensitivity, 96.7% specificity, 92.9% positive predictive value, 97.8% negative predictive value, and 96.2% accuracy. According to specificity studies, five other bacterial species cross-reacted with the fluorogenic 5′ nuclease PCR. However, only one of these strains (Listeria grayi) was able to grow in the enrichment medium employed, and was not isolated from any of the 266 dairy product enrichments evaluated in this study. Therefore, this method provides a rapid, sensitive, and automatable analysis alternative to standard culture techniques for the detection of Listeria monocytogenes in dairy samples.

  PublisherDOI

• Photoregulation ofcot-1,a Kinase-Encoding Gene Involved in Hyphal Growth inNeurospora crassa

  Fungal Genetics and Biology · 1998-04-01 · 37 citations

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• PCR-Based DNA Amplification and Presumptive Detection of<i>Escherichia coli</i>O157:H7 with an Internal Fluorogenic Probe and the 5′ Nuclease (TaqMan) Assay

  Applied and Environmental Microbiology · 1998-09-01 · 163 citations

  articleOpen access

  Presumptive identification of Escherichia coli O157:H7 is possible in an individual, nonmultiplexed PCR if the reaction targets the enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) eaeA gene. In this report, we describe the development and evaluation of the sensitivity and specificity of a PCR-based 5' nuclease assay for presumptively detecting E. coli O157:H7 DNA. The specificity of the eaeA-based 5' nuclease assay system was sufficient to correctly identify all E. coli O157:H7 strains evaluated, mirroring the previously described specificity of the PCR primers. The SZ-primed, eaeA-targeted 5' nuclease detection assay was capable of rapid, semiautomated, presumptive detection of E. coli O157:H7 when >/=10(3) CFU/ml was present in modified tryptic soy broth (mTSB) or modified E. coli broth and when >/=10(4) CFU/ml was present in ground beef-mTSB mixtures. Incorporating an immunomagnetic separation (IMS) step, followed by a secondary enrichment culturing step and DNA recovery with a QIAamp tissue kit (Qiagen), improved the detection threshold to >/=10(2) CFU/ml. Surprisingly, immediately after IMS, the sensitivity of culturing on sorbitol MacConkey agar containing cefeximine and tellurite (CT-SMAC) was such that identifiable colonies were demonstrated only when >/=10(4) CFU/ml was present in the sample. Several factors that might be involved in creating these false-negative CT-SMAC culture results are discussed. The SZ-primed, eaeA-targeted 5' nuclease detection system demonstrated that it can be integrated readily into standard culturing procedures and that the assay can be useful as a rapid, automatable process for the presumptive identification of E. coli O157:H7 in ground beef and potentially in other food and environmental samples.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Tom H. Stevens

  7 shared

• Patricia M. Kane

  6 shared

• Buena Chui

  5 shared

• Charles Yanofsky

  3 shared

• Joel H. Rothman

  University of California, Santa Barbara

  3 shared

• Christopher K. Raymond

  University of Vermont

  2 shared

• Leonid Kruglyak

  Howard Hughes Medical Institute

  2 shared

• Richa Behari

  PerkinElmer (United States)

  2 shared

Education

• Ph.D., Molecular Biology

  University of Oregon

  1990

• B.S., Biochemistry

  University of California-Los Angeles

  1981

• Other, Molecular Genetics

  Stanford University

  1994

Awards & honors

• ASU President's Award for Innovation, 2010
• PROSE Award for Excellence in Biology & Life Sciences, 2008