Advanced Crohn's monitoring test launched by Mayo Clinic

Mayo Clinic Laboratories introduces an advancement in the management of Crohn's disease with the release of a new laboratory test that measures risankizumab levels in patients (Mayo ID: RISA). This test will advance the therapeutic monitoring of Crohn's disease, enabling personalized treatment approaches.

Risankizumab, marketed as Skyrizi, is a biologic therapy originally approved for the treatment of plaque psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. It gained additional FDA approval last year for the treatment of moderate to severe forms of Crohn's disease. The new test from Mayo Clinic Laboratories provides clinicians with the ability to accurately determine the concentration of risankizumab in the bloodstream. This information helps in fine-tuning dosage and assessing the drug’s efficacy and safety in individual patients.

"Our test for risankizumab levels is a testament to Mayo Clinic Laboratories’ advancing personalized medicine," said Maria Alice Willrich, Ph.D, a clinical chemist with a focus in diagnostic immunology at Mayo Clinic Laboratories. "With this tool, healthcare providers can make informed decisions to enhance the treatment for patients taking risankizumab, primarily those suffering from Crohn's disease."

The risankizumab test is designed to deliver specific results for the drug concentration. The test results allow healthcare providers to monitor patients who need to be above a specific risankizumab concentration to improve the outcomes of clinical response for therapy optimization, as well as detect low levels of the drug, which can compromise treatment effectiveness.

The test is an addition to Mayo Clinic Laboratories’ comprehensive test menu and is now available to physicians across the country. This development underscores Mayo Clinic Laboratories' commitment to pioneering innovations that address medical challenges and improve patient outcomes.

Listen to Dr. Willrich talk more about the benefits of Mayo Clinic Laboratories' new RISA assay in this test-specific episode of Mayo Clinic Laboratories' "Answers From the Lab" podcast.