1.

Establishing a platform model to expand access to innovative solutions

2.

Propelling the identification of elusive central nervous system pathogens

Central nervous system infections, such as meningitis and encephalitis, pose significant risks. With these infections, there is little room for error or delay, making fast and accurate diagnosis crucial for effective treatment. A new metagenomics assay can identify more than 1,000 pathogenic organisms in cerebrospinal fluid using shotgun metagenomic sequencing.

This innovative test — one of the few available — offers answers where conventional diagnostics fail.

3.

Advancing cancer care with testing innovations and selection guide

Approximately 20 million cancer cases were newly diagnosed in 2022, according to the American Cancer Society. Advances in diagnostics and treatments are essential to addressing this widespread disease, and Mayo Clinic Laboratories is committed to delivering those innovations. In 2024, this included helping identify patients eligible for a new ovarian cancer drug, simplifying testing for M-proteins screening, creating a better test to identify Lynch syndrome, and launching tests to better understand a tumor’s genetics to inform more targeted therapy.

Expanded testing options are essential to prevention and effective treatments, but identifying the specific tests a patient needs can be overwhelming. To assist physicians in finding the right tests for their patients, we created a new hematology, oncology, and hereditary test selection guide.

4.

Developing a groundbreaking test for gastrointestinal care

Mayo Clinic Laboratories developed a groundbreaking diagnostic test for bile acid malabsorption, a major cause of chronic diarrhea. The new panel combines a blood test and a single stool sample, eliminating the need for special diets or prolonged stool collection.

This makes the process more convenient for both patients and clinicians.

5.

Pioneering a more cost-effective and rapid test for hereditary peripheral neuropathy

Sorbitol dehydrogenase (SORD) deficiency is a genetic condition that results in a recently identified peripheral neuropathy. Mayo Clinic Laboratories developed a unique urine assay to screen for this condition by measuring levels of two sugar alcohols. It is a cost-effective and rapid method for testing hereditary peripheral neuropathy as potential treatments for peripheral neuropathy are in development.