Clinical diagnostics have long been essential for identifying disease, but their role in guiding treatment is rapidly expanding. In a recent conversation with Fierce Healthcare, William Morice II, M.D., Ph.D., president and CEO of Mayo Clinic Laboratories, discussed how advanced diagnostics are enabling clinicians to target therapies more precisely.

“As we get more understanding of disease, we need more precise diagnostics that can identify those things in patients and allow us to treat them specifically,” says Dr. Morice.

From cancer care to immune system response, diagnostics now help physicians deliver more personalized and effective treatments. Dr. Morice emphasized the growing importance of data in continuing to advance this approach to care, especially as capabilities in genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics evolve.

“We’ll develop a much richer dataset around individual patients and groups of patients that will lead to new observations and new tests and more precise therapies,” he says. “And again, hopefully, the ability for us to use diagnostics to actually identify when a patient is on a course to develop a disease and intervene early.”

This shift from reactive to proactive care means patients receive tailored therapies faster, with fewer side effects and better outcomes. It also fuels continued research and innovation, positioning diagnostics to transform how care is delivered and how therapies are developed to continue to improve care for patients.

Listen to the full interview below to learn more.