Dr. Morice on clinical testing’s expanding role in therapy
Clinical diagnostics are rapidly evolving from tools to identify and classify diseases to a central driver of therapeutic decision-making. In an article for Forbes, William Morice II, M.D., Ph.D., president and CEO of Mayo Clinic Laboratories, explains why this transition is pivotal to delivering more personalized, effective treatment.
“I see pharmacogenomic testing (PGx) and therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) as two of the most prominent and promising types of testing currently supporting this approach to healthcare,” says Dr. Morice.
Together, PGx and TDM enable precise, individualized treatment while reducing toxicity and helping clinicians identify the most effective therapy more quickly. PGx uses genetic insights to guide safe, effective drug selection — especially important given that 99% of people carry actionable variants that affect drug metabolism. TDM complements this by measuring drug levels to ensure effectiveness, safety, and adherence.
As a result, diagnostics are becoming central to treatment across specialties. They support immunosuppressant management in transplants, guide targeted cancer therapy through genetic profiling, and help monitor psychotropic medications.
“This evolution is positioning clinical laboratories to be increasingly central to the future of healthcare,” says Dr. Morice.
As diagnostics reshape care delivery, healthcare leaders must prepare for the profound shifts ahead. This includes rethinking investment, workflows, and organizational structures while integrating laboratorians more deeply into clinical and research operations.
