In this episode of “Answers From the Lab,” host Bobbi Pritt, M.D., chair of the Division of Clinical Microbiology at Mayo Clinic, and Matthew Binnicker, Ph.D., a microbiologist and virologist and chief scientific officer of Mayo Clinic Laboratories, discuss recent developments in viral infections.

In this episode of the “Leveraging the Laboratory” podcast, host Jane Hermansen, outreach manager at Mayo Clinic Laboratories, is joined by Travis Engelhaupt, digital experience director, and Naomi Lovell, project manager. Together, they discuss website trends and best practices.

Register now – Nov. 19, 2025: Regulatory compliance and recent policy changes at the federal and state levels relevant to hospital laboratory outreach programs.

In this month’s “Hot Topic,” Elitza Theel, Ph.D., will discuss the over utilization of IgM serologic testing for herpes simplex virus and the recommendation by multiple agencies, including the CDC and the Infectious Diseases Society of America, to avoid using this test for clinical decision making purposes. As a result of these recommendations and data generated at Mayo Clinic, Dr. Theel will summarize why HSV IgM testing will no longer be offered through Mayo Clinic Laboratories.

This week's featured chromosomal microarray test in focus is presented by William Sukov, M.D., a pathologist and cancer geneticist at Mayo Clinic. He discusses when this test should be used for patients with renal tumors.

In this month’s “Hot Topic,” Jessie Swanson and Michelle Soland from the Component Laboratory will discuss the process improvement that helped decrease the standard cryoprecipitate dosage and the positive impact it has on patients.

The “Reject Due To” information contained in our online test catalog is being updated to provide greater clarity around rejection standards.

The Mayo Clinic Laboratories Education team recently announced the launch of a new educational podcast titled “Lab Medicine Rounds.” Lab Medicine Rounds is a curated podcast for physicians, laboratory professionals, and students that covers a wide variety of laboratory medicine-related topics.

In this month’s “Hot Topic,” Elitza Theel, Ph.D., will discuss the detection of (1→3)-β-D-glucan (BDG) in serum as a biomarker for the presence of invasive fungal infections.

Mayo Clinic Laboratories is thrilled to introduce “Lab Medicine Rounds.” This curated podcast for physicians, laboratory professionals, and students features trending topics from Mayo Clinic Laboratories subject-matter experts.

Newborn screening panels that test for a variety of conditions are available in every state; however, test performance and response rate by each state are very different. Mayo Clinic's Biochemical Genetics Laboratory created the Collaborative Laboratory Integrated Reports tool to mitigate the national (and international) problem of false positives and to raise the bar on test performance.

Traditionally, Mayo Clinic's Simulation Center is used for surgical procedures and teaching students how to run a code. Mayo Clinic pathology consultant Karen Fritchie, M.D., recently developed a new and innovative way to use the center.

In this month’s “Hot Topic,” Curtis Hanson, M.D., will discuss the use of laboratory-based prognostic markers in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). He will also highlight the importance of molecular analyses for IGHV and TP53 sequencing in these patients.

Ann Moyer, M.D., Ph.D. gives an overview of this new test available through Mayo Clinic Laboratories. She discusses when this testing should be ordered, how this testing improves upon other testing approaches, and what clinical action can be taken due to the results of this testing.

Antimicrobial susceptibility testing determines whether these bacteria are susceptible or resistant to a particular antibiotic. Bacteria are added onto plates of solid agar, where each plate has a different and increasing concentration of antibiotic than the previous plate. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) is the lowest concentration of an antimicrobial that inhibits growth of the bacteria.