As drug trends and diagnostic technologies evolve, toxicology must adapt to meet the demands of healthcare, workplace safety, and public health—focusing on opioid detection, CBD use, patient-centered testing, and new methods like saliva analysis, each bringing distinct challenges and opportunities. The following podcast episodes feature chemistry-related interviews that discuss these topics.

In this episode of “Answers From the Lab,” host Bobbi Pritt, M.D., chair of the Division of Clinical Microbiology at Mayo Clinic, is joined by Elitza Theel, Ph.D., director of the Infectious Diseases Serology Laboratory at Mayo Clinic, for a timely discussion on tick-borne diseases.

Register now – Oct. 14, 2025 - PACE/State of FL - This webinar will provide an overview of recent regulatory changes impacting clinical laboratories. This will include the latest updates to Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) memos and brochures, the termination of Clinical Laboratory Improvement Advisory Committee (CLIAC) and its impact to clinical laboratories, a summary of the FDA LDT final rule regulatory journey, and a discussion of the shift to announced inspections.

This week's research roundup features: Automated scoring of total inflammation in renal allograft biopsies

In this month's "Hot Topic," David Viswanatha, M.D., discusses updates to Mayo Clinic's next-generation sequencing (NGS) for myeloid neoplasm evaluation, involving new test targets, the rationale for new genetic regions, alignments with the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines and germline predisposition targets.

Topic highlights include: Florida sees surge in deadly bacterial infections post-Hurricane Ian, Mayo Clinic Health System doctors bring awareness to depression, USDA awards $100M toward improving rural healthcare

In this episode of “Lab Medicine Rounds,” Justin Kreuter, M.D., sits down with Justin Juskewitch, M.D., Ph.D., and Andrew Norgan, M.D., Ph.D., both assistant professors of laboratory medicine and pathology at Mayo Clinic, to talk about informatics for the pathologist.

Elise Bieri Patzke has worked at Mayo Clinic for 17 years and is currently a project manager in Mayo Clinic BioPharma Diagnostics. She enjoys collaborating with her laboratory colleagues to pursue test development projects and biopharma opportunities that support the advancement of health care.

Andrew McKeon, M.B., B.Ch., M.D., explains how Mayo Clinic Laboratories' pediatric autoimmune/CNS testing can better guide the treatment of autoimmune neurological diseases in children. The tailored evaluation covers only biomarkers relevant to pediatric presentations of the diseases.

This week's research roundup features: How do I warm HPC(A) products to maximize cell viability in the setting of cold agglutinin disease?

Matthew Binnicker, Ph.D., director of the Clinical Virology Laboratory at Mayo Clinic, was featured in an NBC News article about how hospitals are expecting a busy winter with an increased spread of COVID-19, influenza, and other respiratory illnesses.

Topic highlights include: FDA clears updated COVID boosters for kids as young as 5, Mayo Clinic to support Hurricane Ian disaster relief, Early jump in RSV hospitalizations concerns Minnesota experts

On this week’s episode of the "Answers From the Lab" podcast, Bobbi Pritt, M.D., is joined by Matthew Binnicker, Ph.D., director of the Clinical Virology Laboratory at Mayo Clinic. Dr. Pritt and Dr. Binnicker discuss why it could be a rough influenza season, testing options for patients with respiratory infections, and how to protect yourself from illness.

In a groundbreaking study, Mayo Clinic investigators have developed a multiomic molecular method to predict clinical COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) outcomes better than traditional cytokines. Using a machine-learning-based prediction model, the team identified 102 biomarkers, which include several novel cytokines and other proteins, lipids, and metabolites. The discovery may help clinicians reliably predict a more severe course of COVID-19 before the patient gets sick enough to be hospitalized. Until now, there have been no biomarkers that can reliably predict which patients are more likely to have severe illness.

Loralie Langman, Ph.D., explains the difference between chain of custody and clinical toxicology testing. Chain of custody is a process used for toxicology testing when the results might have legal implications for the individual tested. Clinical toxicology testing is used for routine medical care. Mayo Clinic Laboratories offers a full range of clinical and forensic toxicology testing.