In this episode of “Answers From the Lab,” host Bobbi Pritt, M.D., chair of the Division of Clinical Microbiology at Mayo Clinic, and William Morice II, M.D., Ph.D., CEO and president of Mayo Clinic Laboratories, discuss recent news about the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in healthcare.

Mayo Clinic Laboratories' specimen pickup and delivery schedules will be altered due to the upcoming Labor Day holiday. To ensure specimen stability and prevent delays, follow the guidelines outlined below for domestic clients and international clients.

A random urine test panel aids in diagnosing mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), a complex condition often misdiagnosed due to overlapping symptoms. The panel improves access, speeds up diagnosis, and enables individualized treatment by detecting key mast cell mediators.

This Feature Includes: Latent pulmonary vascular disease may alter the response to therapeutic atrial shunt device in heart failure.

Paul Jannetto, Ph.D., describes Mayo Clinic Laboratories' synovial fluid testing for patients with symptoms of failed hip arthroplasty. The Food and Drug Administration recommends testing for elevated chromium and cobalt, which can indicate a malfunctioning metal hip implant. A Mayo Clinic study found that synovial fluid testing for those elements is more sensitive than serum or whole blood testing.

Topic's Include: Testing wastewater for COVID-19: The clearest path to understanding community infection, and the latest advice about COVID-19 boosters.

Mayo Clinic researchers have identified clear differences in brain and spinal cord scarring in patients with demyelinating diseases.

Today's Highlights Include: 5 reasons to consider becoming an organ donor, why so many women in middle age are on antidepressants, and should you get a second COVID-19 vaccine booster?

This week on "Answers From the Lab," William Morice II, M.D., Ph.D., chair of the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at Mayo Clinic and president of Mayo Clinic Laboratories, joins the "Answers From the Lab" podcast for his weekly leadership update with Bobbi Pritt, M.D. In this episode, Dr. Morice and Dr. Pritt discuss how innovation in laboratories can address unmet patient needs and expand access to health care.

In March 2022, Mayo Clinic Laboratories announced eighteen new tests along with numerous reference value changes, obsolete tests, and algorithm changes.

Saliva testing has emerged as a viable option for obtaining rapid, reliable test results during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mayo Clinic’s Dr. Darci Block considers how this type of testing may expand beyond the pandemic, and the obstacles in its way.

Before he arrived at Mayo Clinic, Tim Brantner worked for a variety of organizations outside of health care. He joined Mayo Clinic Laboratories 14 years ago to help tell the labs’ story.

The Specimens Operations team at Mayo Clinic Laboratories is dedicated to ensuring that patient samples reach the labs quickly and safely. Get an inside look at how they accomplish that crucial goal for more than 40,000 specimens every day.

Ann Moyer, M.D., Ph.D., discusses TPNUQ, Mayo Clinic Laboratories' genotyping test for identifying patients at risk for thiopurine toxicity. Used prior to therapy initiation, our assay evaluates for nuances in both TPMT and NUDT15, which have associations to thiopurine metabolization.

This Feature Includes: Utility of Follow-up COVID-19 Antigen Tests After Acute SARS-CoV-2 Infection Among Healthcare Personnel.