Hematology

In a world of ever-faster technical change, Mayo Clinic Laboratories is uniquely positioned to innovate. Collaboration with clinicians pinpoints unmet patient needs and facilitates the development of diagnostic testing that provides answers.

In this month's "Hot Topic," Jess Peterson, M.D., discusses changes to Mayo Clinic Laboratories’ hematology FISH menu to increase awareness, provide reasoning, and highlight some of the great things that are coming.

Michelle Kluge, M.S., CGC, explains how Mayo Clinic Laboratories’ CYPZ assay provides accurate testing for congenital adrenal hyperplasia. Using an in-depth methodology that incorporates Sanger sequencing, MCL can provide clear answers for carriers and individuals clinically affected by the most common form of CAH.

Andrew Feldman, M.D., discusses the different tools and techniques Mayo Clinic Laboratories uses to accurately diagnose and classify T-cell lymphomas to help provide clinicians with the diagnostic answers they need to treat their patients.

Mayo Clinic’s Advanced Diagnostics Laboratory (ADL) is a visionary space designed to foster innovation. The ADL has a direct impact on patient lives, bringing promising tests and services to patients at Mayo and around the world.

For patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) — the most common leukemia in adults — advanced testing can not only provide valuable information about their disease state, but peace of mind in the face of a progressive, incurable illness. Oftentimes, however, complex molecular and genetic tests to identify biomarker cues about disease trajectory and treatment intolerance are not performed, putting patients at risk for unmet expectations and unsatisfactory outcomes.

Meera Sridharan, M.D., Ph.D., explains Mayo Clinic Labs’ testing approach for atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS). The serological complement panel examines nine analytes to gain a thorough understanding of the complement cascade to confirm diagnosis and direct care.

The assay is now recommended for diagnosing and monitoring patients with monoclonal protein disorders and exclusively available through Mayo Clinic Laboratories– Rochester.

Thank you to our staff at Mayo Clinic who step up daily during this time of need to provide access to testing during the global pandemic. We appreciate each one of you and all the sacrifices you personally have made throughout this past year.

A study involving Mayo Clinic investigators that examined new approaches to the diagnosis of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia has been met with enthusiasm in the scientific community.

Xinjie Xu, Ph.D., co-director of Mayo's Genetics and Genomics Laboratory, explains Mayo Clinic Laboratories' updated approach to testing for risk stratification of patients newly diagnosed with plasma cell proliferative disorders, such as multiple myeloma. Based on recently published data, the new testing algorithms focus on use of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) panels, rather than chromosome studies.

In this month’s “Hot Topic,” James Hoyer, M.D., discusses the importance of using a control tube during osmotic fragility testing.

Nahla Heikal, M.D., co-director of Mayo Clinic's Special Coagulation Laboratory, addresses the connection between COVID-19 and coagulopathy.