Autoimmune Neurology

The considerations physicians must weigh when evaluating suspected neuropathy patients with special emphasis put on small-fiber neuropathy and the most appropriate laboratory testing related to that phenotype.

Mayo Clinic researchers have developed and validated a new antibody test to diagnose multiple sclerosis (MS). The new test is an automated and cost-effective method compared to other tests used to diagnose MS, according to the research published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings. The test is now available through Mayo Clinic Laboratories.

Div Dubey, M.B.B.S., explains Mayo Clinic Laboratories' phenotypic testing approach for autoimmune axonal neuropathy. The comprehensive, serologic panel detects for antibodies with clinical relevance to the disease to provide clarity on etiology, prognosis, and treatment choices.

Advanced testing at Mayo Clinic Laboratories that confirmed a diagnosis of myasthenia gravis put Lorinda McKinley on the road to renewed health after she nearly lost it all to the rare autoimmune disease.

The discovery of Kelch like protein 11 (KLHL11) IgG as a specific biomarker of neurological autoimmunity associated testicular germ cell tumor.

Divyanshu (Div) Dubey, M.B.B.S., explains how Mayo Clinic Labs’ new Kelch-11 antibody test — the first in the world — can confirm diagnosis, guide treatment, and improve outcomes in patients affected by testicular cancer-associated paraneoplastic encephalitis.

Mayo Clinic Laboratories has launched a first-in-the-U.S. autoimmune test of the Kelchlike protein 11 antibody, or KLHL11, which is used to detect autoimmune disease associated with testicular cancer.

In this month’s “Hot Topic,” Andrew McKeon, M.B., B.Ch., M.D., reviews the use of neurological phenotype-based evaluations, the move away from the paraneoplastic evaluation, and upcoming changes to test profiles.

Andrew McKeon, M.B., B.Ch., M.D., discusses updates that are being made to Mayo Clinic Laboratories' autoimmune profile that will remove some antibodies from those profiles. He describes the rationale behind the updates, reviews which antibodies are involved, and explains how the changes will streamline testing and enhance test interpretation.

Based on studies that have shown certain antibodies may not be as clinically relevant to autoimmune testing as previously thought, Mayo Clinic Laboratories is updating a number of its autoimmune profiles by removing some antibodies from them.

Christopher Klein, M.D., discusses Mayo Clinic’s updated myasthenia gravis and Lambert-Eaton syndrome testing approach. Automatic reflex to second-line testing saves time and increases sensitivity and specificity to confirm diagnosis in patients with atypical presentation.

Andrew McKeon, M,B., B.Ch., M.D., provides an overview of Mayo Clinic Laboratories' new paraneoplastic vision loss evaluation — a test that can help direct a cancer diagnosis and guide treatment. He reviews why this test was developed, when it should be ordered, and how the results can affect patient care.

In this month’s “Hot Topic,” John Mills, Ph.D., explains the central role of tissue immunofluorescence in the identification of neural antibodies and discusses the benefits of an integrated laboratory approach to the development and validation of novel antibody biomarkers.