Stories

Following a connection on LinkedIn, Clyde Christian found himself drawn to Mayo Clinic and joined the Hospital Sales division of Mayo Clinic Laboratories in late May 2022. As a hospital account executive for the U.S. Great Lakes region, Clyde focuses on client relations, promoting Mayo Clinic's values and supporting healthcare systems.

This week's research roundup feature: Despite advances in understanding the genetic abnormalities in myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) and the development of JAK2 inhibitors, there is an urgent need to devise new treatment strategies, particularly for triple negative myelofibrosis (MF) patients who lack mutations in the JAK2 kinase pathway and have very poor clinical outcomes.

Situated in a sprawling geographic region in mid-Missouri, Boone Health expanded its reach to improve access to high-quality holistic care throughout the area, improving the health of community members and increasing net revenue along the way.

This week's research roundup feature: To standardize international normalized ratio (INR) measurements and improve data integrity by enabling electronic result transmission for warfarin monitoring, two point-of-care (POC) devices were evaluated against an internal plasma INR reference method.

What started as a persistent headache for Spencer Lodin soon devolved into slowed speech, seizures, and hallucinations, symptoms which stumped ER doctors into thinking he had meningitis or was suffering from psychosis. Finally, specialized testing at Mayo Clinic identified Spencer's condition as GFAP-IgG associated autoimmune encephalitis, which allowed for targeted treatment and a full recovery.

This week's research roundup feature: Patients with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) may have Alzheimers disease (AD) pathology that can be detected by plasma biomarkers. Our objective was to evaluate plasma biomarkers of AD and their association with positron emission tomography (PET) biomarkers of amyloid and tau deposition in the continuum of DLB, starting from prodromal stages of the disease.

This week's research roundup feature: Only 20 percent of renal and bladder cancer patients will show a significant response to immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy, and no test currently available accurately predicts ICI response. We developed an "immunotumoroid" cell model system that recapitulates the tumor, its microenvironment, and necessary immune system components in patient-derived spheroids to enable ex vivo assessment of tumor response to ICI therapy.

With nearly 30 years at Mayo Clinic, Sherri Hawkins has served in a wide range of laboratory-related roles. Beginning as a laboratorian on the bench and now serving as Group Purchasing Organization (GPO) manager, Sherri has been able to unite her two career passions — laboratory testing and business.

This week's research roundup feature: R0 resection and radiation therapy have been associated with improved overall survival (OS) in patients with thymic carcinoma (TC). Here, we analyzed which subgroups of patients derive the greatest benefit from postoperative radiation therapy (PORT).

Mayo Clinic Laboratories introduces the Inherited Parkinson’s Disease Gene Panel (Mayo ID: PARDP), a collaborative breakthrough poised to transform Parkinson’s disease diagnosis and treatment. Led by Rodolfo Savica, M.D., Ph.D., and Zhiyv (Neal) Niu, Ph.D., this comprehensive test offers unparalleled insights into Parkinson’s genetics, unveiling novel gene associations and enhancing diagnostic precision through next-generation sequencing. The panel’s capabilities include detecting subtle genetic variations and identifying familial patterns, promising personalized medicine advancements.

This week's research roundup feature: Intrathecal delivery of autologous culture-expanded adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (AD-MSC) could be utilized to treat traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI). This Phase I trial (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03308565) included 10 patients with American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale (AIS) grade A or B at the time of injury. 

This week's research roundup feature: Follicular lymphoma (FL) is an indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma of germinal center origin, which presents with significant biologic and clinical heterogeneity. Using RNA-seq on B cells sorted from 87 FL biopsies, combined with machine-learning approaches, we identify 3 transcriptional states that divide the biological ontology of FL B cells into inflamed, proliferative, and chromatin-modifying states, with relationship to prior GC B cell phenotypes.

Carrie began her career at Mayo Clinic in 2006 as the associate director of the Eisenberg Genomics Education Program. In her current role as a genetic counselor, she employs her skills to educate on genetic test offerings and support MCL’s product management team. Motivated by her family’s experience with a genetic condition, Carrie finds purpose and passion in sparking conversations and fostering understanding about the benefits of genetic testing, striving to make genomics accessible to diverse audiences.