Stories

Deb Wells is the director of Quality Management Services at Mayo Clinic Laboratories. A science lover from a young age, Deb has long worked in medical laboratory science and is passionate about being an advocate for lab safety and quality.

This week's research roundup features: Tumor microenvironment CD14+ cells correlate with poor overall survival in patients with early-stage lung adenocarcinoma

Two years ago, when 29-year-old Meckenzie Tinaglia experienced a series of seizure-like events shortly after a cardiac ablation procedure, she knew her heart was to blame. Her local providers, however, weren’t convinced. If not for Mayo Clinic remote cardiac monitoring and the data it provided about Meckenzie’s potentially fatal arrythmia, the busy wife and young mother might not have survived.

This week's research roundup features: Robotics in neurosurgery: current prevalence and future directions

Lisa Brown, quality specialist for Mayo Clinic Laboratories customer service, explains working "behind the scenes" when a client calls Mayo Clinic Laboratories with an inquiry, that call is typically picked up within 20 seconds by an agent from Mayo Laboratory Inquiry (MLI). There are no phone trees or automated menus to wade through before they reach an agent. Agents mind the phones 24/7, 365 days a year.

Connie Ohnstad is the supervisor for Mayo Clinic Laboratories Inventory, which includes Mayo Clinic Laboratories Packaging and Specimen Kit Orders (SKO). Connie wears many hats as a supervisor at MCL, and she has a long history with Mayo Clinic, which has employed several generations of Connie’s family. She takes pride in ensuring that every day she offers her best for her employees, patients, and clients.

This week's research roundup features: Into the future: a pilot study combining imaging with molecular profiling to predict resectability in ovarian cancer

By collaborating with Mayo Clinic Laboratories, Morris Hospital & Healthcare Center has been able to expand complex and specialized lab testing in the communities they serve.

In Mayo Clinic’s Advanced Diagnostics Laboratory, there are dozens of projects underway at once to develop new technologies, discover novel findings, validate new tests, and support physicians in providing advanced patient care. For example, researchers are using phage immunoprecipitation sequencing (PhIP-Seq) to discover new serological biomarkers for autoimmune diseases. In a recent study using PhIP-Seq, Mayo Clinic researchers discovered a previously unknown antibody marker for immune-mediated rippling muscle disease (iRMD). This finding will support testing options and accurate diagnosis of iRMD, helping physicians treat patients with iRMD and restore their quality of life.

This week's research roundup features: A simple score to identify increased risk of transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction

This week's research roundup features: Outcomes of tricuspid valve repair with artificial neochordae in pediatric and adult patients

Kenneth Hobby assumed his fever, fatigue, and aching pains in May 2018 were from another bout of malaria. He was on one of his frequent visits to Zambia in southern Africa, where the mosquito-borne parasite is common. But anti-malaria drugs didn't help, and soon Kenneth had such disabling pain that he could barely walk.

This week's research roundup features: Kidney biopsy chronicity grading in antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis