Stories

As an experienced laboratory professional, Peter Wegwerth was well-suited to pivot from his work in Mayo Clinic's Biochemical Genetics Laboratory to redeployment in a COVID-19 testing lab when the pandemic hit in 2020.

This week’s research roundup features a study on positive predictive value of myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein autoantibody testing.

Top highlights include: New CDC guidance for vaccinated adults, the importance of the second dose, and who's at higher risk for serious symptoms.

The Office of Decedent Affairs plays a key role in Mayo Clinic’s mission as its staff guide families through the logistics and complexities of a loved one’s death with skill and empathy.

This week’s research roundup features a study on how the CLL-international prognostic index (CLL-IPI) predicts outcomes in monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis and Rai 0 CLL.

Top highlights include: J&J COVID-19 vaccine pause ends, combating allergies during the pandemic, and researchers question effectiveness of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines for solid organ transplant patients.

Kae Essler’s behind-the-scenes role managing Mayo Clinic Laboratories’ Client Conversion team may not be highly visible, but her group’s work is crucial to ensuring an easy transition for clients and setting the stage for a productive collaboration going forward.

This week’s research roundup features a study on protocadherin 7-associated membranous nephropathy.

Top highlights include: Mayo Clinic's response to the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine pause, sexually transmitted infections, and should pregnant women be vaccinated for COVID-19?

Dr. Dollahite received world-class cancer treatment from a web of health care organizations, including Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Yet she never left New York; most of her treatment occurred in Ithaca. What made that possible was Cayuga Medical Center’s collaborative relationship with Mayo Clinic. Genetic testing at Mayo Clinic Laboratories provided important information about Dr. Dollahite’s cancer.

For community health care providers, owning a laboratory has been likened to shoveling money down a giant drain. Cayuga Medical Center is challenging that narrative. Instead of selling, Cayuga is investing in its lab — which it considers a value center as well as a key part of patient service.

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. In this episode, Dr. Morice and Bobbi Pritt, M.D., discuss vaccine passports. They review how proof of vaccination could be used along with other tools, like testing, to help curb the spread of COVID-19.

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.