Testing

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 January, Mayo Clinic Laboratories announced a new test along with numerous reference value changes, obsolete tests, and algorithm changes.

Being able to identify SARS-CoV-2 in tissue is key to better understand the virus that causes COVID-19. Now, a first-of-its-kind test that detects SARS-CoV-2 in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue is available from Mayo Clinic Laboratories.

The following list includes updates posted to mayocliniclabs.com during the month of January.

Beginning Jan. 26, all air travelers entering the U.S. from other countries will need a negative COVID-19 test result before they can board their flights.

Puanani Hopson, D.O., a Mayo Clinic pediatric gastroenterologist, explains the pancreatic elastase test — a screening test that can be useful when symptoms point to the possibility of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency. Dr. Hopson reviews when this test should be ordered, how it compares to other test options, and how its results can guide further evaluation.

With the rise of next generation sequencing (NGS) technology, multigene panel testing is expanding so rapidly that clinical practice is racing to keep pace. And questions within genetic tests have expanded along with it, making definitive answers more challenging to come by. Experts in the Genomics Laboratory in Mayo Clinic's Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology work to explain this often misunderstood technology.

Dendritic cells play a crucial role in the body's immune response. Research has shown that too few of these cells in the blood may signal a defect in innate immunity. Up to this point, however, no clinical test has been available to count dendritic cells.

The following list includes updates posted to mayocliniclabs.com during the month of December.

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 November 2020, Mayo Clinic Laboratories announced six new tests along with numerous reference value changes, obsolete tests, and algorithm changes.

The following list includes updates posted to mayocliniclabs.com during the month of November

Joshua Bornhorst, Ph.D., associate director of Mayo Clinic's Clinical Immunoassay Lab, explains how humans can develop an allergy to the alpha-gal molecule, and he describes a new allergen antibody test that can be used to detect it. Dr. Bornhorst also reviews other tests that should be used in conjunction with alpha-gal testing to accurately identify the scope and underlying cause of the allergy.