A Test in Focus

Audrey Schuetz, M.D., discusses Mayo Clinic Laboratories' PCR assay that identifies two recently described staphylococcus species. The assay is unique in its ability to distinguish the new organisms from Staphylococcus aureus, providing clearer results that ultimately improve patient care.

John Mills, Ph.D., explains Mayo Clinic Laboratories' new neurofascin 155 (NF155) IgG4 antibody test, which is the first commercially available test in the U.S. to use flow cytometry to detect for NF155 antibodies and confirm diagnosis of CIDP.

Linda Hasadsri, M.D., Ph.D., explains how Mayo Clinic Laboratories’ inclusive approach to mitochondrial disease testing expedites diagnosis. Using innovative methodologies like custom reagents and droplet digital PCR enables precision insights on prognosis and treatment options.

Andrew Feldman, M.D., discusses the different tools and techniques Mayo Clinic Laboratories uses to accurately diagnose and classify T-cell lymphomas to help provide clinicians with the diagnostic answers they need to treat their patients.

Ann Moyer, M.D., Ph.D., explains Mayo Clinic Labs’ new focused pharmacogenomics panel, a real-time, PCR-based testing approach that assesses 10 genes known for their drug-gene associations, to provide guidance on medication selection for patients across a variety of specialities.

John Mills, Ph.D., explains Mayo Clinic Laboratories’ approach to MAG antibody testing. The ELISA-based assay uses higher reference ranges and human MAG antigen to detect MAG antibodies, which are associated with a rare, hard-to-treat condition known as DADS neuropathy.

Pua Hopson, D.O., discusses Mayo Clinic Labs’ new disaccharidase activity panel, which measures levels of five digestive enzymes to identify deficiencies that cause carbohydrate maldigestion and can lead to chronic conditions like celiac disease or inflammatory bowel disease. Performed on tissue sample biopsies during upper endoscopy, the activity panel is the gold standard test for detecting disaccharidase deficiencies.

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.

Sanjeev Sethi, M.D., Ph.D., discusses how Mayo Clinic Laboratories’ new immunohistochemistry test for the detection of NELL-1 antigen, a biomarker for membranous nephropathy found in 10% to 15% of patients, provides diagnostic certainty and insight on disease expression.

Bobbi Pritt, M.D., discusses how Mayo Clinic Labs’ updated PCR assay for West Nile virus provides increased sensitivity to detect virus RNA in multiple sources, identifies two virus lineages, and confirms diagnosis.

Kevin Halling, M.D., Ph.D., explains how the MayoComplete Solid Tumor panel uses next-generation sequencing to assess 514 clinically significant, cancer-related genes for genetic alterations that offer insight on treatment effectivity.

Meera Sridharan, M.D., Ph.D., explains Mayo Clinic Labs’ testing approach for atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS). The serological complement panel examines nine analytes to gain a thorough understanding of the complement cascade to confirm diagnosis and direct care.

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.