Global capabilities

In this episode of “Answers From the Lab,” host Bobbi Pritt, M.D., chair of the Division of Clinical Microbiology at Mayo Clinic, is joined by Elitza Theel, Ph.D., director of the Infectious Diseases Serology Laboratory at Mayo Clinic, to follow up on the syphilis epidemic and discuss updated testing recommendations.

Mary Jo Williamson, chief administrative officer of Mayo Clinic Laboratories, joins “Becker’s Healthcare Podcast” to discuss organizational alignment during times of change. She shares her expertise on creating transparency, fostering open communication, and using data to stay on track with business goals.

Since 1992, cases of colorectal cancer have been on a slow decline, yet 52,550 people died from it in 2023. At Mayo Clinic, a cutting-edge menu of both germline (inherited genetic alterations) and somatic (tumors due to non-inherited genetic alterations) testing are two critical tools helping to improve targeted treatments for colorectal and other common gastrointestinal cancers.

P.A.C.E./Florida Implementation of new analyzers and replacement of automation equipment in the Central Clinical Laboratory at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, prompted the laboratory to reassess blood collection volumes for commonly ordered tests.

Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States. In this test-specific episode of the "Answers From the Lab" podcast, Paul Jannetto, Ph.D., explains how Mayo Clinic Laboratories' nicotine testing benefits patients in smoking cessation programs and other settings.

This week's research roundup feature: C3 glomerulopathy (C3G) is a rare disease resulting from dysregulation of the alternative pathway of complement. C3G includes C3 glomerulonephritis (C3GN) and dense deposit disease (DDD), both of which are characterized by bright glomerular C3 staining on immunofluorescence studies. However, on electron microscopy (EM), DDD is characterized by dense osmiophilic mesangial and intramembranous deposits along the glomerular basement membranes (GBM), while the deposits of C3GN are not dense. Why the deposits appear dense in DDD and not in C3GN is not known. We performed laser microdissection (LCM) of glomeruli followed by mass spectrometry (MS) in 12 cases each of DDD, C3GN, and pretransplant kidney control biopsies.

Dr. Linda Hasadsri’s firsthand encounter with the genetic tests she’s helped develop has provided rare insight into testing quality and implications, enhancing their ability to advocate for the value of testing and infusing their work with deep empathy.

In this episode of “Answers From the Lab,” host Bobbi Pritt, M.D., chair of the Division of Clinical Microbiology at Mayo Clinic, is joined by William Morice II, M.D., Ph.D., CEO and president of Mayo Clinic Laboratories. They discuss the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) progress on making a final rule around regulating laboratory-developed tests (LDTs).

William Morice II, M.D., Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of Mayo Clinic Laboratories, is a contributing author on Nasdaq.com. In his first article, Dr. Morice reflects on the diagnostic landscape and predicts trends that could influence the market in 2024.

This week's research roundup feature: Variants of uncertain significance (VUSs) in BRCA2 are a common result of hereditary cancer genetic testing. While more than 4,000 unique VUSs, comprised of missense or intronic variants, have been identified in BRCA2, the few missense variants now classified clinically as pathogenic or likely pathogenic are predominantly located in the region encoding the C-terminal DNA binding domain (DBD). We report on functional evaluation of the influence of 462 BRCA2 missense variants affecting the DBD on DNA repair activity of BRCA2 using a homology-directed DNA double-strand break repair assay.

The CORE communication approach, designed by Mayo Clinic Experience Training, Education & Coaching, is a foundational method to help navigate human-centered communication that emphasizes perspective-taking, growth in learning, and positive behavior changes.

This page includes updates posted to Mayo Clinic Labs during the month of February.