Answers from the Lab

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 talk about the sexually-transmitted disease syphilis. 

Specific topics of discussion include:

• The history, cause, and symptoms of syphilis.
• A rare recent outbreak of ocular syphilis cases.
• The dramatic rise in syphilis and congenital syphilis cases in the United States over the last few years.
• The variety of syphilis testing options.

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, to welcome the new year and discuss the increase of respiratory viruses.

Their discussion includes:

• The increasing number of COVID-19 and influenza cases across the United States.
• The endemic state of COVID-19 and tools for prevention.
• The continued need to protect public health and advocate for the reauthorization of the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act.

Jeff Meeusen, Ph.D., explains how Mayo Clinic Laboratories' new MI-Heart Ceramides assay helps guide the management of patients with mildly to moderately high cholesterol. The test measures levels of lipids beyond cholesterol that boost cardiovascular risk.

Show notes
(00:31)
Could you provide us a little bit about your background?

(01:20)
Could you give us a brief overview of this assay?

(02:45)
What patients should have this test and when should it be performed?

(04:25)
Could you talk a little bit about alternative test options and how they compare to our ceramides test?

(05:58)
Can you go a little bit further into how these results can impact patient care and how you may monitor patients in the future with this testing?

Robin Patel, M.D., explains how a new Mayo Clinic Laboratories' assay can identify central nervous system pathogens that standard tests fail to detect. Rapid, precise diagnosis is essential to preventing long-term effects from these infections.

Show notes

Speaker 3: (00:32)
 Please give us a brief introduction of yourself and your role at Mayo Clinic.

Speaker 3: (01:44)
 Could you please expand a bit on this newly developed sequencing assay — which is a shotgun metagenomic test on CSF — and explain how it's different from other sequencing methods?

Speaker 3: (02:43)
 Could you tell us more about the specific group of patients this test would be used for and how a provider might identify those patients? When during the care process should this be ordered?

Speaker 3: (04:12)
 Could you talk about the alternative test options and how they compare?

Speaker 3: (05:42)
 How are the results used in patient care?

Linnea Baudhuin, Ph.D., and Kate Kotzer, M.S., CGC, describe how Mayo Clinic Laboratories' postmortem genetic tests can provide answers after a sudden unexplained cardiac death. Test results are important for managing family members' risk for cardiovascular disease.

Show notes
(00:32)
 Would each of you share a little bit about yourselves and your backgrounds?

(01:13)
 Could you provide us with an overview of these new tests?

(02:31)
 Can you expand on why these postmortem cardiac tests are so important?

(04:09)
 Who could benefit from postmortem cardiac testing?

(05:23)
 How does a health care provider order these tests? What sample types are accepted?

(07:09)
 Is there a limit to the age of the specimen? Are there any limitations to the type of variants that can be detected by this test?

(09:07)
 What other unique features set these tests apart?

(10:17)
 How are the test results used in patient care?

(11:22)
 Could you summarize the benefits of doing these tests at Mayo?

Devin Oglesbee, Ph.D., explains how Mayo Clinic Laboratories' cholestasis gene panel identifies mutations that cause low flow of bile from the liver. Test results help guide treatment decisions that can prevent liver damage.

Show notes
(00:32)
 Could you please provide us a little information about your background?

(01:46)
 Could you please give the audience a brief overview of this assay?

(03:45)
 Which patients should have this testing and when should it be performed?

(06:39)
 How are the results used in patient care?

(08:51)
 What alternative test options are available and how do they compare to our test?

In this episode of “Answers From the Lab,” host Bobbi Pritt, M.D., chair of the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at Mayo Clinic, is joined by William Morice II, M.D., Ph.D., CEO and president of Mayo Clinic Laboratories, to reflect on key moments from 2023 and to discuss what may lie ahead in 2024.

Their discussion includes:

• A look back at impactful events from 2023 in laboratory medicine and diagnostics.
• What’s top of mind today heading into the holidays.
• Speculating about industry trends to expect in 2024.

Antibody against the GABA-A receptor is a biomarker of autoimmune encephalopathy that occurs across the lifespan, and disproportionately affects children. In this test-specific episode of the "Answers From the Lab" podcast, Andrew McKeon, M.B., B.Ch., M.D., explains how Mayo Clinic Laboratories' GABA-A receptor antibody assay aids diagnosis of this serious but treatable condition.

Show notes
(00:32)
Could you provide a little information on your role here at Mayo Clinic?

(01:11)
 Can you give an introduction as to how GABA-A is important as the field of autoimmune neurology develops?

(02:15)
 What type of methodology are we using in this assay?

(03:17)
 Will there be a reflex to confirm positivity, or is that captured in that initial test?

(04:22)
 Is either CSF or serum specimen preferable, or do we recommend both for this biomarker?

(05:09)
 In combination with what phenotypes should this biomarker be considered?

(05:37)
 Should a physician consider adding a GABA-A receptor standalone test to our encephalopathy, epilepsy, or pediatric evaluations, to be sure they're doing a comprehensive review?

(06:25)
 Can you give us a little background on why this test is being launched by itself? Is Mayo Clinic Labs changing its stance on whether comprehensive evaluations are the most appropriate method?

(07:30)
 Why has it taken so long to bring this assay live?

(08:14)
 For exactly what type of patients should physicians consider this testing?

(10:21)
 Should physicians add our encephalopathy evaluation every time they order GABA-A? Is the presentation you just described common or a subset?

(11:24)
 Does that recommendation change in pediatric patients?

(12:20)
 What does a positive result tell physicians?

(12:57)
 Does GABA-A have a high-risk oncological association?

(13:18)
 What does GABA-A tell a pediatric neurologist if the test comes back positive?

(14:14)
 Should a positive GABA-A test lead a physician to a certain treatment option?

(15:24)
 What are you most excited about in relation to the launch of this new test?

(16:48)
 Is there anything else you'd like to add about this test?

In this episode of “Answers From the Lab,” host Bobbi Pritt, M.D., chair of the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at Mayo Clinic, is joined by William Morice II, M.D., Ph.D., CEO and president of Mayo Clinic Laboratories, to discuss the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) recent approval of two gene therapies for sickle cell disease.

Their discussion includes:

• The cause and characteristics of sickle cell disease.
• How the new cell-based gene therapies, Casgevy and Lyfgenia, work in the body.
• Bioethical and accessibility considerations of innovative treatments like gene-editing therapies.
• A brief update on the status of the FDA’s proposed rule on laboratory-developed tests.

Maria Willrich, Ph.D., and Melissa Snyder, Ph.D., describe Mayo Clinic Laboratories' panel for proactive therapeutic drug monitoring of patients with inflammatory bowel disease. The panel expands options for clinicians assessing patients' response to the drugs infliximab and adalimumab.

(00:32)
 Could you provide a little bit of background information about yourselves?

(02:18)
 Would you give the audience a brief overview of the assay?

(04:18)
 Which patients should have this testing and when should it be performed? 

(07:24)
 What alternative test options are available, and how do these compare?

(11:02)
 How are the results used in patient care?