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 a case that was recently overturned by the Supreme Court of the United States that may have ramifications for the healthcare industry, including impacts on regulatory oversight.

Their discussion includes:

• A summary of the Supreme Court ruling on June 28 to overturn the 1984 Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council decision, and how that impacts the power of federal agencies and the interpretations of the laws they administer.
• How this decision may impact current healthcare issues like reimbursement and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) final rule on regulating laboratory-developed tests as medical devices.
• The ambiguity of what comes next, and the importance of engaging members of Congress on these important decisions.

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 Paul Jannetto, Ph.D., director of the Metals Laboratory at Mayo Clinic, and Sarah Erdahl, technical specialist coordinator in the Metals Laboratory. They discuss their unique opportunity to complete testing on locks of hair from the composer Ludwig von Beethoven.

Specific topics of discussion include:

• How Mayo Clinic came to be involved in the project, and what historians were hoping to learn from the test results.
• The technical process of preparing, handling, and testing Beethoven’s hair.
• What the test results revealed about Beethoven’s health.
• An overview of Mayo Clinic’s Metals Laboratory and the specialized testing that occurs in 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 William Morice II, M.D., Ph.D., CEO and president of Mayo Clinic Laboratories. They discuss the summertime activity of COVID-19 and the latest updates with avian influenza (H5N1).

Their discussion includes:

• The recent rise in COVID cases and how the new FLiRT variants of the virus are affecting the immune system.
• Updates on avian influenza activity and the risk for more mutations and human infections.
• How the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is responding to the avian flu outbreaks and how laboratories are preparing to support testing needs.
• Reminders of how to best protect yourself and your loved ones from infectious diseases this summer.