Mayo Clinic DNA/RNA NGS
- Mayo Clinic highlighted an NGS assay that profiles both DNA and RNA in solid tumors to detect known and novel fusions. - The platform emphasizes fusion detection, which matters for targeted therapy decisions across tumor types. - Mayo presented this as an advanced molecular option applicable to limited cytology material like thyroid or lymph node FNAs. (x.com)
Cancer gene testing often reads tumors in two ways at once: DNA for spelling changes in genes, and RNA for abnormal messages that can reveal gene fusions. Mayo Clinic Laboratories is pushing that two-part approach in solid tumors, with a panel that reads both from one specimen. (mayocliniclabs.com) Mayo’s MayoComplete Solid Tumor Panel uses next-generation sequencing, a method that scans many genes in parallel instead of one at a time. The lab says the test looks for sequence variants, gene amplifications, homozygous deletions, fusions, microsatellite instability, and tumor mutational burden in solid tumors. (mayocliniclabs.com) On the DNA side, the panel covers 515 genes for sequence alterations, 96 genes for amplification, and 133 genes for homozygous deletion. On the RNA side, it checks for fusions involving 55 genes and transcript variants involving EGFR, AR, and MET. (mayocliniclabs.com) A fusion is a hybrid gene created when pieces of two genes join together, like two sentences cut and pasted into one line. Those rearrangements can define a tumor type or point doctors to drugs aimed at fusion-driven cancers, which is why labs often add RNA testing instead of relying on DNA alone. (cancer.gov) (nature.com) Mayo has leaned especially hard into fusion detection in 2026. In February, its laboratory news site said a whole-transcriptome RNA sequencing assay could detect fusions across 1,445 genes in solid tumors and said the test was available as a stand-alone assay, Mayo ID MCRSP, and within sarcoma and neuro-oncology panels. (news.mayocliniclabs.com) That stand-alone RNA assay is built for formalin-fixed tumor tissue and cytology slides, the thin samples pathologists prepare from needle procedures. Mayo says it is used to identify gene fusions in solid tumors and also detects BCOR exon 15 internal tandem duplications plus abnormal MET and EGFR transcripts. (mayocliniclabs.com) Cytology matters because many patients never have a large surgical specimen available for testing. Mayo says its solid-tumor menu has been validated for cytology specimens, and a March 23, 2026 laboratory explainer said pathologists now weigh tumor percentage, cell counts, and specimen type to decide whether next-generation sequencing can be done on biopsies, resections, or cytology material. (news.mayocliniclabs.com 1) (news.mayocliniclabs.com 2) Mayo’s in-house solid tumor panel dates to 2021, according to a September 25, 2024 profile of its Advanced Diagnostics Laboratory. The lab said the assay became one of Mayo’s most highly ordered oncology tests because it let oncologists order one broad panel instead of stacking multiple smaller tests. (news.mayocliniclabs.com) The immediate pitch is simple: get more usable molecular information from the tissue a patient already has. In cancer care, that can mean finding a fusion or other alteration soon enough to shape diagnosis, prognosis, or a targeted-therapy decision without sending the patient back for another biopsy. (mayocliniclabs.com)
