Blood tests are currently one-size-fits-all − machine learning can pinpoint what’s truly ‘normal’ for each patient

A narrower, more personalized ‘normal range’ could help doctors better diagnose and treat disease in individual patients.

Brody H. Foy, Assistant Professor of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington • conversation
Dec. 11, 2024 • ~7 min

What do your blood test results mean? A toxicologist explains the basics of how to interpret them

Your blood contains a wealth of information about the state of your health. Analyzing the levels of each component is an important part of diagnosis.

Brad Reisfeld, Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, and Public Health, Colorado State University • conversation
Feb. 5, 2024 • ~8 min

How do blood tests work? Medical laboratory scientists explain the pathway from blood draw to diagnosis and treatment

Lab testing provides doctors with essential information to help them diagnose and treat disease. Here’s what happens behind the scenes after you roll up your sleeve for a blood draw.

Nicholas Moore, Associate Professor of Medical Laboratory Science, Rush University • conversation
Feb. 14, 2023 • ~10 min

A blood test that screens for multiple cancers at once promises to boost early detection

Multicancer early detection tests are among the priorities of the Biden administration’s Cancer Moonshot. The tests show promise, but questions remain about when and how to use them.

Colin Pritchard, Professor of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington • conversation
Oct. 31, 2022 • ~8 min

COVID-19 official counts can miss mild cases – here's how serosurveys that analyze blood for signs of past infection can help

Your blood can hold a record of past illnesses. That information can reveal how many people have had a certain infection – like 58% of Americans having had COVID-19 by the end of February 2022.

Isobel Routledge, Postdoctoral Scholar in Medicine, University of California, San Francisco • conversation
May 6, 2022 • ~9 min

Coronavirus tests are pretty accurate, but far from perfect

Expanding coronavirus testing is one of the most important tasks public health officials are tackling right now. But questions over accuracy of the two main types of tests have rightly caused concern.

Maureen Ferran, Associate Professor of Biology, Rochester Institute of Technology • conversation
May 6, 2020 • ~10 min

Checking blood for coronavirus antibodies – 3 questions answered about serological tests and immunity

After your body fights off an infection, antibodies remain in your blood. Two researchers explain how tests identify these antibodies and what the data can be used for.

Daniel Stadlbauer, Postdoctoral Fellow in Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai • conversation
April 16, 2020 • ~9 min

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