Thinking Differently, Mayo Clinic Laboratories Finds A New Supply Chain

From developing tests to detect the virus in a matter of months to testing patients for antibodies, Mayo Clinic Laboratories has been at the forefront of COVID-19 research by releasing more than a dozen COVID-19-related tests and analyzing more than 3 million COVID-19 tests for patients nationwide.

But Mayo Clinic experts stayed on the forefront of innovation to respond to the pandemic. When demand for testing swabs exploded last spring and supplies became scarce, Mayo Clinic Laboratories faced a serious problem. Without swabs, testing grinds to a halt and detecting the virus becomes extremely difficult.

What sounded like a straightforward assignment — find more swabs — became a massive effort that involved numerous departments and experts, and culminated with Mayo Clinic, for the first time, designing, testing and mass-manufacturing a new medical device listed with the Food and Drug Administration — the 3D-printed mid-turbinate swab.

That achievement reinforced a critical link in the supply chain, allowing Mayo Clinic to press forward with confidence.

Read more about how Mayo Clinic Laboratories' ingenuity, collaboration and expertise created a COVID-19 test swab.

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