287 articles
Metagenomic next-generation sequencing
Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) is an unbiased diagnostic method that sequences all nucleic acids in a clinical sample, detecting bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites without culture.
MGMT promoter methylation testing
MGMT promoter methylation testing is a clinical biomarker assay that detects methylation of the MGMT gene promoter, used mainly in glioblastoma to predict benefit from temozolomide.
Microbial Colony Count
Microbial colony count estimates viable microorganisms as colony-forming units by pour plate, spread plate, membrane filtration, spiral plate, or MPN methods, with Poisson-based countable ranges such as 15-300 colonies per plate in FDA BAM and ISO standards.
Microneutralization assay
The microneutralization assay is a serological test measuring whether serum antibodies, primarily against hemagglutinin, neutralize live virus in cultured cells, used chiefly for influenza and pandemic virology.
Microscopic haematuria
Microscopic haematuria, or microhematuria, is 3 or more red blood cells per high-power field on urine microscopy with normal-appearing urine. Guided by AUA/SUFU risk stratification (low, intermediate, high) for cystoscopy and imaging.
Molecular Diagnostic Techniques
Molecular diagnostic techniques are molecular biology methods, chiefly PCR, sequencing, isothermal amplification, microarrays, and CRISPR assays, used to diagnose disease by detecting DNA or RNA from pathogens, tumors, or human genomes.
Mueller-Hinton agar
Mueller-Hinton agar is a microbiological growth medium developed by J. Howard Mueller and Jane Hinton at Harvard in 1941, now the standard medium for Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion antibiotic susceptibility testing.
Multi-cancer early detection
Multi-cancer early detection (MCED) is a screening approach that uses one blood test to look for signals of many cancer types at once in people with no symptoms.
Multigene assay
A multigene assay is a diagnostic test combining the expression of multiple genes in a tumor into one score, used most often to guide chemotherapy decisions in early breast cancer.
Multigene panel testing
Multigene panel testing is a diagnostic genetic test that sequences many genes linked to one condition in a single assay, used to assess hereditary cancer risk and guide treatment.
Multiple electrode aggregometry
Multiple electrode aggregometry (MEA) is a point-of-care whole-blood test that measures platelet aggregation through electrical impedance between electrode pairs, used to monitor antiplatelet drugs in PCI, surgery, and trauma care.
Myeloid mutation panel
A myeloid mutation panel, or myeloid panel, is a targeted next-generation sequencing test of genes recurrently mutated in AML, MDS, and MPN, guiding diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment selection.
Myography
Myography is a laboratory method that measures the contractile force of isolated muscle or blood-vessel tissue, most commonly as isometric tension in an organ bath or as diameter change in a pressurized vessel.
Nasal swab
A nasal swab, also called a nasopharyngeal swab, collects mucus and respiratory cells from the nostril or nasopharynx to diagnose infections such as COVID-19, influenza, and RSV.
Non-invasive prenatal screening
Non-invasive prenatal screening, also called NIPT or cfDNA screening, is a maternal blood test analyzing fetal DNA to screen for chromosomal abnormalities like Down syndrome from about 10 weeks of pregnancy.
Noninvasive prenatal testing
Noninvasive prenatal testing, also known as Noninvasive Prenatal Screening, is a maternal blood test that screens for fetal chromosomal abnormalities. It is a screening test, not a diagnostic one.
Nucleic acid amplification test
A nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) is a diagnostic method that detects a pathogen by copying its DNA or RNA many times, most commonly using PCR, and reports a qualitative or quantitative result.
Nucleic acid sequence-based amplification
Nucleic acid sequence-based amplification (NASBA) is an isothermal laboratory method that exponentially amplifies RNA at about 41 °C, widely used to detect RNA viruses and viable bacteria.
Ocular fluorophotometry
Ocular fluorophotometry, also known as vitreous fluorophotometry, is a technique that measures fluorescein concentration along the eye's axis to quantify blood-retinal barrier permeability and aqueous flow.
Ovulation test
An ovulation test is a urine-based diagnostic test that detects the luteinizing hormone surge predicting ovulation within 24 to 36 hours, used for fertility timing since the mid-1970s.
PAH clearance
PAH clearance is a renal function test measuring how quickly the kidneys remove para-aminohippurate (PAH) from plasma, the reference standard for estimating effective renal plasma flow.
Pancreatic function test
A pancreatic function test is a diagnostic procedure assessing exocrine pancreatic function, by direct measurement of stimulated secretion or indirect markers, to detect insufficiency in chronic pancreatitis and cystic fibrosis.
Panel sequencing
Panel sequencing is a targeted next-generation sequencing approach that sequences tens to hundreds of predefined cancer genes, most often in clinical oncology to detect actionable mutations in tumor samples.
Pap test
Pap test (Papanicolaou test, Pap smear, cervical cytology): screening exam of cervical cells under a microscope to detect precancerous changes; introduced by Papanicolaou in 1928, recommended every 3 years from age 21.
Paternity testing
Paternity testing is a genetic test comparing DNA between a child and an alleged father to confirm or exclude paternity, used in legal, personal, and immigration cases.
PCA3 test
The PCA3 test is a urine-based molecular diagnostic measuring prostate cancer antigen 3 RNA after a digital rectal exam; FDA-approved in 2012, it was withdrawn in 2023.
Peritoneal cytology
Peritoneal cytology is the microscopic examination of cells from peritoneal fluid or saline washings taken during surgery to detect free malignant cells, informing cancer staging, resectability, and treatment selection.
Peritoneal equilibration test
The peritoneal equilibration test (PET) is a standardized clinical procedure measuring solute and water transport across the peritoneal membrane during peritoneal dialysis, introduced by Twardowski in 1987.
Pharmacogenetic testing
Pharmacogenetic testing is a diagnostic method that analyzes a patient's germline DNA variants to predict drug response and toxicity risk, guiding medication selection and dosing before or during treatment.
Pharmacogenomic testing
Pharmacogenomic testing is a genetic test that analyzes DNA variants to predict how a patient will respond to medications, guiding drug selection and dosing in personalized medicine.