Media Coverage

AI, new diagnostics, and shifting care delivery models are among the clinical laboratory predictions for 2026. Cardiometabolic testing is one example, where labs are being asked to look beyond single endpoints. “In 2025, we saw many individuals focus on weight loss as a means of potentially improving their cardiometabolic health,” says Mouris Saghir, PhD, vice president and general manager for cardiometabolic, endocrine, and wellness at Quest Diagnostics.

Lab testing companies including giants Quest Diagnostics and LabCorp are pressing Congress to stop hundreds of millions of dollars of Medicare cuts for diagnostic tests that are due to take effect at the end of January. Their push could add to the health care issues piling up on lawmakers' plates as the calendar flips over. Clinical lab companies say letting the cuts take effect will leave them with less money to spend on creating new diagnostics or technologies to generate quicker results. "Labs play a critical part in trying to keep the nation well — identifying that risk before it ever even happens," said Yuri Fesko, chief medical officer at Quest.

Quest Diagnostics, a cancer treatment laboratory located in Lewisville, was honored by the Lewisville City Council after developing a medical breakthrough that could decrease the risk of diseases returning to treated patients. The laboratory was recognized for its achievement in developing Haystack MRD, a non-invasive, tumor-informed MRD test that searches for tiny tumor fragments in people who have previously or currently have a solid tumor.

In our latest podcast, Elizabeth Marlowe, PhD, D(ABMM), discusses the findings of Quest Diagnostics' large US HIV testing study, which showed a significant decline in HIV drug resistance across major antiretroviral classes, reflecting the impact of modern high-barrier therapies and improved viral suppression.

Even though exercise is good for us, working out can sometimes feel stressful: fitting in time for the gym, making sure we have clean workout clothes, monitoring our daily step count, pushing our runs, rides, and reps to be faster, harder, and just, well, more. If this sounds familiar, you’ll be pleased (and surprised!) to know that the latest fitness trend is all about doing less. If this sounds familiar, you’ll be pleased (and surprised!) to know that the latest fitness trend is all about doing less. In fact, it’s not a traditional workout at all—but it does have some legit benefits for physical health and mental wellbeing. “Getting up and moving around is good for your mental health,” says Marc Penn, M.D., Ph.D., FACC, a senior advisor and medical director of cardio-metabolic endocrine at Quest Diagnostics. Low-intensity activity can improve mood. Plus, clutter can add to stress and mental health issues, so if you’re using your Zone Zero time to tidy up, you get a two-for-one.

To explore what the next year may hold, MLO spoke with 12 laboratory professionals whose roles span bench operations, laboratory quality, enterprise leadership, diagnostics innovation, and health-tech entrepreneurship. Their predictions reflect both optimism and urgency: calls to rebuild the workforce pipeline, integrate multi-site networks, strengthen clinical collaboration, modernize infrastructure, and streamline the process of test result to clinical action. Yuri Fesko, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Quest Diagnostics: "Laboratories across the United States will need to continue being agile and flexible to meet demands from patients, providers, and health systems. That is particularly true in areas like preventive health and wellness, where growth of alternative, consumer-driven models of care will force traditional healthcare providers to be more innovative, dynamic, and user-friendly, allowing patients to interact with this new and growing system closer to home through lab networks like Quest Diagnostics."

Only approximately one-third of US adults diagnosed with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection received treatment from 2014 to 2021, despite the widespread availability of curative therapies, according to study results published in the Journal of Viral Hepatitis. The US has the fifth highest burden of HCV worldwide. The World Health Organization (WHO) set a goal to eliminate HCV in 2030 by diagnosing at least 90% and treating at least 80% of individuals infected with HCV. Investigators analyzed deidentified data from 2 large commercial laboratories: LabCorp and Quest Diagnostics.

Self-collection for HPV and other infections offers a more convenient, private way to complete recommended screenings—helping reach women who might otherwise delay or skip care. By D. Alagia III, MD, MS, MBA, FACS, FACOG, Quest Diagnostics

Oncologists face a difficult decision after surgically removing a solid tumor. Some patients harbor residual cancer cells, known as minimal residual disease (MRD), and need additional therapy to avoid recurrence, while others are already cured. Determining who falls into each group remains a major challenge in cancer care. “One of the challenges facing ctDNA technologies is, how do we identify ctDNA molecules that are very low abundance in circulation with high accuracy?” said Dan Edelstein, the vice president and general manager of Haystack Oncology at Quest Diagnostics®. Recognizing the need to detect ctDNA reliably, Haystack Oncology developed Haystack MRD®, a next-generation workflow for ultrasensitive residual disease monitoring.

Social media is flooded with ads for at-home blood testing services that promise insights into healthier living, so ABC News' Becky Worley tried one to see what the results really reveal. Becky recieved her blood draw at Quest's patient service center in Oakland, California.