MeMurton Labs exists because the data was there, the pattern was clear, and multiple doctors looked at it and said 'normal.'
A few years ago, I ordered a comprehensive iron panel. Not because a doctor told me to. Because something felt off, and I wanted answers. When the results came back, my doctor told me I was anemic, the exact opposite of what my results showed. My iron was not low. It was dangerously overloaded. I went to another doctor months later, and they didn't even do an additional comprehensive iron panel to confirm the results. Then I went to a third doctor, who told me I was a zebra in a field of horses. Three appointments, and I left each one with the same problem I walked in with: an iron panel that was clearly abnormal, no explanation, and no plan. That experience is why MeMurton Labs exists. Not to replace medical care, but to help you understand your own data well enough to ask the questions I didn't know to ask.
Ferritin: normal. Everything else: flagged. A transferrin saturation of 85% on a fasting draw. Nearly every iron-carrying protein in my blood was completely loaded.
I knew enough to understand this wasn't right. A transferrin saturation above 45% is the primary screening signal for hereditary hemochromatosis, a genetic condition where the body absorbs too much iron. At 85%, that's not borderline.
In the past, I used a genetic testing company to look into my ancestry. I used the raw genetic data from this test and found that I have one mutated copy of the C282Y gene and one of the H63D gene. Compound heterozygote for hemochromatosis, an iron-overloading disease.
Here's what I learned during those years: the information I needed was scattered across PubMed abstracts, hematology textbook chapters, and specialist knowledge that primary care doctors aren't trained on. No single resource connected the dots well; obviously, not even the doctors did. I have a Ph.D. and have spent over 25 years in research and development for vaccine design and development. Reading primary literature and interpreting biological data is what I do professionally. And even with that training, I had to piece this together myself, paper by paper.
No one explained that ferritin is an acute phase reactant, that it rises with inflammation regardless of iron status, and that a "normal" ferritin can coexist with a serious iron metabolism problem. No one explained that transferrin saturation is often the earlier and more specific signal. No one explained what hepcidin is, why it matters, or why the test that would clarify everything isn't commercially available.
I had to learn the biology myself, piece by piece, paper by paper. And the further I went, the more I realized: this isn't just an iron problem. It is a problem with the entire system. Millions of people receive lab results that say "normal" and walk away without understanding what those numbers actually mean, how they interact, or when "normal" isn't the same as "optimal."
MeMurton Labs is the resource I wished I'd had. Not a replacement for medical care, but the layer underneath it. The education that helps you understand your own data, ask better questions, and advocate for yourself when the system won't do it for you.
MeMurton Labs is a science education platform. Every biomarker guide traces back to primary literature. Every claim is evidence-tiered. Every lifestyle lever is tagged with the strength of the research behind it. You can see exactly how we grade that evidence and fund this work.
We don't prescribe. We don't diagnose. What we do is translate the science of biomarker testing and longevity medicine into language that empowers you to understand your own biology, without sacrificing the rigor that makes that understanding trustworthy.
When we link to a lab testing service, a supplement, or a device, it's because we believe the evidence supports it, and we tell you exactly how strong that evidence is. Affiliate commissions support the editorial work. They never influence the recommendations.
MeMurton has been my companion for nearly 20 years, beside me through countless hours of study, research, problem-solving, and professional growth. She became so intertwined with my life in science that, when this project needed a name, MeMurton Labs felt natural.
The flask represents the scientific foundation of the work. The cat honors the companion who has quietly shared so much of the journey.
Your body is having a conversation with you. Lab results are the language. MeMurton Labs is here to help you learn to read it.
Emily Sassano Ph.D.
Founder, MeMurton Labs