National DNA Day is coming to Mayo Clinic a couple of days late.  But biomedical research is often like that: you start towards your target, meander around like a person trying to herd cats, and then you analyze your results and discover something else entirely.

National DNA Day is a holiday celebrated on April 25 to commemorate the day in 1953 when James Watson and Francis Crick published their paper in the journal Nature that announced the structure of DNA. It’s also the day in 2003 when the Human Genome Project was declared close to completion.

On April 27, to celebrate DNA Day, the Mayo Clinic Research Information Center is introducing “Changing Lives Through Research,” an informal gathering for patients, public and staff featuring presentations and a new display from the Mayo Clinic Center for Individualized Medicine. The Research Information Center is in the lobby of the Gonda Building on the main Mayo Clinic campus, located in Rochester, Minn.

Dr. Timothy Curry

We think you’ll find it worth the delay.  Speakers and displays will be on hand to detail how genomic research has improved health care and changed lives.  The display will feature how research in precision medicine is having a direct impact on patient care.  Experts will discuss genome sequencing, the microbiome, and pharmacogenomics, and how they are being implemented into clinical practice.

“The Research Information Center allows us to showcase to patients, visitors, and staff the clinical research the Center for Individualized Medicine supports and how it is being translated to patient care,” says Timothy Curry, M.D., Ph.D., director of Education at the center.

Patients and staff are invited to drop in for any of the presentations, ask questions, and learn more about how precision medicine is being used in health care today.

“People can learn about what individualized medicine is, see the cutting-edge work being done at Mayo Clinic, and hear how they might participate in clinical research,” Dr. Curry adds. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for us to share the exciting work being done in many areas of our practice, from cancer treatment to how our genes impact the way drugs affect our body.”

“Changing Lives Through Research” Program
Wednesday, April 27, Research Information Center, Rochester, Gonda Lobby

• 10–10:30 a.m., “Future of Individualized Medicine,” Scott Beck, associate administrator, Center for Individualized Medicine
• 11–11:30 a.m., “Family History and Me,” Teresa Kruisselbrink, M.S., certified genetic counselor
• 12:30–1:30 p.m., “Microbiome: Your Body, Your Bugs, Your Health,” Purna Kashyap, M.B.B.S., Gastroenterology and Hepatology; Nicholas Chia, Ph.D., Surgical Research; Marina Walther-Antonio, Ph.D., Surgical Research
• 1:30–2:30 p.m., “Medication and My Genes:Why Does It Matter?,” Richard Weinshilboum, M.D., Pharmacology Research

Speakers for "Changing Lives Through Reseach" include, from left, Scott Beck, Teresa Kruisselbrink, M.S., CGC, Purna Kashyap, M.B.B.S., Nicholas Chia, Ph.D., Marina Walther-Antonio, Ph.D., and Richard Weinshilboum, M.D.

Visit the Mayo Clinic's Research Information Center in the Gonda Lobby on April 27 between 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. CDT for the presentations. The Research Information Center is open to the public weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CDT.

Tags: center for individualized medicine, Changing lives through research, DNA Day, Dr. Marina Walther-Antonio, Dr. Nicholas Chia, Dr. Purna Kashyap, Dr. Richard Weinshilboum, Dr. Timothy Curry, Human Genome Project, microbiome, National DNA Day, pharmacogenomics, Research Information Center, Scott Beck, Teresa Kruisselbrink, Uncategorized