Precision Medicine
January 28, 2020
By Sharon Rosen 
Patients suffering from depression, anxiety and substance use disorders often search for years to find treatment. Studies have shown that during this time gap, patients’ symptoms worsen, increasing their risk for other chronic illnesses, shortened lifespan and poor quality of life. Mayo Clinic statistical geneticist Joanna Biernacka, Ph.D. and her colleagues are working to change […]
Tags: #Mayo Clinic Biobank, anxiety, center for individualized medicine, depression, Genetic Testing, genomics, Joanna Biernacka, mayo clinic, Project Generation, psychiatric disorders, risk score, substance abuse disorder
January 21, 2020
Patient’s premature aging symptoms tied to shorter DNA strands
At only 27-years-old, Morgan Cook recalls the days when she had an abundant amount of energy. “I would lift weights. I would do cardio. I would – you name it, I would do it. I was a lot more active,” says Cook. “I felt like I was able to do more things with friends. I […]
Tags: #Mrinal Patnaik, center for individualized medicine, Genetics, genomics, hematology, hyperextensible joints, low blood count, mayo clinic, premature aging, short telemores syndrome
January 14, 2020
By Susan Murphy 
A collaborative team of Mayo Clinic scientists is studying an innovative strategy for treating advanced cancer, using genomics and human tumor samples as their guide. The novel approach, called Ex Vivo, creates a miniature cancer replica for testing therapies outside a patient’s body, combined with a comprehensive genomic analysis of a patient’s cancer cells. “We […]
January 9, 2020
Mayo Clinic is creating a library of genomic sequencing data on 100,000 consented Mayo Clinic participants to advance research and patient care. “We believe that whole exome sequencing has the potential to reveal predispositions to health problems and enable earlier use of preventive measures throughout a person’s lifespan,” says Keith Stewart, M.B., Ch.B., Carlson and […]
January 6, 2020
“I Just Didn’t Understand”: On a Mission to Cure ALS
For Veronique Belzil, Ph.D., the fight against amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is personal. In 2000, while working as a psychologist in Canada, she watched her husband’s uncle succumb to the disease. “The progression was so fast and his condition was so sad,” she says. “I just didn’t understand how this could happen.” That’s a common […]
Tags: #Mayo Clinic Center for Individualized Medicine Epigenomics Program, ALS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, center for individualized medicine, Epigenomics, Lou Gehrig's disease, mayo clinic, neurodegenerative disorders, Veronique Belzil
December 30, 2019
In Florida, a powerhouse of cancer research
By Susan Murphy
By Sara Nick The Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, which spans Mayo Clinic’s Arizona, Florida and Minnesota locations, has 10 distinct research programs funded by the National Cancer Institute that are centered on broad areas such as immunology and gene therapy, or specific tumor types such as brain and gastrointestinal. Each research topic is treated with a multidisciplinary approach that ties together science, clinical relevance […]
Tags: #gastrointestinal cancer, cancer, Cancer Research, gene sequencing, immunology
December 23, 2019
Meet Eric Matey, Pharm.D., R.Ph.: moving drug-gene testing into clinical care
By Sharon Rosen
If you’ve picked up a prescription from your local pharmacy, you may have spoken with a pharmacist about how and when to take a medication or its potential side effects. At Mayo Clinic, pharmacists perform these same tasks, but their role extends much further by helping move genomics discoveries into clinical care. “Our pharmacy team […]
Tags: #drug-gene interactions, #RIGHT 10K study, center for individualized medicine, Center for Individualized Medicine Pharmacogenomics Program, Eric Matey, Genetic Testing, genomics, individualized medicine, mayo clinic, pharmacy
December 11, 2019
In a first, researchers sequence single bacterial cells, paving path for rapid sepsis test
By Susan Murphy
For the first time, Mayo Clinic researchers are sequencing the genomic contents of single bacterial cells. The technique may pave the way for a potential lifesaving test for sepsis, a serious and sometimes deadly condition caused by the body’s response to an infection. Rather than waiting for days to identify the source of a patient’s […]
Tags: #sepsis, bacteria, bacterial cells, Genome Sequencing, individualized medicine
December 2, 2019
Precision genomics may offer clues to unexplained low blood cell counts
By Jay Furst
Precision genomics has opened the door to identifying the drivers for cancer and other diseases. Its value as a diagnostic tool isn’t limited to the underlying disease biology, however. It also can help diagnose and determine targeted therapies for patients with unexplained illnesses. Mrinal Patnaik, M.B.B.S., a Mayo Clinic hematologist, and colleagues conducted research with […]
Tags: #Mrinal Patnaik, #undiagnosed diseases, center for individualized medicine, cytopenia, genomics, inherited bone marrow failure syndrome, low blood cell count, mayo clinic, Mayo Clinic Proceedings, stem cell transplant
November 28, 2019
For one patient, sharing her family medical history led to lifesaving care
By Sharon Rosen
When Stephanie Van Doren first visited Mayo Clinic’s campus in Florida, she was seeking care for digestive issues. But after hearing Van Doren’s family medical history and completing a clinical evaluation, gastroenterologist Timothy Woodward, M.D. recognized that she may also be at risk for a potentially fatal heart condition, aortic dissection. Genetic testing confirmed that […]
Tags: #aortic dissection, #family medical history, #hereditary diseases, #Stephanie Van Doren, center for individualized medicine, Genetic Testing, genomics, Heart Disease, mayo clinic, Timothy Woodward