Precision Medicine
May 11, 2020
AI enhances MRI images to identify molecular markers of brain cancer
By Sharon Rosen 
Five years ago Bradley Erickson, M.D., Ph.D. never would have imagined that an MRI would be able to identify the molecular characteristics of brain cancer. But because of the rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI), that scenario isn’t science fiction. It’s an exciting medical reality for Dr. Erickson, a radiologist on Mayo Clinic’s campus in […]
Tags: artificial intelligence, cancer, gliomas
April 27, 2020
Noninvasive test may help some patients with melanoma avoid lymph node biopsy
By Jay Furst 
A Mayo Clinic-led research team has developed a test for patients who have melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer, that shows whether they’re at risk of the cancer spreading to other areas of the body. The research, described in the journal JCO Precision Oncology, could allow some patients at low risk of metastasis […]
April 25, 2020
Why do diseases such as COVID-19 and cancer hit some people harder than others?
By Susan Murphy
As the nation marks DNA Day on April 25 — commemorating the discovery of DNA’s double helix in 1953 and the completion of the Human Genome Project in 2003 — Mayo Clinic researcher Nicholas Chia, Ph.D., continues to search for answers to the question of why some people are more susceptible to getting a severe […]
Tags: cancer genomics, DNA, genomics, microbiome, rare disease
April 8, 2020
Mayo Clinic experts offer advise and tips on coping with COVID-19
By Susan Murphy
By Mayo Clinic News Network Mayo Clinic doctors and researchers are providing daily updates and information to help keep people healthy and safe. Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast: Cardiac risks of off-label drugs to treat COVID-19 A study published recently in Mayo Clinic Proceedings details information about potential cardiac side effects when using off-label drugs to treat COVID-19. Off-label means […]
Tags: covid-19
March 20, 2020
Mayo Clinic COVID-19 update: testing expands, patients connect, doctors advise on symptoms
By Susan Murphy
By Mayo Clinic News Network Mayo Clinic Laboratories significantly expands testing capability for the COVID-19 virus Mayo Clinic has significantly expanded its capacity to test clinical samples for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. With new equipment that went online Tuesday, Mayo Clinic Laboratories now has the capacity to process COVID-19 test samples from all Mayo Clinic sites. […]
Tags: covid-19
March 10, 2020
How pharmacogenomics can improve the lives of persons living with HIV
By Susan Murphy
By Jessica Fenske Life with HIV typically means using any number of medications to control the virus. But not all medications are the same or act the same way in different people. Mayo researchers are zeroing in on a new test to help patients fine-tune their treatments. While there is no cure for HIV, there […]
Tags: pharmacogenomics, Research
March 5, 2020
Rise in kidney cancer spurs Mayo researcher’s urgency to improve patient outcomes
As a trainee oncologist, Thai Ho, M.D., Ph.D., was struck by the number of people he saw at a veterans’ hospital with kidney cancer. “It’s one of the cancers that disproportionately affects military personnel, possibly due to environmental exposures,” he says. The results can be devastating. “On average, patients with kidney cancer lose 12 years […]
Tags: cancer, Cancer Research, Epigenetic research, Epigenomics, kidney cancer, Research
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 […]