Research
February 14, 2019
When the shoelaces fray: short telomere syndromes
Unlike gray hair, one of the most significant signs of aging is invisible to the naked eye. Deep inside cells, at the tips of thread-like chromosomes, structures known as telomeres protect chromosomes from deterioration—a bit like the way caps at the ends of shoelaces prevent fraying. Telomeres naturally shorten as people age. But sometimes, an […]
Tags: #Bone marrow failure, #Dr. Mrinal Patnaik, #short telomeres, aging, Mayo Clinic Center for Individualized Medicine, Premyeloid
February 4, 2019
Meet Chuanhe Yu, Ph.D.: searching for the genetic switches linked to disease
By Sharon Rosen 
Chuanhe Yu, Ph.D. has always had an interest in genetics – the thousands of genes that make each of us unique. His research focuses on the growing field of epigenetics, which aims to better understand how environmental and lifestyle factors cause chain reactions, flipping the switch on genes and the instructions they provide to guide […]
Tags: #cancer biology, #cell biology, #DNA replication, #Dr. Chuanhe Yu, #epigenetics, #epigenome, #eSPAN model, #Mayo Clinic Center for Individualized Medicine Epigenomics Program, cancer, center for individualized medicine, Epigenomics, mayo clinic
January 28, 2019
Triumph out of tragedy: A home screening test for cervical cancer
January is Cervical Health Awareness Month, a time to reflect on personalized approaches to preventing or treating cervical cancer. Harrowing stories of rampant sexual violence and high instances of cervical cancer in the Democratic Republic of Congo spurred Marina Walther-Antonio, Ph.D. to action. The emotional stories of survival and death triggered her desire to discover […]
Tags: #Cervical cancer, #Cervical cancer screening, #Democratic Republic of Congo, #HPV, #HPV screening, center for individualized medicine, Dr. Marina Walther-Antonio
January 14, 2019
Using brain organoids to uncover causes of neuropsychiatric disorders
Mayo Clinic and Yale University collaborated in a study published in Science to create a new model for studying neuropsychiatric disorders in early human brain development. This unique collaboration brought together Mayo Clinic’s team-based, patient-centered research with Yale researchers to discover and analyze the genetic mechanisms that may cause these disorders. The Mayo Clinic team, […]
Tags: Alexej Abyzov, autism, brain organoids, mayo clinic, Mayo Clinic Center for Individualized Medicine, neuropsychiatric disorders, Ph.D., Research, Yale University
January 7, 2019
What do Yellowstone rocks teach us about kidney stones?
Mayo Clinic researchers are turning to Yellowstone National Park to unlock the secrets of kidney stones. Medical science long has been mystified by a cause and cure for this painful condition that affects more than 1 in 10 Americans. Mayo Clinic Center for Individualized Medicine and NASA Astrobiology Institute research finds kidney stones grow in dynamic […]
Tags: #Kidney stones, #NASA Astrobiology Institute, #Yellowstone National Park, Dr. Nicholas Chia, Mayo Clinic Center for Individualized Medicine, microbiome
December 17, 2018
Probiotics: one size does not fit all
The allure of probiotics can be hard to resist. Popular belief holds that when you take probiotics in a pill, powder or food, you boost your gut health with a powerful antidote to digestive diseases. But what exactly are probiotics, and how do you separate truth from theory? What does the research say? Purna Kashyap, […]
Tags: #digestive diseases, #Digestive disorders, #digestive system, #gut health, #probiotics, Dr. Purna Kashyap, Gut Microbiome, Mayo Clinic Center for Individualized Medicine
December 3, 2018
Meet Sanjay Bagaria, M.D.: new CIM associate director in Florida
By Sharon Rosen
Hindsight is 20/20.That saying rings true for surgical oncologist Sanjay Bagaria, M.D. As a premedical student at University of Michigan, he chose to major in Japanese studies, mastering thousands of characters and a new grammar structure to read the Japanese literature he loved. Looking back, that experience gave him the tools to view not only […]
Tags: #Associate director Center for Individualized Medicine, #basal-like breast cancer, #Dr. Sanjay Bagaria, #hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) surgery, #Mayo Clinic Campus in Florida, #surgical oncologist, biomarkers, center for individualized medicine, mayo clinic, medical research
November 26, 2018
Mayo Clinic discovery advances potential individualized treatment for mesothelioma
Large chromosomal rearrangements present in mesothelioma could make it possible to understand which patients are likely respond to immunotherapy, researchers at the Mayo Clinic Center for Individualized Medicine have discovered. The research is published in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology. “What we’ve shown so far is that these large complex chromosomal rearrangements are frequent in […]
Tags: #Dr. Aaron Mansfield, #mesothelioma, Cancer Research, Dr. George Vasmatzis, Mayo Clinic Center for Individualized Medicine
November 19, 2018
Gene therapy: potential and pitfalls
Research is advancing gene therapy as a possible treatment or eventual cure for genetic diseases that bedevil modern science. Gene therapy was conceived over 20 years ago, and until recently, remained largely in the research lab. But gene therapy products are now beginning to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for clinical […]
Tags: #Brittle bone disease, #CAR T-cell therapy, #Dr. David Deyle, #gene therapy, Dr. Saad Kenderian, Mayo Clinic Center for Individualized Medicine, medical research
November 5, 2018
Pharmacogenomics: finding the right drug, dose for cancer therapy
By Sharon Rosen
Each year, nearly 300,000 patients receive the lifesaving chemotherapy 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) to treat many types of cancer, including colorectal, breast, bowel, skin, pancreatic, and esophageal cancer. While it can be an effective treatment, it doesn’t work for everyone. In fact, up to 30 percent of those who receive the standard dose can have serious, life-threatening […]
Tags: #5-fluorouracil, #5-FU chemotherapy, #chemotherapy side effects, #DPYD gene, #drug-gene interactions, #gene verifier model, breast cancer, chemotherapy, colorectal cancer, mayo clinic, Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, Mayo Clinic Center for Individualized Medicine