Dr. Shennen Mao, a Mayo Clinic transplant surgeon, says having a diverse pool of organ donors will help serve a growing wait list of those in need.

Watch: The Mayo Clinic Minute

Journalists: Broadcast-quality video pkg (1:07) is in the downloads at the end of the post. Please courtesy: "Mayo Clinic News Network." Read the script.

In the U.S., about 17 people die every day while waiting for an organ transplant.

Nearly 60% of people on transplant waiting lists come from minority communities, while about 30% of donors are people of color.

"Blood types and certain HLA, or antibodies, tend to correlate with various ethnic groups," says Dr. Mao. "So it is not directly related to a particular minority group; however, organs will end up with someone of a similar background because the better matched an organ is, the more longevity that organ has."

Higher rates of heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes are present in minority communities, contributing to more organ failures.

"The more people we can help the sooner through transplant, the better," says Dr. Mao.

She says living donors do not experience a change in their quality of life after surgery, but a recipient's life can change for the better almost immediately.

"If somebody is approved to be a living donor, we expect they will live a full and normal life following their donation process," says Dr. Mao.

In most states, signing up to be a donor after death can be done online or when registering for a driver's license or identification card. For a living donation, contact the recipient's care team or a transplant center for more information.

The post Mayo Clinic Minute: Why diverse organ donors are needed appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Mayo Clinic is ranked the No. 1 hospital in metro Jacksonville in U.S. News & World Report's "Best Hospitals" 2025-2026 rankings. Mayo Clinic in Florida achieved significant gains in the publication's rankings, earning national recognition in 10 specialties and ranking as the top provider in six specialties within Florida.

"We are proud to once again be recognized as top-ranked in more specialties than any other hospital in Florida by U.S. News & World Report," says Kent Thielen, M.D., CEO of Mayo Clinic in Florida. "This recognition is a testament to our teams' unwavering commitment – day in and day out – to providing innovative, differentiated patient care of the highest quality."

Mayo Clinic in Florida ranked nationally among the top 50 hospitals in these 10 specialties; an asterisk indicates the ones in which it is top-ranked in Florida:

• Cancer
• Cardiology, Heart & Vascular Surgery
• Diabetes and Endocrinology
• Ear, Nose and Throat
• Gastroenterology and GI Surgery*
• Geriatrics*
• Neurology and Neurosurgery*
• Orthopedics*
• Pulmonology and Lung Surgery*
• Urology*

Mayo Clinic in Florida provides diagnosis, medical treatment, surgery and care for more than 175,000 patients each year in 50 specialty areas.

In 1986, Mayo Clinic brought its team approach to caring from Rochester, Minnesota, to the Southeast when it opened a clinic in Jacksonville. Today, the 602-acre campus offers a medical destination for patients who travel from all 50 states and more than 80 countries. Its Florida operation has more than 10,000 staff members.

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About Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to innovation in clinical practice, education, and research, and providing compassion, expertise and answers to everyone who needs healing. Visit the Mayo Clinic News Network for additional Mayo Clinic news.   

Media contact:

• Tia Ford, Mayo Clinic Communications, newsbureau@mayo.edu

The post Mayo Clinic ranked No. 1 hospital in Jacksonville by U.S. News & World Report, with most top-ranked specialties in the state appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

For many cancer patients, treatment can be an isolating and overwhelming journey — marked by fear, fatigue and the constant burden of travel. But what if chemotherapy could be delivered at home? In this episode, we explore the movement to bring cancer care into the comfort of patients' homes. Could this shift not only ease the experience but also improve outcomes?

This week's episode of Tomorrow’s Cure features insights from Dr. Roxana Dronca, hematologist, oncologist and director of Mayo Clinic in Florida Comprehensive Cancer Center; and Dr. Arif Kamal, chief patient officer for the American Cancer Society. 

According to the American Cancer Society, someone in the U.S. is diagnosed with cancer every 15 seconds. That staggering statistic drives the urgent push for more patient-centered, accessible care models. But what does that look like in practice?

For Dr. Dronca, this mission is personal — her daughter's cancer diagnosis revealed just how taxing traditional care can be. Out of that experience came a passionate commitment to transform how and where cancer care is delivered.

"I think cancer care, part of the scariness of it is how unknown it is, how unfamiliar it is in its approach," said Dr. Kamal. "But what if we could soften it by making components of it actually feel as normal as we can?"

Mayo Clinic's response: Cancer CARE (Connected Access and Remote Expertise) Beyond Walls, a new model offering expert care outside of hospital walls. The initiative minimizes travel and maximizes access by combining in-home services with a Mayo Clinic-based command center staffed by advanced practice providers, nurses and hospitalists. This team remotely coordinates care, ensuring seamless integration with each patient's medical history.

"I see that there is no choice every time I speak about Cancer CARE Beyond Walls," stated Dr. Dronca. 

In today's world, "Patients live longer, they need more treatments and we have more cancer diagnoses. We're really being outpaced in our ability to offer treatment to everyone in our physical spaces. So, we either think creatively and design a system where we can get care to more patients and also make the care more patient-friendly, or we build more chemotherapy units."

At-home cancer care isn't just a vision — it's happening now. Join us as we explore this transformative approach to care and what it means for the future of oncology. Listen to the latest episode of Tomorrow's Cure to learn more. 

Related Articles:

• Is home-based treatment the future of cancer care?
• Transforming cancer care with treatments at home 

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For most athletes, the road to the Olympics is paved with years of training and sacrifice. As professional tennis player Gaby Dabrowski was preparing for her 2024 season and a chance to play in the Summer Olympics, her journey took an unexpected detour. A diagnosis of breast cancer threatened her dream and her life.

What followed was a carefully coordinated plan at Mayo Clinic, designed not only to treat the cancer but also to preserve her ability to compete on the world stage.

Watch: Gaby Dabrowski's story

Journalists: Broadcast-quality video pkg (2:05) is in the downloads at the end of the post. Please courtesy: "Mayo Clinic News Network." Read the script.

"I started playing tennis when I was 7 years old," Gaby says. "Growing up, the Olympics were always on TV for two weeks in the summer, so it was always my dream to compete at the Olympics."

Heading into the 2024 season, Gaby was ready to realize her childhood dream. But when she found a lump on her breast, Gaby's focus went immediately to her health.

Dr. Jennifer Maynard, a Mayo Clinic family medicine physician specializing in sports medicine, helped coordinate Gaby's care.

"We recommended a pretty urgent evaluation, as she was over 30, we wanted to get the mammogram and the ultrasound," says Dr. Maynard.

Those results were abnormal. A breast MRI followed, then a biopsy confirmed the lump was cancer.

"When I was diagnosed, I didn't know if I would be able to play tennis again," Gaby says.

"She knew her ultimate goal was to be an Olympian at the Paris Olympics, so we had to be innovative and think outside the box," says Dr. Maynard.

Gaby's care team had to consider how to treat her cancer in a way that avoided the muscles used in playing tennis.

In the spring of 2024, she underwent surgery, then targeted radiation. Treatment was successful, and Gaby was cancer-free.

"Even though I wasn't playing on court and playing the game that I love, it was like swapping in the care team as my partners," Gaby says.

As soon as her care team cleared her, Gaby resumed training. Her dedication paid off in Paris. Gaby and her doubles partner earned an Olympic bronze medal, living out a dream.

"When I was on the podium holding the medal, I really just felt full elation," Gaby says. "I didn't feel like it was just a win for me. I felt like it was a win for everyone: my best friends, my parents, my coaching team, my care team."

Gaby has continued to find success on the court in tournaments and off, as an advocate for personal health.

"I certainly have a newfound appreciation for playing a sport as my job, but at the same time, if you took it away from me right now, I'd be OK because I have my health, and that's the most important thing," Gaby says.

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Cancer, stroke, bone loss among diseases and conditions studied in microgravity

JACKSONVILLE, Florida — Mayo Clinic physician and researcher Dr. Abba Zubair’s work combines two passions — medicine and space — for the benefit of astronauts and people on Earth. His research in space is yielding discoveries in cancer, stroke, bone loss and more. In this expert alert, Dr. Zubair answers five questions about his studies in microgravity.

What are you hoping to accomplish through your research?

"The goal is to harness the uniqueness of the space environment for the betterment of humanity, be it on Earth or in space," Dr. Zubair says."We wanted to take advantage of the environment at the International Space Station to study how it affects human physiology."

The absence of gravity and the impacts of radiation and vacuum are three fundamental aspects of the uniqueness of space, adds Dr. Zubair, who has sent three research projects to the International Space Station (ISS) since 2017, with more to come.

As a regenerative biotherapeutics specialist, Dr. Zubair's work focuses in part on adult stem cells — known as mesenchymal stem cells —and their use in future treatments for stroke. He noted that he uses stem cells in regenerative medicine and in supporting Mayo's bone marrow transplant program.

"I also know how challenging it is to grow them in the lab. One of the first fundamentals is to see how the absence of gravity influences how stem cells divide and the growth rate," Dr. Zubair explains. "We wanted to see whether cells grown in space are any better or grow faster than cells grown in the lab. When we did our first space flight, we had a really interesting finding, because we realized that the absence of gravity affects stem cells, but it depends on the type of stem cells."  

That led Dr. Zubair to another project on the ISS: studying how mesenchymal stem cells, the precursor for bone-forming cells, play a role in bone formation or osteoporosis, bone loss. He notes that astronauts tend to lose bone density despite rigorous exercise. 

How might your research benefit people with cancer?

Dr. Zubair is also studying how leukemia stem cells, the cells that form the seed of this blood cancer, respond to the space environment.

"We are also working to understand the impact of space radiation, from the angle of how we can mitigate the effect of radiation and prevent cancer," Dr. Zubair says. "In the long run, we really want to protect astronauts, especially during long-term space travel, such as to Mars, where they would be deep in space and away from any magnetic field protection that we get from Earth."

The research also may benefit people on Earth by revealing how to protect stem cells or cells in general when there is radiation exposure, such as nuclear accidents, he adds.

In addition, Dr. Zubair's space research could have implications for CAR-T treatment, bone marrow transplants or other therapies for cancer patients.

"If we can understand how stem cells in space, especially hematopoietic stem cells (cells that live in the bone marrow and produce cells that function in the blood), expand and differentiate to make immune cells like T cells, microphages, we will learn how to make them more efficiently," Dr. Zubair says.

You've remarked that you can envision a time when people might go into space to receive certain medical treatments. How would that work, and might it be possible to simulate microgravity for those treatments on Earth?

If cells proliferate more in space, for example if cancer cells go into what is called cell cycle and multiply abnormally when they proliferate, then chemotherapy will be more effective, Dr. Zubair says.

"If that is the case, that absence of gravity can induce leukemia cells or other cancer cells to go into cell cycle, that makes them susceptible to chemotherapy," he explains. "So instead of giving the chemo on Earth, you might go into space where the absence of gravity makes the cancer cells more vulnerable to chemotherapy. That would be one more reason to go to space. That is definitely something that I would love to explore."

It would be difficult to create a comparable microgravity environment on Earth, but technically, it could be done, Dr. Zubair adds.

Journalists: Broadcast-quality video is in the downloads at the end of this post. Please courtesy: "Mayo Clinic News Network."

"Microgravity on Earth is basically like going into a swimming pool, a state of buoyancy where you are kind of in suspension; the gravity is canceled out by the effect of the water," he says. "Now, obviously it wouldn't be pleasant to be in water for quite some time. In the lab, we use a microgravity simulator where cells are suspended. It would be interesting if you could do the same for a human being."

What attracted you to space research?

Dr. Zubair grew up in Kano, Nigeria, and remembers gazing at the night sky as a child.

"As far back as I can remember, I was always fascinated by what is out there in space. Looking at the moon and all the stars, and really that ignites my passion for space and space exploration," Dr. Zubair says.

Dr. Zubair's first dream was to become an astronaut, but an adviser in high school counseled him to find a more practical career, and he pursued medicine.

What's next?

One of Dr. Zubair's next two payloads to the International Space Station, not yet scheduled for launch, will examine whether umbilical cord blood cells, rich in stem cells and potential therapeutic value, can be expanded. Another study will explore different cell types that participate in bone formation and whether the problem of bone loss in space can be alleviated through use of a special compound. 

"If it works, then definitely we will see how we can treat patients with osteoporosis, particularly women, cancer patients, or people who are bedridden for a long time and are not weight-bearing, which affects their bone," Dr. Zubair says.

Dr. Zubair notes that all of his space experiments are done in parallel on Earth with identical cells to compare the two results and validate the findings from space.

 "I really think there is a lot out there that is just waiting for us to explore and use," he says. "And that's why I do what I do."

Dr. Zubair has been honored by NASA with the Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal for demonstrating that human-derived mesenchymal stem cells grown aboard the International Space Station could be used for potential clinical applications.

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About Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to innovation in clinical practice, education and research, and providing compassion, expertise and answers to everyone who needs healing. Visit the Mayo Clinic News Network for additional Mayo Clinic news.

Media contact:

• Sharon Theimer, Mayo Clinic Communications, newsbureau@mayo.edu

The post Mayo Clinic researcher harnesses uniqueness of space to advance medicine on Earth appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Mayo Clinic announced today a landmark $50 million philanthropic gift from Gilchrist and Amy Berg of Ponte Vedra, Florida. This transformative contribution will accelerate global healthcare innovation through Mayo Clinic's Innovation Exchange, which will be renamed the Mayo Clinic Berg Innovation Exchange in their honor.

Rooted in the Mayo Clinic Model of Care, the Mayo Clinic Berg Innovation Exchange drives change by serving as a dynamic marketplace that connects global innovators with essential expertise, resources and opportunities at Mayo Clinic — streamlining solutions development and eliminating critical barriers to success.

"The Bergs have been champions of Mayo Clinic's Innovation Exchange since its earliest days through their gifts of time, thought leadership and financial support," says Gianrico Farrugia, M.D., president and CEO of Mayo Clinic. "We are truly grateful for their remarkable generosity and commitment to bringing more innovations to patients."

Active participants since the exchange's inception in 2019, the Bergs have played a vital role in its development. Their commitment extends beyond financial support; they engage with leadership and contribute to shaping the exchange's strategic direction.

"To us, this is about more than financial support — it's about helping shape the future of healthcare innovation with an organization whose culture values excellence, compassion and discovery," says Gilchrist Berg. "When you work alongside Mayo Clinic's visionary leaders, you cannot help but feel energized about Mayo's abilities to lead on a global stage."

"We like to get involved with people who have the right values and character," says Amy Berg. "With Mayo Clinic, we know we're supporting an organization that places the patient at the heart of what it does."

The Mayo Clinic Berg Innovation Exchange fosters collaboration among a curated network of experts in artificial intelligence (AI), digital health, regulatory science, investment, product design and entrepreneurship. The program's innovators are currently working on advancements in diagnostics, digital tools, devices, research and therapeutics.

This generous gift will:

• Fuel research: Advance research leveraging emerging technologies to address critical patient needs.
• Foster knowledge: Provide mentorship, peer networking and educational opportunities.
• Accelerate collaboration: Enhance collaboration, identify synergies and expedite the development of innovative solutions.

"The Mayo Clinic Berg Innovation Exchange advances science by facilitating and enabling connections that otherwise would not be possible, a key component of Mayo Clinic's bold vision to transform healthcare," says Kent Thielen, M.D., CEO of Mayo Clinic in Florida and vice president of Mayo Clinic. "Gilchrist and Amy Berg are strengthening the program's capacity to form partnerships that deliver faster, stronger solutions to complex medical challenges. We are incredibly grateful for the active partnership and support provided by the Bergs and excited about the impact the Mayo Clinic Berg Innovation Exchange will have on the future of healthcare."

"Gilchrist and Amy recognize that innovation requires the right support to thrive," says Charles Bruce, M.B., Ch.B., medical director of the Mayo Clinic Berg Innovation Exchange and chief innovation officer of Mayo Clinic in Florida. "They have provided energy and vision. This gift is a remarkable legacy, ensuring the exchange's continued success."

Gilchrist Berg is the founder of Water Street Capital, a private investment firm. Amy Berg currently serves as chair of the World Affairs Council of Jacksonville and president of the Berg Family Foundation.

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About Mayo Clinic 
Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to innovation in clinical practice, education, and research, and providing compassion, expertise and answers to everyone who needs healing. Visit the Mayo Clinic News Network for additional Mayo Clinic news.  

Media contact: 

• Tia R. Ford, Mayo Clinic Communications, newsbureau@mayo.edu

The post Transformational $50 million gift to Mayo Clinic fuels global healthcare innovation appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Sue Baker started having issues with her heart in 2015. By 2019, she began experiencing heart failure. Living in Southeast Georgia, her condition landed her in the hospital seven times before the last visit led to her being transferred to Mayo Clinic in Florida, nearly 90 minutes away, critically ill.

"She was really sick — in cardiogenic shock, intubated, connected to a breathing machine — she was not going to make it," says Dr. Parag Patel, a Mayo Clinic transplant cardiologist. "She only had three to six months to live, and we needed to act fast."

Watch: Sue Baker's story

Journalists: Broadcast-quality video pkg (2:21) is in the downloads at the end of the post. Please courtesy: "Mayo Clinic News Network." Read the script.

Sue's situation had become dire. She was presented with two options: enter hospice care or have a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implanted to serve as a bridge to a heart transplant. While she chose the LVAD to buy more time, by 2023 she was experiencing dangerous heart rhythms and other challenges.

Complicating matters, her body was producing more antibodies, making it increasingly difficult to find a suitable transplant donor.

"It was devastating to know that I'm actually going to die," says Sue. Still, she did not lose hope. "You just grab hold of God and keep praying," she says.

Sue's care team also remained determined to help her hold on. They explored an innovative approach — called Heart After Liver Transplant with a Domino Liver to another patient (HALT-D) — that had shown success in patients with similar antibody counts.

HALT-D, however, had never been attempted on someone with a heart pump like hers. This procedure would be a first for Mayo Clinic, at any of its transplant sites.

Although Sue's liver was healthy, she would need to get not just a heart transplant but also a donor liver to help remove the antibodies from her body and reduce the risk of her new heart being rejected. This meant a rare and complex domino transplant, involving both a liver and a heart, where Sue's liver would also become part of the donor chain.

"We take the liver of the patient who's receiving the heart after liver, and we take that liver and we put it into another recipient so that we do not waste an organ," says Patel.

Preparing for this complex procedure involved extensive multidisciplinary collaboration between a variety of Mayo Clinic departments. Sue spent months in the hospital, waiting for a match. During her wait, fellow patients and staff began calling her "mama" for the care and support she provided everyone else, despite her own challenges.

"We get to know each other and kind of help each other out," says Sue. "That was a lot of healing and helpfulness there."

"Sue not only helped people on the floor, but she's helped other patients who didn't have an opportunity" for transplant, says Patel.

Finally, in September 2024, the domino transplant was performed successfully.

Today, Sue is on the path to recovery, growing stronger each day. Her motivation to live is fueled by the desire to honor her donor, whose gift has given her a second chance at life.

"I would love to thank and meet the family," says Sue. "I'm not going to sit back and do nothing. That person will always be special."

Her story is a testament to the power of medical innovation, the dedication of healthcare professionals, and the resilience of the human spirit.

"I love her, and I appreciate the doctors and all the nurses that have been so loving and caring for Sue,” says Charlene Taylor, Sue's caretaker.

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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Mayo Clinic in Florida has become a Blue Zones Approved Worksite, joining a growing number of organizations across the city committed to making even more healthy choices available to employees. This milestone, achieved in collaboration with Blue Zones Project Jacksonville, reflects Mayo Clinic's dedication to fostering an environment where well-being is not just encouraged — it is embedded in the culture.

Through this initiative, Mayo Clinic has made evidence-based changes such as enhancing the employee dining menu with more plant-forward options, expanding gym and recreational spaces, and creating serene areas where staff can downshift and recharge. These changes align with Mayo Clinic's longstanding commitment to providing world-class care — both to patients, and to those who make that care possible.

"Mayo Clinic is setting a powerful example of how organizations can prioritize the health of their workforce in meaningful, sustainable ways," said Nicole Hamm, executive director of Blue Zones Project Jacksonville. "Their commitment to well-being sets a high standard for workplaces throughout our city."

"At Mayo Clinic, our employees are at the core of everything we do and how we care for our patients," says Kent Thielen, M.D., CEO of Mayo Clinic in Florida. "Caring for our employees by creating an environment where they belong and prioritizing all aspects of their health helps us to fulfill our mission as an organization. We continue to implement and instill a culture of health and well-being for staff, patients and the Northeast Florida community. We are proud to become a Blue Zones Approved Worksite and look forward to continuing to work together with Blue Zones Project Jacksonville to make Jacksonville a better place to live, work, eat and play."

To mark the occasion, Mayo Clinic in Florida will host a Worksite Approval ceremony and well-being celebration for employees on Monday, June 23 from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. ET on the Mayo Clinic in Florida Campus in the Kinne Auditorium located in the Cannaday Building. The event will include a ribbon-cutting and ceremony starting at 11:30 a.m. followed by wellness activities, healthy food tastings, opportunities to interact with fellow employees, Mayo Clinic leaders and Blue Zones Project Jacksonville staff, as well as will include information on the continued steps Mayo Clinic is taking to support staff longevity and well-being.

Local media are invited to attend and cover the event.

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About Blue Zones Project Jacksonville
Blue Zones Project is brought to Jacksonville by Blue Zones and a powerful coalition of community leaders: Baptist Health, Brooks Rehabilitation, the City of Jacksonville, Community First Credit Union, Florida Blue, Jacksonville Jaguars, Jessie Ball duPont Fund, Mayo Clinic, UF Health and United Way of Northeast Florida. This innovative partnership brings together influential public and private organizations under a shared vision to measurably improve community well-being, resilience and economic vitality in Jacksonville. Over six years, local leadership and the local Blue Zones Project team will launch and implement policy work and school initiatives across all of Duval County. The Westside, Northside and East Jax neighborhoods will undergo focused Blue Zones Life Radius transformation. Visit bluezonesprojectjacksonville.com for more information.

About Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to innovation in clinical practice, education and research, and providing compassion, expertise and answers to everyone who needs healing. Visit the Mayo Clinic News Network for additional Mayo Clinic news.

Media contacts:

• Kristin Murray, Blue Zones Project Jacksonville, kristin@bluezones.com
• Tia Ford, Mayo Clinic Communications, newsbureau@mayo.edu

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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — In a bold step to transform cancer care, Mayo Clinic is bringing new hope for patients diagnosed with the most aggressive and treatment-resistant cancers. Today, Mayo Clinic opened the new 228,000-square-foot Duan Family Building at its Jacksonville, Florida location. The building will house the first carbon ion therapy program in the Americas, and advanced technology that can seamlessly deliver both carbon ions and protons to treat the same tumor. 

"Carbon ion therapy and other heavy particle therapies are the advanced radiation therapies of our future," says Cheryl Willman, M.D., executive director, Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center. "When battling our patients' complex, currently radioresistant cancers at Mayo Clinic, we need the advantage of these next-gen radiation tools, which can be fine-tuned to target and treat aggressive tumors while minimizing the impact to surrounding tissue."

As a leading National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center with locations in Florida, Minnesota and Arizona, Mayo Clinic is uniquely qualified to bring carbon ion therapy, as well as the dual carbon ion and proton treatment option, to the Americas.

"Mayo Clinic is building a better future where more cures are possible — giving new hope to patients with aggressive cancers," says Gianrico Farrugia, M.D., president and CEO of Mayo Clinic. "This is the latest demonstration of our commitment to patient-centered healthcare transformation through our Bold. Forward. strategy."

While treatment with carbon ion therapy is expected to begin in 2028 and proton therapy in 2027, the opening of the Duan Family Building marks a significant milestone. Beginning this summer, other cancer treatment options will be offered in the new building, including photon therapy, immunotherapy, chimeric antigen receptor-T cell therapy (CAR-T cell therapy) and more, along with sophisticated imaging technology.

"The emerging treatments that will be offered in the Duan Family Building, including carbon ion therapy, are an important part of the integrated cancer practice at Mayo Clinic, ensuring constant, research-driven innovation in the care we are providing to patients," says Kent Thielen, M.D., CEO of Mayo Clinic in Florida. 

Mayo Clinic researchers, working with outside global experts, are also exploring the use of other heavy ions beyond carbon in clinical studies to evaluate their potential benefits in future cancer care.

This building and the advances in cancer care treatment technology housed within represent a significant investment, largely thanks to the generosity and vision of our benefactors. 

Advancing radiation therapy

Many patients with cancer require radiation therapy during their treatment. Different forms of radiation therapy have varying biological impacts on cancer cells.

• Photon therapy: This is the most common form of radiation therapy, which uses X-rays or gamma rays — packets of light energy called photons — to treat cancer. Beams are directed at the tumor, preventing the cancer cells from growing or dividing.

• Proton beam therapy: This particle therapy directs a precise dose of positively charged particles (protons) at cancer cells, destroying their genetic material while minimizing the impact on surrounding, healthy cells. This is especially beneficial for treating tumors near vital organs and cancer in children.

• Carbon ion therapy: This heavy particle therapy delivers positively charged particles (carbon ions) that release their energy upon hitting the targeted cancerous tumor. The particles destroy cancer cells with very little damage to surrounding tissue. It is particularly effective against cancer cells that are resistant to other forms of radiation.

Advances in radiation therapies, such as carbon ion and dual modality treatments of proton beam and carbon ion, enable clinicians to create highly individualized, precise and effective treatments, ultimately bringing more cures to patients.  

How radiation therapies work

In 2019, Mayo Clinic and technology innovator Hitachi began working together to bring carbon ion therapy to the Americas. While carbon ion therapy was discovered in the United States in the 1970s, the technology has only been available for clinical care at a handful of centers in Asia and Europe.

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About Mayo Clinic 
Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to innovation in clinical practice, education, and research, and providing compassion, expertise and answers to everyone who needs healing. Visit the Mayo Clinic News Network for additional Mayo Clinic news.  

Media contact: 

• Tia R. Ford, Mayo Clinic Communications, newsbureau@mayo.edu 

Media kit:

• Duan Family Building media kit with soundbites, images, animation

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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Alzheimer's disease, marked by memory loss, trouble concentrating and thinking, and changes in personality and behavior, devastates patients, their families and loved ones. With new treatments available for people with early signs of Alzheimer's disease, there is a growing need for accessible and cost-effective tests to diagnose Alzheimer's disease sooner. In a new study, Mayo Clinic researchers confirmed the accuracy of an FDA-approved blood test that can be used at outpatient memory clinics to diagnose the disease in patients with a range of cognitive impairment. The findings are published in Alzheimer's and Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association.

Standard ways of measuring the buildup of toxic proteins in the brain that indicate Alzheimer's disease include positron emission tomography, or PET scans, and spinal taps. But these tests can be expensive and invasive. More accessible, non-invasive and cost-effective biomarkers — measurable indicators of a disease — are needed to improve diagnoses broadly in clinical settings. 

"Our study found that blood testing affirmed the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease with 95% sensitivity and 82% specificity,” says corresponding author Gregg Day, M.D., a Mayo Clinic neurologist, dementia specialist and clinical researcher. "When performed in the outpatient clinical setting, this is similar to the accuracy of cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers of the disease and is much more convenient and cost-effective."

The research team says their findings show promise in:

• Better identifying research participants with Alzheimer's disease brain changes.
• Screening and selecting patients with Alzheimer's disease for clinical trials.
• Assessing how patients respond to therapy in clinical trials.
  

More than 500 patients receiving treatment for a range of memory issues at the outpatient Memory Disorder Clinic at Mayo Clinic in Florida participated in the study. They included patients with early- and late-onset cognitive impairment, typical and atypical Alzheimer's disease, Lewy body dementia and vascular cognitive impairment. 

Patients ranged from 32 to 89 years old, with the average age of symptom onset being 66. Alzheimer's disease was determined to be the underlying cause of the symptoms in 56% of the patients. The team also conducted serum tests to measure kidney disease, which can influence plasma biomarker concentrations. 

Mayo Clinic Laboratories tested for two proteins in blood plasma that are associated with amyloid plaque buildup, the hallmark of Alzheimer's disease: Aβ42/40 and p-tau217. The researchers found that p-tau217 levels were higher in patients with Alzheimer's disease versus those without the disease. Higher plasma p-tau217 concentrations were also associated with impaired kidney function, which researchers say should be taken into account when performing the blood test. 

Plasma p-tau217 concentrations were positive in 267 out of 509 patients, including 233 of 246 patients (95%) with cognitive impairment attributed to Alzheimer's disease.

The study was featured at the American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting in April. 

In a previous study, researchers from the Mayo Clinic Laboratories team showed the utility of these blood tests compared to amyloid PET scans in research participants. 

Dr. Day says the next steps in this research are to evaluate blood-based testing in more diverse patient populations and people with early Alzheimer's disease who show no cognitive symptoms. The team also wants to evaluate disease-specific factors that may alter biomarker accuracy in clinical trials.

Other Mayo Clinic authors include Yoav Piura, M.D., Christian Lachner, M.D., Joshua Bornhorst, Ph.D., Alicia Algeciras Schimnich, Ph.D., and Neill Graff-Radford, M.D. For a full list of authors, funding and disclosures, see the paper.

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About Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to innovation in clinical practice, education and research, and providing compassion, expertise and answers to everyone who needs healing. Visit the Mayo Clinic News Network for additional Mayo Clinic news. 

Media contact:

• Tia Ford, Mayo Clinic Communications, newsbureau@mayo.edu

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