Florida - November 2014 Archives

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Mayo Clinic Board of Trustees welcomed Mary Sue Coleman, Ph.D., as a new public member at its quarterly meeting today. Dr. Coleman is president emeritus of the University of Michigan, (U-M) an institution she led for 12 years before retiring in July 2014. Time magazine named her one of the nation’s “10 best college presidents,” and the American Council on Education honored her with its Lifetime Achievement Award. She previously was president of the University of Iowa. As University of Michigan president, Dr. Coleman unveiled several major initiatives designed to impact on future generations of students, the intellectual life of the campus, and society at large. The initiatives focused on the interdisciplinary richness of the U-M, student residential life, the economic vitality of the state and nation, global engagement and the value of innovation and creativity. President Obama chose Dr. Coleman to help launch the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership, a national effort bringing together industry, universities and the federal government. Click here for a bio of Dr. Mary Sue Coleman. MEDIA CONTACT: Karl Oestreich, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, newsbureau@mayo.edu.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Researchers at Mayo Clinic’s campus in Jacksonville say they have identified first steps in the origin of pancreatic cancer and that their findings suggest preventive strategies to explore. In an online issue of Cancer Discovery, the scientists described the molecular steps necessary for acinar cells in the pancreas — the cells that release digestive enzymes — to become precancerous lesions. Some of these lesions can then morph into cancer. “Pancreatic cancer develops from these lesions, so if we understand how these lesions come about, we may be able to stop the cancer train altogether,” says the study’s lead investigator, Peter Storz, Ph.D., a cancer biologist. he need for new treatment and prevention strategies is pressing, Dr. Storz says. Pancreatic cancer is one of the most aggressive human cancers — symptoms do not occur until the cancer is well advanced. One-year survival after diagnosis is only 20 percent. It is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in this country. The scientists studied pancreatic cells with Kras genetic mutations. Kras produces a protein that regulates cell division, and the gene is often mutated in many cancers. More than 95 percent of pancreatic cancer cases have a Kras mutation. The researchers detailed the steps that led acinar cells with Kras mutations to transform into duct-like cells with stem cell-like properties. Stem cells, which can divide at will, are also often implicated in cancer. MEDIA CONTACT: Kevin Punsky, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 904-953-0746. Email: punsky.kevin@mayo.edu

http://youtu.be/cTjpk2XwSNc JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Nov. 9, 2014 — All patients with hepatitis C who receive a liver transplant will eventually infect their new livers. These transplanted organs then require anti-viral treatment before they become severely damaged. But traditional post-transplant hepatitis C therapy can take up to a year, is potentially toxic and can lead to organ rejection. Now, at the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (The Liver Meeting® 2014) in Boston, researchers at Mayo Clinic report that use of two new oral medications post-transplant is safe and beneficial, and requires only 12 weeks of treatment. “This is the first study to examine the use of these two new drugs — simeprevir and sofosbuvir — in liver transplant recipients, and, based on this large study, we find it to be a better option than current treatment,” says the study’s lead researcher, Surakit Pungpapong, M.D., a transplant hepatologist and an associate professor of medicine at Mayo Clinic in Florida. Journalists: Soundbites with Dr. Pungpapong are available in the downloads. MEDIA CONTACT: Paul Scotti, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 904-953-0199. Email: scotti.paul@mayo.edu