Gastroenterology - February 2015 Archives

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I was recently diagnosed with diverticulitis. It was treated and the symptoms went away, but I’m wondering what could have caused it? I’m a 52-year-old man with no other medical problems. Am I at an increased risk for developing diverticulitis again since I’ve had it before? ANSWER: Diverticulitis happens when small pockets that develop in the lining of your digestive tract become inflamed or infected. Treatment for diverticulitis focuses on eliminating the infection or inflammation, but it does not get rid of the pockets. Because those pockets remain, there is some risk you could get diverticulitis again, yet that risk is less than 10 to 15 percent. In some cases, making certain lifestyle changes may help lower the risk.

Unique Arrangement Aims to Build on the Success of Cologuard® Exact Sciences Corp. (NASDAQ: EXAS) and Mayo Clinic today announced a five-year extension and expansion of their collaboration, broadening their efforts to develop screening, surveillance and diagnostic tests beyond colorectal cancer to address other diseases within the gastrointestinal tract. The amended agreement extends the collaboration for five more years with David Ahlquist, M.D., a Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist, and his lab at Mayo Clinic. Exact Sciences will continue to have rights to certain intellectual property, including patents, know-how and new markers. The original June 11, 2009 agreement between Exact Sciences and Mayo Clinic led to the development of Cologuard, which the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved on August 11, 2014. Cologuard is the first and only FDA-approved stool DNA-based colorectal cancer screening test. “This unique collaboration is producing powerful results,” said John Noseworthy, M.D., president and CEO of Mayo Clinic. “The success of our teams in developing Cologuard exemplifies what can happen when two organizations combine their expertise and unite toward a single goal.” “By expanding our relationship with Mayo Clinic, we have an opportunity to build on our shared successes and continue looking for new opportunities to take on some of the deadliest forms of cancer,” said Kevin Conroy, CEO and chairman of Exact Sciences. “This collaboration and our ability to leverage both institutions’ distinctly different strengths is unique in American industry. But our ambitions cannot end with Cologuard. We expect our collaboration to continue producing breakthroughs that can change patients’ lives.” MEDIA CONTACTS: J.P. Fielder, Exact Sciences Corp.  (202) 746 6352  Jfielder@exactsciences.com Brian Kilen, Mayo Clinic 507-284-5005 newsbureau@mayo.edu