FOSHAN, China, and ROCHESTER, Minn. — Mayo Clinic and Heyou International Health System jointly announced that Heyou Hospital and Heyou Pinnacle Medical Center have joined the Mayo Clinic Care Network. This formal relationship marks an important step in Heyou International Health System's mission to provide high-quality, evidence-based medical care to communities across the Guangdong province and Greater Bay Area in southern China.

Created in 2011, the Mayo Clinic Care Network includes carefully selected independent organizations worldwide that are committed to working together to improve the quality and value of healthcare to improve patients' lives globally. Members retain their independence while benefiting from Mayo Clinic's decades of experience and best practices.

Heyou International Health System is an integrated healthcare and medical services group that includes Heyou Hospital and Heyou Pinnacle Medical Center. They are the first members in the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area to join the Mayo Clinic Care Network. Heyou Hospital is a nonprofit general hospital that provides comprehensive inpatient and outpatient care. Heyou Pinnacle Medical Center offers personalized medical services to meet different patient needs.

"We are honored to welcome Heyou Hospital and Heyou Pinnacle Medical Center to the Mayo Clinic Care Network," says Jorge Pascual, M.D., medical director of Strategic Relationships at Mayo Clinic. "Their focus on patient-centered care aligns closely with our values. We look forward to working together to expand access to high-quality care and deliver meaningful outcomes for patients across the Guangdong province and Greater Bay Area in southern China."

As Mayo Clinic Care Network members, Heyou Hospital and Heyou Pinnacle Medical Center gain access to Mayo Clinic's extensive clinical knowledge and expertise to enhance patient care.

"Joining the Mayo Clinic Care Network reflects our shared commitment to putting patients first," says Jiade J. Lu, M.D., executive vice president of Heyou International Health System, chair of the Heyou Comprehensive Cancer Center, and director of its Proton and Heavy Ion Center. "Through the Mayo Clinic Care Network, our physicians can access the knowledge and experience of the world's leading medical institutions to better serve our patients."

Through the Mayo Clinic Care Network, healthcare professionals at Heyou Hospital and Heyou Pinnacle Medical Center will have access to tools and services, including: 

• AskMayoExpert: This point-of-care tool offers concise clinical information on hundreds of medical conditions and includes medical protocols, treatment recommendations, and medical references. This database can be used wherever and whenever healthcare is provided.
• Health Care Consulting: Access to Mayo's extensive experience, knowledge and subspecialty expertise to achieve clinical, educational, operational and business goals.
• eConsults: Connections to Mayo Clinic specialists for second opinions on specific patient cases.
• eBoards: These live, scheduled video conferences enable medical teams at member hospitals to review and discuss complex cases with a Mayo Clinic multidisciplinary panel and other doctors in the Mayo Clinic Care Network.

Heyou Hospital and Heyou Pinnacle Medical Center, and other members of the Mayo Clinic Care Network, remain independent. The Mayo Clinic Care Network has more than 45 member organizations across the U.S. and in Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East.

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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.

About Heyou Hospital
Located in Shunde, Foshan, in the heart of China's Greater Bay Area, Heyou Hospital is a nonprofit tertiary hospital founded on the philanthropic vision of Mr. He Xiangjian, founder of Midea Group. Guided by a mission of healthcare driven by purpose rather than profit, the hospital reinvests operating surpluses to improve patient care, advance medical research and support community health. The modern campus integrates clinical care, research, education, prevention and rehabilitation, with more than 50 clinical departments and specialty centers providing comprehensive services. A proton and heavy ion therapy system, expected to begin operation in 2027, will further expand advanced cancer treatment capabilities.

About Heyou Pinnacle Medical Center
Located in Shunde, Foshan, Heyou Pinnacle Medical Center is a Sino–Hong Kong joint-venture hospital designed to provide personalized, high-quality medical services in a private and comfortable setting. Working alongside Heyou Hospital, the center serves patients across the Greater Bay Area as well as international patients seeking premium medical care and comprehensive health management. Distinguished physicians across more than 40 specialties provide multidisciplinary care supported by advanced imaging and diagnostic technology. Thoughtfully designed with modern architecture and Lingnan cultural elements, the facility offers a calm and private healing environment for patients and families.

Media contacts:

• Caroline Auger, Mayo Clinic Communications, newsbureau@mayo.edu
• Amy Le, Heyou International Health System, leyi1@hyhospital.com

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On a global stage in Berlin, surrounded by leading scientists and engineers in quantum computing, a Mayo Clinic team earned first place at the Berlin Quantum Hackathon 2026.

The five-week hackathon challenged six finalist teams to prove that quantum computing — one of science's newest and most complex frontiers — can solve meaningful problems beyond theory. More than 180 teams applied to compete. The awards were presented on March 5.

The Mayo team built a novel quantum-powered model capable of detecting movement intention directly from brain activity. 

Code, circuits and possibility

Inside the competition hall, conversations unfolded in the language of quantum science — qubits, circuits and optimization algorithms. Teams presented performance metrics to an expert judging panel that challenged assumptions and tested claims on the spot. Technical execution, scalability and real-world impact all factored into the score.

Among them stood a Mayo Clinic team that had begun studying quantum computing only a year earlier.

They approached the challenge the way Mayo Clinic approaches medicine: with the patient at the center and the science pushed to its limits.

Decoding the intent to move

The team's work began with a clinical question: What happens when the brain intends to move, but the body cannot?

In people living with paralysis or other motor impairments, the brain still sends the signal, carrying intention across neural networks even when the body cannot respond.

The team set out to detect that signal by distinguishing the intent to move a left hand from a right — a subtle difference buried within the brain's constant electrical rhythm.

They drew on electroencephalogram, or EEG, recordings, which capture the brain's electrical activity as continuous waves layered with motion and background noise.

To isolate that distinction, they built a hybrid system that combined advanced AI with emerging quantum tools. That required learning the language of quantum science.

"One of our secrets to success was focusing on the complete solution, not just the computational challenge," says Dr. Rickey Carter, professor of biostatistics at Mayo Clinic and the team leader. "We built around patients' needs and paid close attention to the edge cases where the model struggled. That's where we concentrated our quantum efforts."

If validated in future research, such signals could one day help guide assistive technologies or prosthetics, potentially enabling more precise control of movement.

At the leading edge of discovery 

For Dr. Charles Bruce, chief innovation officer at Mayo Clinic in Florida, the hackathon reflected a broader commitment: building bridges across disciplines and borders in a field that advances through shared expertise.

"Standing alongside leaders in this field strengthened our work and reminded us that advancement happens together," Dr. Bruce says. "We entered this challenge as underdogs. None of us had prior quantum computing experience. But progress is built collectively. You learn from one another, blending biology with data science, and the work becomes stronger because of it."

The multidisciplinary team from Mayo Clinic in Florida — Dr. Carter, Miko Wieczorek, Dr. Michele Dougherty, Dr. Feifei Li and Dr. Bruce — built the model from the ground up. Mayo Clinic's Quantum Sensing and Computing program supported the effort, exploring how emerging quantum technologies may intersect with patient care.

Miko Wieczorek, a data scientist in the Mayo Clinic Digital Innovation Lab, led the team's work running the model on a quantum computer — a first for Mayo.

"When our model executed successfully on a quantum computer, it felt like stepping into the next chapter of science," Wieczorek says. "In that moment, we realized we weren't just observing this field — we were helping shape it."

Dr. Michele Dougherty, a medical physicist in Radiation Oncology, contributed expertise in complex optimization.

"Quantum computing could eventually help us design safer and more precise radiation treatments," she says. "If it accelerates how we find the best possible plan for a patient, that's meaningful."

Dr. Feifei Li, a former theoretical physicist who is now a medical physicist in Radiation Oncology at Mayo Clinic, says the project highlights how quantum computing could expand the boundaries of medical research.

"Some scientific questions remain unsolved not because we lack data, but because of how difficult they are to model," Dr. Li says. "Quantum computing gives us a different way to approach that complexity."

Quantum computing moves toward application

The event was hosted by Berlin-based quantum software company Kipu Quantum and supported by the State of Berlin's Quantum Initiative and the Charité-Berlin University Medicine.

"Quantum computing is proving this year that we can design hybrid quantum-classical solutions for tackling industrial problems," says Enrique Solano, CEO of Kipu Quantum. "Medical imaging and life science will occupy a key role in the list of applications. By winning the hackathon, Mayo Clinic is making an important step toward this visionary goal."

Shaping the frontier 

For the Mayo Clinic team, the Berlin hackathon reaffirmed that real progress begins with curiosity, collaboration and the courage to explore uncharted territory. Together, they showed how multidisciplinary teams can carry some of healthcare's most pressing challenges toward its next frontier.

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Newsweek named Mayo Clinic the No. 1 hospital in its annual list of the "World's Best Hospitals" for the eighth consecutive year. The rankings were released on Wednesday, Feb. 25.

Newsweek has named Mayo Clinic the No. 1 hospital in the world for the eighth straight year in its 2026 World’s Best Hospitals list.  

"This recognition is a result of the extraordinary expertise, compassion and commitment of our staff, all working together to transform healthcare and find more cures for the benefit of people everywhere," says Gianrico Farrugia, M.D., president and CEO of Mayo Clinic. "Over the past year, we accelerated that transformation by responsibly integrating data, technology and AI into patient care."

The annual Newsweek rankings are based on patient survey results; an international survey of more than 85,000 healthcare professionals; key performance metrics, such as patient safety and quality of care; and implementation of patient-reported outcomes.

Through its Bold. Forward. strategy, Mayo Clinic is reimagining healthcare to ensure patients everywhere receive better answers and better outcomes. By combining deep clinical expertise with responsible digital innovation, the organization is transforming how care is delivered. Central to this effort is Mayo Clinic Platform, which drives the development, validation and deployment of AI in real-world clinical settings with partners across four continents.

See the full "World's Best Hospitals" list.

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Eric Moore, M.D., medical director of Mayo Clinic International, has been elected as the newest member of the Mayo Clinic Board of Trustees.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Eric Moore, M.D., medical director of Mayo Clinic International and chair of the Department of Otolaryngology in Rochester, was elected to the Mayo Clinic Board of Trustees at its quarterly meeting on Feb. 20.

"Dr. Moore is an internationally respected leader whose commitment to patients and strategic vision will be a tremendous asset to our Board of Trustees," says Gianrico Farrugia, M.D., president and CEO, Mayo Clinic. “His extensive experience and collaborative approach will help guide our strategic priorities and strengthen Mayo Clinic’s impact for patients worldwide."

Dr. Moore was appointed medical director of Mayo Clinic International in April 2025. A professor and chair of the Department of Otolaryngology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Dr. Moore has more than 30 years of experience in head and neck surgery. As department chair, Dr. Moore leads Mayo Clinic's care for patients with complex ear, nose and throat (ENT) conditions while advancing excellence in clinical care, education and research. His joint appointments in the division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in the department of General Surgery, Neurosurgery and Pediatrics ensure better-coordinated treatments for ENT patients.

Dr. Moore attended medical school at Jefferson Medical College, completed his residency in otolaryngology-head and neck surgery at Mayo Clinic from 1992 to 1997 and pursued a fellowship in endoscopic skull base surgery in Graz, Austria, in 2001. He also served as a major in the United States Air Force from 1997 to 2001 before beginning his clinical practice in head and neck surgery at Mayo Clinic.

Dr. Moore is a pioneer in less invasive transoral robotic surgery and has improved outcomes for patients with head and neck cancers. A dedicated mentor, he has contributed extensively to otolaryngology education and has received multiple awards, including the Mayo Fellows Teacher of the Year Award five times.

Reelected, emeritus trustees

The Mayo Clinic Board of Trustees reelected two trustees:

• Matthew Callstrom, M.D., Ph.D., has been a consultant at Mayo Clinic since 2000 and holds the academic rank of professor of radiology. He serves as medical director for the Strategy Department and the Artificial Intelligence Program as well as associate medical director in the Department of Development.
• Abimbola Famuyide, M.B.B.S., is a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester and has been a consultant at Mayo Clinic for over 22 years. He currently serves as chair of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester Personnel Committee. His areas of interest include research in abnormal uterine bleeding, benign gynecologic endoscopic surgery and obstetric safety.

The board also recognized and honored one emeritus trustee:

• Eric Schmidt is the former CEO and executive chairman of Google and the current CEO of Relativity Space, an aerospace manufacturing company. He was also the executive chairman of Google's parent company, Alphabet Inc., and served as its technical advisor.

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About the Mayo Clinic Board of Trustees 
The Mayo Clinic Board of Trustees, a group of public representatives and Mayo Clinic physicians and administrators, is responsible for patient care, medical education and research at Mayo Clinic in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota, as well as Mayo Clinic Health System, a network of clinics and hospitals serving communities in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Media contact:

• Andrea Kalmanovitz, Mayo Clinic Communications, newsbureau@mayo.edu

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GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands — Mayo Clinic is opening a representative office in the Cayman Islands to help patients, their families, health insurers and others interested in connecting with Mayo Clinic. The office on Grand Cayman Island is Mayo's first in the Caymans and third in the Caribbean. 

The Mayo Clinic Representative Office staff will help patients in the Cayman Islands and surrounding area make appointments at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota; Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona; Jacksonville, Florida; and Mayo Clinic Healthcare in London. Mayo Clinic has patient information offices in roughly 15 countries, including the Dominican Republic and Trinidad and Tobago.

"The staff at the Mayo Clinic Representative Office in the Cayman Islands will play a key role facilitating travel to Mayo Clinic by patients and their families," says Rafael Sierra, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon and chair of the division of hip and knee surgery at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and Mayo Clinic medical director for the Americas. "The addition of a third office in the Caribbean underscores Mayo's commitment to serving patients throughout the region who have serious, complex and unsolved medical needs."

The staff help with travel, lodging, billing, and insurance arrangements; provide general orientation to Mayo Clinic; facilitate Mayo review of medical records; and coordinate future appointments. The services are free of charge. The office does not provide medical care.

Mayo accepts appointment requests directly from patients and patient referrals from physicians. Interpreters are available at no cost to assist with communication between healthcare providers and patients whose primary language is not English.

Mayo care teams work together to provide a healing environment and a seamless patient experience. That includes coordinated appointment schedules, with specialists, tests and procedures located in close proximity to each other; coordination of care by one personal physician; and smooth communication at Mayo and with patients' healthcare teams at home.  

The Cayman Islands office staff may be reached at caymanislandsoff@mayo.edu and 1-345-324-9857. The office is located at Regatta Office Park Windward 3, Suite 119, Seven Mile Beach. Learn more here.

Mayo Clinic is ranked the best hospital in the world by Newsweek and is top ranked in more specialties than any other hospital in the U.S. by U.S. News & World Report.

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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

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ROCHESTER, Minn. — As the new year begins, people around the world resolve to improve their health. For some adults living with obesity, lifestyle changes alone may not be enough to treat the disease.

Watch: Dr. Omar Ghanem discusses treatment options for obesity

Journalists: Broadcast-quality sound bites are available in the downloads at the end of the post. Please courtesy: "Mayo Clinic News Network." Name super/CG: Omar Ghanem, M.D./ Endocrine and Metabolic Surgery /Mayo Clinic.

Omar Ghanem, M.D., Mayo Clinic medical director for the Middle East and a metabolic surgeon and chair of metabolic and abdominal wall reconstructive surgery at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, says people should care for their health throughout the year. Yet, the start of a new year is a meaningful time for some people to reassess their health and learn about all available treatment options for obesity.

"Obesity is a complex disease, not a personal failure," Dr. Ghanem says. "Many people try diets, exercise programs and medications, but still struggle because obesity has many causes — psychological, metabolic, behavioral and genetic. Because it is a complex disease, it requires a comprehensive treatment. Metabolic surgery helps treat obesity in ways other treatments cannot."

Addressing obesity stigma

Despite its rising prevalence, obesity is often misunderstood. Many people living with obesity encounter stigma — including the false assumptions that weight is simply a matter of willpower or personal responsibility. Research shows that obesity is a chronic disease influenced by multiple factors outside an individual's control, and stigma can prevent people from seeking appropriate treatment. 

Research published in The Lancet's eClinicalMedicine reports that weight stigma leads to avoidance of healthcare, delays in seeking medical care and reduced trust in providers — all of which can interfere with receiving appropriate, evidence-based treatment.

Metabolic surgery offers lifesaving benefits for patients with obesity

According to studies, metabolic surgery is an effective and durable therapy for severe obesity. Metabolic surgery typically results in 25%–30% total body weight loss that often is sustained for many years. Metabolic surgery supports weight loss, and it also can improve conditions associated with obesity, such as diabetes, sleep apnea, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

"For many patients, surgery is the turning point that allows them to get their health back," Dr. Ghanem says. "Some patients no longer need diabetes or blood pressure medications immediately after surgery. It can be life-changing."

Beyond weight loss: Surgery can open doors to other lifesaving care

At Mayo Clinic, Dr. Ghanem and colleagues regularly treat patients with complex medical needs who require weight loss before they can safely undergo another operation, such as a heart or kidney transplant, joint replacement, or hernia repair.

"These are highly coordinated cases involving cardiologists, endocrinologists, anesthesiologists and transplant specialists," he says. "Multidisciplinary care allows patients to access treatments they were previously told were impossible."

Mayo Clinic also specializes in corrective bariatric surgeries for complications from procedures performed elsewhere, including hernias, ulcers, fistulas, malnutrition or weight regain.

A new era in obesity treatment

Dr. Ghanem says obesity treatment continues to evolve. A promising approach is the integration of anti-obesity medications with surgery.

"Combining medical and surgical therapies has tremendous potential — similar to how medications and surgery work together in cancer treatment," he says.

Mayo Clinic research has demonstrated that bariatric surgery provides long-term metabolic benefits, may reduce cancer risk and can even be performed at the same time as a liver transplant in select patients — improving long-term survival.

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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:

• Caroline Auger, Mayo Clinic Communications, newsbureau@mayo.edu

The post New year, new focus on health: Mayo Clinic expert highlights effective treatment options for obesity appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A new international study — believed to be the largest of its kind — examined what people know about perimenopause and what symptoms they experience. The results reveal a clear gap between what perimenopause symptoms people expect and what they experience.

Mayo Clinic researchers published a collaborative research study with Flo, a women's health application, to assess the perimenopause symptoms of 17,494 people from 158 countries. The study results are published in Menopause, the official journal of The Menopause Society.

Perimenopause marks the time leading up to the final menstrual period and includes the year after it ends. This transition can begin as early as the 30s and last for several years. Although it affects health and daily life, researchers have studied it far less than menopause.

"This study shines a light on how little we still understand about perimenopause and how much it affects people's daily lives," says first author Mary Hedges, M.D., a community internal medicine physician at Mayo Clinic in Florida. "At Mayo Clinic, we're working to expand that understanding so we can improve awareness and guide care that truly meets the needs of each patient."

Among more than 12,000 participants over age 35, the most common reported symptoms were fatigue (83%), exhaustion (83%), irritability (80%), low mood (77%), sleep problems (76%), digestive issues (76%) and anxiety (75%).

When asked what they associate with perimenopause, participants most often named hot flashes (71%), sleep problems (68%) and weight gain (65%). However, for those who said they were in perimenopause, 95% reported exhaustion and 93% reported fatigue — far higher than the rate of hot flashes. Exhaustion is a general decrease in performance, impaired memory, decreased concentration, and forgetfulness, whereas fatigue is physical exhaustion.

These findings show that fatigue, mood changes and sleep-related issues are central to many people's perimenopause experiences, the study authors say. Hormone changes may affect the body's natural rhythms and restorative sleep, while mood changes can be influenced by hormones, inflammation and diet.

The research highlights that perimenopause symptoms can significantly affect daily life, relationships and work. Responsibilities such as caregiving and coexisting health conditions may add to the strain, increasing fatigue and emotional stress.

Mayo Clinic researchers say the study underscores the importance of rethinking how clinicians approach midlife health. They emphasize that understanding what people are truly experiencing — not just what is traditionally expected — is essential to improving care and communication during this life stage.

Mayo Clinic continues to study how biological, lifestyle and social factors influence perimenopause symptoms and how greater awareness can help improve patient care. This work supports Mayo Clinic's vision to transform the practice of medicine through research that addresses real-world needs and leads to more informed, compassionate care.

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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:

• Julie Ferris-Tillman, Ph.D., Mayo Clinic Communications, newsbureau@mayo.edu

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RIYADH, Saudi Arabia and ROCHESTER, Minn. — Saudi German Health (SGH), a leading healthcare provider and pioneer in advancing medical excellence across the region, is expanding its relationship with Mayo Clinic. This milestone cements SGH as the largest group of Mayo Clinic Care Network members in the region, bringing world-class expertise and innovation closer to patients across the Kingdom and beyond.

SGH will integrate Mayo Clinic's clinical knowledge and resources to enhance patient outcomes, elevate quality of care and accelerate innovation. This week, SGH hospitals in Ajman, UAE, and Cairo, joined the Mayo Clinic Care Network. Over the next three years, five additional SGH hospitals across Saudi Arabia and the UAE will join the network, creating an unprecedented ecosystem of shared expertise.

The announcement was made at a landmark internal event in Riyadh, home of the first Saudi German hospital to join the Mayo Clinic Care Network.  The event brought together SGH leadership, physicians, key stakeholders and media, reflecting the shared commitment to transforming healthcare delivery in alignment with Saudi Vision 2030.

"This is more than working together, it is a promise," says Makarem Sobhi Al-Batterjee, vice chairman of Saudi German Health. "By working side by side with Mayo Clinic, we are combining our strengths to create a future where exceptional healthcare is accessible to all. Together, we are ensuring that every patient receives the highest standard of care, right here at home. This is a direct reflection of the SGH promise of Caring Like Family."

The strengthened relationship currently includes facilities in Jeddah, Dammam and Ajman, with Riyadh and Cairo being previous members.

"Our relationship with Saudi German Health reflects a deep commitment to advancing care through knowledge sharing and clinical transformation," says Dr. Eric Moore, medical director, Mayo Clinic International, and chair of head and neck surgery at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. "Together, we are elevating healthcare standards and delivering meaningful value for patients and communities throughout the Middle East." 

A key focus of the next phase is the introduction of specialty-based clinical transformation programs, beginning with cardiovascular care, a critical priority for the region's healthcare landscape.

Mayo Clinic experts will conduct comprehensive annual evaluations at SGH's designated hub hospitals, codeveloping clinical transformation roadmaps. The purpose is to improve quality of care and patient safety, enhance operational efficiency and service delivery, and build leadership capabilities and specialized expertise.

The knowledge exchange from the transformation roadmaps will be shared across SGH hospitals that are part of the network, ensuring consistent world-class standards for all patients.

SGH and Mayo Clinic's relationship reflects a simple but powerful idea: when global expertise and local passion unite, extraordinary healthcare becomes possible.

"`Working Together. Working for You.' is not just our theme, it's our commitment," adds Al-Batterjee. "Through this relationship, we are bringing Mayo Clinic's world-class practices to our communities, building trust and transforming lives. Ultimately, this relationship is about people, our patients, our teams and the families we care for every single day."

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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

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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Mayo Clinic is marking the five-year anniversary of its office in Dubai, opened to assist patients and their families, Mayo Clinic Laboratories clients, healthcare payers, referring physicians, and others interested in connecting with Mayo. 

The office recently moved to a new location in Dubai Healthcare City.

For patients who may have a serious or complex disease, the office staff, fluent in Arabic and English, helps make appointments at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota; Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona; Jacksonville, Florida; and Mayo Clinic Healthcare in London.

"We are pleased to commemorate the five-year anniversary of Mayo Clinic's office in Dubai, which is one of many important ways that we engage with people in the Emirates and surrounding countries," says Dr. Eric Moore, medical director, Mayo Clinic International, and chair of head and neck surgery at Mayo Clinic in Rochester. "Mayo Clinic serves as a trusted navigation point for the region's most challenging medical cases, providing cutting-edge expertise that complements local care. We strive to make communication as seamless as possible as part of our longstanding commitment to patients, healthcare providers and others seeking to collaborate with Mayo Clinic."

Patients and their families seeking Mayo Clinic appointments can reach out to the Dubai office for assistance with travel, lodging, billing and insurance arrangements; general orientation to Mayo Clinic; facilitation of Mayo review of medical records; and coordinating future appointments. These services are provided at no cost to patients. The office does not provide medical care.

The office staff may be reached by email at dubaioffice@mayo.edu or by phone at +971-55-526-8899. The office is located at Office 401, Al Jalila Foundation, Dubai Healthcare City.

Mayo Clinic has patient information offices throughout the world, including in India, Indonesia, Canada, China and several countries in Latin America.

Mayo Clinic accepts appointment requests directly from patients and patient referrals from physicians. Interpreters are available at no cost to assist with communication between healthcare providers and patients whose primary language is not English.

Mayo Clinic is ranked the best hospital in the world by Newsweek and is top ranked in more specialties than any other hospital in the U.S. by U.S. News & World Report. In 2024, Mayo cared for patients from every U.S. state and 135 countries.

The Dubai office also provides support for current and prospective Mayo Clinic Laboratories customers, healthcare providers and payers, and others reaching out to Mayo Clinic, including organizations interested in learning more about the Mayo Clinic Platform, Mayo Clinic Care Network membership and Mayo Clinic Global Consulting services.

"The Dubai office reflects our mission to put the needs of the patient first by providing timely access to Mayo Clinic Laboratories' expertise and resources in the region. It enables us to support clients in real time while serving as a trusted partner to healthcare organizations internationally," says Dr. William Morice II, president and CEO of Mayo Clinic Laboratories.

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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 marks 5-year anniversary, new location for Dubai office, its first in the region appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

ROCHESTER, Minn. — A new international study led by Mayo Clinic researchers has identified a genetic factor that may explain why some patients with colorectal cancer that has spread to the liver experience more severe liver damage after chemotherapy.

For patients with colorectal liver metastases, surgery offers the best chance of long-term survival. To improve outcomes, many patients receive chemotherapy before surgery. While this approach can shrink tumors to make them more operable, one potential side effect is injury to the liver. Until now, it hasn't been clear why certain patients' livers are more prone to chemotherapy-associated liver injury.

"This is the first study to clearly show that a genetic predisposition plays a significant role in how the liver tolerates chemotherapy," says Patrick Starlinger, M.D., Ph.D., a Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center hepatobiliary and pancreas surgeon and senior author of the study published in The Lancet eBioMedicine.

In this study, the researchers reviewed 551 patients who had chemotherapy followed by surgery to remove the tumor. They looked at liver health tests to see how chemotherapy affected liver function and genetic markers that are already linked to liver disease in other settings. 

They found that a specific gene variant in the PNPLA3 gene, which is known to affect fat metabolism in the liver, was strongly linked to liver injury after chemotherapy. Patients with two copies of this variant were especially vulnerable, and all of them developed signs of significant liver injury after chemotherapy.

Genetic differences help explain global variation

According to Dr. Starlinger, the PNPLA3 variant is common worldwide, but its prevalence differs by population. For example, in Japan, the mutation is present in more than 41% of the population. It's found in more than 71% among people of Peruvian descent, but fewer than 10% of people in some European populations have it.

Because the genetic variation is more common in certain groups, such as people of Asian or Latin American descent, this may help explain why previous studies in different countries have reported conflicting results about the benefits of giving chemotherapy before and/or after surgery when treating colorectal liver metastases.

Personalizing care to maximize benefit, minimize risk

The findings suggest that a blood test to check for the PNPLA3 variant, along with monitoring liver health, could help doctors identify patients at higher risk for liver damage from chemotherapy.

"These findings offer us insight into how we can adjust treatment strategies to best manage the care for patients diagnosed with colorectal liver metastases, while potentially avoiding a negative side effect of chemotherapy," says Dr. Starlinger. "Chemotherapy may still be an appropriate treatment option, and with this information, we can personalize treatment for each patient — for example, tailoring chemotherapy or allowing more time for the liver to recover before surgery."

For a complete list of authors, disclosures and funding, review the study.

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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: 

• Chloe Corey, Mayo Clinic Communications, newsbureau@mayo.edu

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