International

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAyvFbGlWKY&feature=youtu.be Journalists: Broadcast soundbites with Dr. Perez are available in the downloads. CHICAGO — In the largest clinical trial testing the effectiveness of one versus two drugs to treat HER2-positive breast cancer, lapatinib (Tykerb) did not add benefit to the standard trastuzumab (Herceptin) adjuvant therapy, researchers report at the 50th annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). Results of the phase III clinical trial, ALTTO (Adjuvant Lapatinib and/or Trastuzumab Treatment Optimization study), demonstrated that adding lapatinib to trastuzumab and chemotherapy did not improve patient outcome (defined as disease-free survival or overall survival), and that use of lapatinib significantly increased toxicity. “These findings suggest that standard adjuvant (post-surgery) treatment for early stage HER2-positive breast cancer should remain trastuzumab in combination with chemotherapy,” says Edith A. Perez, M.D., deputy director at large of the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, and director of the Breast Cancer Translational Genomics Program at Mayo Clinic in Florida.

Collaboration to support medical innovation, improvements in patient care and the economy Ireland — Mayo Clinic today announced a five-year collaboration with Enterprise Ireland, the Irish enterprise development agency, to advance novel medical technologies originating from Mayo Clinic. The announcement was made this morning in Dublin by An Taoiseach Enda Kenny T.D., the prime minister of Ireland, at the Medical Device 360° conference. Journalists: B-roll and sound bites with Mayo and Enterprise leaders are available in the downloads. This is a unique collaboration providing an alternative source of funding for translational medical research, especially significant at a time when U.S. funding for research is challenging to obtain. Enterprise Ireland has committed up to $16 million in the agreement. “This collaboration bridges a financial gap for translational research,” says Greg Gores, M.D. , executive dean for research at Mayo Clinic. “It provides funding in between the early-stage basic research and the stage when a technology is ready for the marketplace. In the U.S., this stage is expensive and difficult to fund. We are providing the technologies and Enterprise Ireland the funding. Both of us are contributing to technology advancement.” The novel medical technologies are Mayo Clinic innovations that have the potential to make it easier for patients to be diagnosed or treated. The development of one technology is already underway at National University of Ireland, Galway (NUI.G). The inventor, Vijay Singh, M.B.B.S., a gastroenterologist at Mayo Clinic in Arizona, developed a device to treat acute pancreatitis, a disease in which the pancreas is rapidly damaged, causing excruciating pain and often resulting in prolonged hospitalization or sometimes death. Experts at NUI.G are currently preparing the device for human clinical trials, which will be conducted by the university.

http://youtu.be/8ZrqdKORo5M Abba Zubair, M.D., Ph.D, believes that cells grown in the International Space Station (ISS) could help patients recover from a stroke, and that it may even be possible to generate human tissues and organs in space. Dr. Zubair says, “On Earth, we face many challenges in trying to grow enough stem cells to treat patients. It takes a month to generate enough cells for a few patients. A clinical-grade laboratory in space could provide the answer we all have been seeking for regenerative medicine.” Now, the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), a nonprofit organization that promotes research aboard the ISS, has awarded Dr. Zubair a $300,000 grant to send human stem cells into space to see if they grow more rapidly than stem cells grown on Earth. Dr. Zubair, medical and scientific director of the cell therapy laboratory at Mayo Clinic in Florida, says the experiment will be the first one Mayo Clinic has conducted in space and the first to use these human stem cells, which are found in bone marrow. Read news release. Journalists: Sound bites with Dr. Zubair are available in the downloads.

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Aug. 8, 2013 — Patients with severe mitral valve regurgitation who are otherwise healthy should have mitral valve repair surgery sooner rather than later, even if they feel no symptoms, a Mayo Clinic-led study by U.S. and European researchers found. The results challenge the long-held belief that it is safer to "watch and wait" until a patient has symptoms, such as shortness of breath. This is the largest study to show that patients who undergo surgery early after diagnosis have improved long-term survival and lower risk of heart failure. MULTIMEDIA ALERT: Video of Drs. Rakesh Suri and Maurice Enriquez-Sarano will be available for download on the Mayo Clinic News Network.

On Saturday, July 27, Abinash Virk, M.D., will join us to discuss the Mayo Clinic Travel Clinic.  Different destinations around the world have different recommendations and sometimes requirements for ...

An international team, including researchers from MayoClinic, has discovered a gene so powerful it nearly triples the risk of  Alzheimer’s disease. It is the most potent genetic ...

ROCHESTER, Minn., and CALGARY, Alberta — Mayo Clinic and Assured Diagnosis Inc. (ADI) of Calgary, Alberta, announced today the launch of two new health insurance options that will provide more Canadians access to Mayo Clinic's expertise and care in the event of serious illness. The two new offerings, MyCare Health Benefit Option (HBO) and MyCare Advantage Insurance, are now available to companies and associations as an addition to their benefit packages. Like the original MyCare plan, designed for individuals and families, these two new products are available nationwide in Canada, initially excluding Quebec. "The May 2011 launch of the MyCare Insurance program for individuals and families was very well received and we were inundated with requests from employers and associations to provide a similar product for their groups. MyCare HBO and MyCare Advantage insurance are in direct response to that need," says Jim Viccars, president and CEO of ADI. MyCare HBO assists members in obtaining a diagnosis of serious illness and providing diagnostic scans and necessary specialist assessments. This provides more service than the traditional second opinion products attached to many group benefit programs. MyCare HBO members will have access to Mayo Clinic expertise delivered remotely via an electronic medical opinion consultation, and will have the option to upgrade to MyCare Advantage Insurance at group rates for on-site care at Mayo Clinic campuses in Jacksonville, Fla., Scottsdale/Phoenix, Ariz., and Rochester, Minn. "MyCare Health Benefit Option and optional upgrade to MyCare Advantage Insurance were developed to remove barriers to obtaining required medical services for plan members and their families," says Viccars. "Mayo Clinic has provided hope and solutions for tens of thousands of Canadians for more than a century," says Mikel Prieto, M.D., medical director of the International Office at Mayo Clinic. "We strive to build meaningful relationships with our patients at home and abroad, serving them not only when they are ill, but anticipating their needs before they become ill. We look forward to the opportunity to extend our expertise to Canadians through the latest MyCare offerings."