Minnesota - December 2014 Archives

ROCHESTER, Minn. ― Here are highlights from the December issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter. You may cite this publication as often as you wish. Reprinting is allowed for a fee. Mayo Clinic Health Letter attribution is required. Include the following subscription information as your editorial policies permit: Visit http://healthletter.mayoclinic.com/ or call toll-free for subscription information, 1-800-333-9037, extension 9771. Full newsletter text: Mayo Clinic Health Letter December 2014 (for journalists only). Myths and facts about how medications affect older adults Older adults need to be especially vigilant about drug safety, according to the December issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter. That’s because older adults are more likely to be taking more than one medication at a time. Interactions between drugs can cause side effects that might not occur if a drug were taken alone. And, physical changes in older adults can alter both the effectiveness of a medication and side effects, compared with what a younger adult might experience.

NUSSLOCH, Germany — Leica Biosystems and Mayo Clinic’s Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology announced today a collaboration to develop the next generation of cytogenetics imaging software. The new tool will optimize software workflow and improve the overall user experience for cytogenetics imaging technicians. The two organizations intend to help cytogenetics laboratories effectively process increased case loads. Their solution will reduce manual steps in the imaging process through paperless workflow. It will also pioneer secure remote case access, which will enable flexible on- and off-shoring of case reviews. “Our goal is to develop the fastest and most accurate cytogenetic information tool to enhance patient care,” says Patricia Greipp, D.O., co-laboratory director of the Mayo Clinic Cytogenetics Laboratory. “Mayo Clinic now has the opportunity to incorporate its expertise within an imaging solution from Leica that we feel will produce the most sophisticated and efficient cytogenetics analysis tool for the modern cytogenetics laboratory.”

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Clinical recommendations discouraging the use of CYP2D6 gene testing to guide tamoxifen therapy in breast cancer patients are based on studies with flawed methodology and should be reconsidered, according to the results of a Mayo Clinic study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7LzSSnY3Ko Journalists:  Sound bites with Dr. Matthew Goetz are available in the downloads. For years, controversy has surrounded the CYP2D6 gene test for breast cancer. Women with certain inherited genetic deficiencies in the CYP2D6 gene metabolize tamoxifen less efficiently, and thus have lower levels of tamoxifen’s active cancer-fighting metabolite endoxifen. Numerous studies have shown that these women gain less benefit from tamoxifen therapy and have higher rates of recurrence. MEDIA CONTACT:
 Joe Dangor, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, newsbureau@mayo.edu.

Mayo Clinic hosting immersion program for innovative medical startups accelerating advances in patient care ROCHESTER, Minn., — Mayo Clinic announced today a new collaboration with Techstars to offer the Techstars++ program. The Techstars++ program will bring together health care entrepreneurs and companies with Mayo Clinic to find innovative solutions to improve patient care at an accelerated pace. Mayo Clinic is the first to participate in this new program. Techstars is a mentorship-driven accelerator program with a track record of helping to develop businesses, especially technology startups. The Techstars++ program offers companies from the Techstars portfolio of 500 alumni companies the opportunity to extend their Techstars experience by spending time on-site and engaging deeply with a corporation/organization - Mayo Clinic in this initial program.

ROCHESTER, Minn. — A phase I clinical trial of nivolumab found that the immune-boosting drug is a highly effective therapy for Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The multi-institution study, led by Mayo Clinic, indicated that the drug was safe and led to an 87 percent response rate in patients who had failed on other treatments. Results of the study appear in the New England Journal of Medicine. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omfyts8WFTo&feature=youtu.be The findings support further development of nivolumab, which enhances the immune system’s ability to detect and kill cancer cells. The drug has already demonstrated benefit in the treatment of other cancers, particularly melanoma, renal cell cancer, lung cancer and bladder cancer. “Nivolumab is a very promising agent that is reasonably well-tolerated and can easily be combined with other agents in the future,” says Stephen Ansell, M.D., Ph.D., a hematologist and co-lead author of the study. “There is evidence now that you can fight cancer by optimizing your immune function, either by enhancing signals that stimulate the immune response or blocking signals that dampen it.”

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Android users no longer have to miss out on all the research discoveries coming from Mayo Clinic. The newest issue of Discovery’s Edge, Mayo Clinic’s research magazine, is now available on all Android devices, as well as the iPad, online and in print. Research news from Mayo Clinic — however, whenever and wherever you want to read it. Highlights in this issue explore the past, present and future of Mayo Clinic research, including: Biomarker discovery: Staying one step ahead of cancer Read about a 12-month snapshot of how four researchers combined their talents to discover biomarkers that could help specific patients with difficult medical issues. In that time span, the Biomarker Discovery Program — part of Mayo Clinic’s Center for Individualized Medicine — found 32 biomarkers using custom algorithms and other innovative approaches that physicians can use to aid patients. Mayo Clinic plugs into drug discovery Collaboration is also the story of Mayo Clinic’s latest partnership — with Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute. Two organizations looking for just the right counterpart to meet a strategic need found each other at just the right time to fast-track drug discovery for Mayo patients. Next generation: Developing tomorrow’s biomedical researchers The path to becoming a biomedical researcher is not for the faint of heart. This issue’s cover story takes a glimpse at three scientists-in-training at Mayo Graduate School and the obstacles they are facing, both personal and professional, as they strive toward careers in research.

  ROCHESTER, Minn. — Most patients with triple-negative breast cancer should undergo genetic testing for mutations in known breast cancer predisposition genes, including BRCA1 and BRCA2, a Mayo Clinic-led study has found. The findings come from the largest analysis to date of genetic mutations in this aggressive form of breast cancer. The results of the research appear in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtVeBwdlyW0 “Clinicians need to think hard about screening all their triple-negative patients for mutations because there is a lot of value in learning that information, both in terms of the risk of recurrence to the individual and the risk to family members. In addition, there may be very specific therapeutic benefits of knowing if you have a mutation in a particular gene,” says Fergus Couch, Ph.D., professor of laboratory medicine and pathology at Mayo Clinic and lead author of the study. The study found that almost 15 percent of triple-negative breast cancer patients had deleterious (harmful) mutations in predisposition genes. The vast majority of these mutations appeared in genes involved in the repair of DNA damage, suggesting that the origins of triple-negative breast cancer may be different from other forms of the disease. The study also provides evidence in support of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines for genetic testing of triple-negative breast cancer patients.