News Releases - February 2015 Archives

ROCHESTER, Minn. — A. Keith Stewart, M.B., Ch.B., has been appointed medical director of the Mayo Clinic Center for Individualized Medicine. Dr. Stewart is a consultant in the Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Medicine. “I am honored to have this opportunity,” says Dr. Stewart. “We will build on the excellent work of the center to date, with a renewed focus on helping our clinicians access genomics based diagnostics and therapeutics on a routine basis to improve patient care. The integrated complex care delivered at Mayo Clinic provides a unique ability to lead in the development of precision medicine advances with global impact.” Dr. Stewart’s own research and clinical interest is in translational genomics in multiple myeloma, including both basic and clinical research to identify novel targets for therapy in multiple myeloma. A diversity of public and private institutions currently support this work: the National Cancer Institute, Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, and Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, as well as numerous partnerships with the pharmaceutical industry for clinical trials. MEDIA CONTACT: Sam Smith, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, newsbureau@mayo.edu

ROCHESTER, Minn. — A decline in smoking rates may mean that many people who could have benefited from early detection of lung cancer are dying because they don’t qualify for low-dose CT scans, according to a group of Mayo Clinic researchers. Their research appears in the Feb. 24 issue of JAMA, the journal of the American Medical Association. “As smokers quit earlier and stay off cigarettes longer, fewer are eligible for CT screening, which has been proven effective in saving lives,” says Ping Yang, M.D., Ph.D., an epidemiologist at Mayo Clinic Cancer Center. “Patients who do eventually develop lung cancer are diagnosed at a later stage when treatment can no longer result in a cure.” Dr. Yang says researchers and policymakers need to re-examine screening criteria to identify a greater proportion of patients who develop lung cancer. MEDIA CONTACT: Joe Dangor, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, newsbureau@mayo.edu. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYkERiLwaP4&feature=youtu.be

ROCHESTER, Minnesota – Mayo Medical Laboratories is partnering with Seattle Children’s Hospital to research and develop ways to help the children’s hospitals around the country decrease costs and potential errors associated with unnecessary laboratory testing. “Mayo and Seattle Children’s have collaborated on this important issue for years,” says Don Flott, director of utilization management at Mayo Medical Laboratories. “Test utilization is one strategy both organizations use for performing appropriate laboratory and pathology testing with the goal of providing high-quality, cost-effective patient care.” In 2014, Mayo became a Gold Sponsor of Seattle Children’s Pediatric Laboratory Utilization Guidance Services (PLUGS), which is a leading test-utilization program launched by the hospital in 2013. MEDIA CONTACT: Andrew Tofilon, Mayo Clinic Marketing Administrator, 507-538-5245, newsbureau@mayo.edu.

PHOENIX — The Mayo Clinic Board of Trustees welcomed Gianrico Farrugia, M.D. ,as a new member, re-elected two internal trustees and one public trustee, and also recognized three recipients of Mayo Clinic named professorships at its board meeting today. Dr. Farrugia was named Mayo Clinic vice president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Mayo Clinic's campus in Jacksonville, Florida, in August 2014. He replaces William Rupp, M.D., who retired at the end of 2014 and was elected as an emeritus trustee. Michael Powell, who joined the board in 2011, was re-elected as a public trustee. Powell, who is president and CEO of the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA), was chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from 2001 to 2005 and a member of the FCC for eight years. The board re-elected two internal trustees: Veronique Roger, M.D., a Mayo Clinic cardiologist in the Division of Cardiovascular Diseases with an appointment also in the Department of Health Sciences Research. Dr. Roger also holds the Elizabeth C. Lane, Ph.D., and M. Nadine Zimmerman, Ph.D., Professor of Internal Medicine. Dr. Roger will serve a four-year term. Pam Johnson, R.N., chair, Mayo Clinic Department of Nursing. Ms. Johnson will serve a one-year term. The Mayo Clinic Board of Trustees also recognized three new named professorships, the highest academic distinction for faculty members at Mayo Clinic.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A research team led by investigators from Mayo Clinic’s campus in Jacksonville, Florida, and the University of Oslo, Norway, have identified a molecule that pushes normal pancreatic cells to transform their shape, laying the groundwork for development of pancreatic cancer — one of the most difficult tumors to treat. Their findings, reported in Nature Communications, suggest that inhibiting the gene, protein kinase D1 (PKD1), and its protein could halt progression and spread of this form of pancreatic cancer, and possibly even reverse the transformation. “As soon as pancreatic cancer develops, it begins to spread, and PKD1 is key to both processes. Given this finding, we are busy developing a PKD1 inhibitor that we can test further,” says the study’s co-lead investigator, Peter Storz, Ph.D., a cancer researcher at Mayo Clinic. MEDIA CONTACT: Kevin Punsky, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 904-953-0746. Email:punsky.kevin@mayo.edu

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., will tour the Mayo Clinic Biobank and discuss the Precision Medicine Initiative with leadership from both the Mayo ...

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Mayo Clinic announced today the update of the Mayo Clinic app is now available on Android platforms. With enhanced navigation and functionality, the newest version of the app provides patients with an improved user experience managing and understanding their health information. Mayo Clinic app for Android enhancements includes: Home page improvements The app’s home page provides the patient with an overview of all the functions, with links to patient information, appointments, messages, lab results, notes and documents, medications, and reports. A swipe of the finger will give patients the information needed to actively participate in their health care. Appointments at a glance Patients can click through to their appointments to check the time, review instructions, and any other appointment-related information. They can also see all of their appointments for the day, allowing them to seamlessly plan their day. MEDIA CONTACT: Bryan Anderson, Mayo Clinic, 507-284-5005, anderson.bryan@mayo.edu

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Dg5bncTJsg ROCHESTER, Minn. — A study of more than 1,500 cigarette smokers who were not ready to quit smoking but were willing to cut back on cigarette consumption and combine their approach with varenicline (Chantix) increased their long-term success of quitting smoking. The multinational study is published in the February issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. Jon Ebbert, M.D., associate director for research in the Mayo Clinic Nicotine Dependence Center, was lead author on the study that reported the effects of the prescription medication varenicline for increasing smoking abstinence rates among smokers who wanted to reduce the number of cigarettes they smoked before trying to quit completely. “This study is important because this opens the door to treatment for approximately 14 million smokers who have no intention of quitting in the next 30 days but are willing to reduce their smoking rate while working toward a quit attempt,” says Dr. Ebbert. “In the past, these smokers may have not received medication therapy, and we want them to know that different approaches are available.” Journalists: Sound bites with Dr. Ebbert are available in the downloads. MEDIA CONTACT: Bryan Anderson, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005 Email: newsbureau@mayo.edu

Henderson, Nev. – Southern Nevada residents in need of emergency medical care for a stroke may benefit from a Mayo Clinic “telestroke” program that is now available at all three campuses of Dignity Health-St. Rose Dominican (Rose de Lima, Siena and San Martín). A recent agreement between St. Rose and Mayo Clinic in Arizona means the service featuring a portable, self-propelled robot has begun in southern Nevada. This service will compliment and augment the already robust certified stroke centers at all three campuses and Dignity Health is the first to partner with Mayo on this project in Nevada. In telestroke care, the use of a telestroke robot located in a hospital lets a stroke patient be seen in real time by a neurology specialist at Mayo Clinic located in Phoenix. The Mayo stroke neurologist, whose face appears on the screen of the robot, consults with emergency room physicians at the sites and evaluates the patient. Patients showing signs of stroke can be examined by the neurologist via computer, smart phone technology, portable tablets or laptops. In addition to assessment of the patient, the neurologist can view scans of the patient's brain to detect possible damage from a hemorrhage or blocked artery.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Cancer researchers at Mayo Clinic’s campus in Jacksonville, Florida, have identified a molecule they say is important to survival of anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) — a lethal tumor with no effective therapies. The molecule also seems to play a role in a wide range of cancers. In an online issue of The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, they identify Stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 (SCD1) as an oncogenic enzyme that when inhibited and paired with another targeted drug effectively shuts down ATC cell growth and induces cell death. MEDIA CONTACT: Kevin Punsky, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 904-953-0746. Email: punsky.kevin@mayo.edu

Virginia Miller, Ph.D., director of the Women’s Health Research Center at Mayo Clinic, has spent her career researching how heart disease differs in women and men. On Feb. 10, she was honored for that work with a Woman’s Day Red Dress Award in New York City. She received the award along with others who have made contributions in the fight against heart disease, the No. 1 killer of women today. Other award winners are: Andie MacDowell, actress and Go Red For Women spokesperson; CVS Health, the first national pharmacy chain to end tobacco sales; Margaret Hamburg, M.D., Former Commissioner of Food and Drugs, U.S. Food and Drug Administration; and Jennifer Donelan, WJLA TV ABC 7 reporter in Washington, D.C., and a heart attack survivor. Dr. Miller’s research focuses on how sex hormones, such as estrogen and testosterone, affect the blood vessels and heart in women and men, as well as the role of other gender differences in cardiovascular health. An important part of her research is to advocate for research that is sex-specific, meaning that research studies include both men and women, and that the results are analyzed separately by sex. Historically, and today even, that has not always happened, but it is so important, Dr. Miller says. “It is poor science to study one sex and apply the results to the other,” she says. “In the end, that does not help health care providers treat patients the best they can. With heart disease still as the No. 1 cause of death in women and men, we need to continue to research in the best ways possible in order to treat heart disease.”

ROCHESTER, Minn. — When people have health questions, many turn to the Internet, and Google in particular, as the first stop for finding health information. Now, when users ask Google about common health conditions, they will get relevant medical facts up front. For example, a search for arthritis will show, up front, a few basic facts about arthritis and a definition. To ensure quality and accuracy, teams of doctors including expert clinicians at Mayo Clinic have reviewed the facts, and have written succinct definitions for the conditions. The goal of this new feature is to provide medical information in a digestible way and get basic answers quickly. Google will provide information about symptoms and treatments, and details about how common a condition is, whether it’s critical, if it’s contagious, what ages it affects, and more. It will also provide high-quality illustrations and a streamlined design that makes it easier to tap or click through to more in depth information on other sites. MEDIA CONTACT: Brian Kilen, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, newsbureau@mayo.edu