Late-breaking abstract featured at ASCO 2025

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Colon cancer is the third most prevalent form of cancer in the U.S., and while screening has helped detect and prevent colon cancer from spreading, major advancements in treating colon cancer have lagged.

Now, new research led by Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center found that adding immunotherapy to chemotherapy after surgery for patients with stage 3 (node-positive) colon cancer — and with a specific genetic makeup called deficient DNA mismatch repair (dMMR) — was associated with a 50% reduction in cancer recurrence and death compared to chemotherapy alone. Approximately 15% of people diagnosed with colon cancer exhibit dMMR and, to date, these tumors appear less sensitive to chemotherapy. The results of the multi-center study were presented during a plenary session at the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago.

"The findings from our study represent a major advance in the adjuvant treatment of dMMR stage 3 colon cancer and will now change the treatment for this type of cancer," says oncologist Frank Sinicrope, M.D., who led the study. "It's extremely rewarding to be able to offer our patients a new treatment regimen that can reduce the risk of recurrence and improve their chances of survival."

Until now, the standard treatment after surgery for any stage 3 colon cancer has been chemotherapy. However, the researchers note that approximately 30% of patients experience cancer recurrence despite this treatment. 

Watch: Dr. Frank Sinicrope discusses Mayo Clinic immunotherapy study

Journalists: Broadcast-quality sound bites with Dr. Frank Sinicrope are in the downloads at the end of the post. Please "Courtesy: Mayo Clinic News Network."

The clinical trial enrolled 712 patients with dMMR stage 3 colon cancer that had been surgically removed and who had cancer cells in their lymph nodes. The immunotherapy given in this study was an immune checkpoint inhibitor, known as atezolizumab, which activates one's immune system to attack and kill cancer cells, which are responsible for cancer recurrence and spread. The patients — who lived in the U.S. and Germany — received chemotherapy for six months along with immunotherapy and then continued with immunotherapy alone for another six months.

Dr. Sinicrope and others previously studied patients with colon cancer whose cells are unable to repair errors during DNA replication that create a nucleotide mismatch, a condition called dMMR. They noted that these patients' tumors showed a striking increase in inflammatory cells within the tumor, including those that express the target of immune checkpoint inhibitors. This sparked the idea of using immune checkpoint inhibitors to make the immune cells more effective in attacking and killing the cancer cells.   

Based on the data from this study, Dr. Sinicrope recommends this combination of immunotherapy and chemotherapy treatment to be the new standard treatment for stage 3 deficient mismatch repair colon cancer. The research team plans to approach the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, a nonprofit organization consisting of 33 leading cancer centers, including Mayo Clinic, with this recommendation.  

The study included patients with Lynch syndrome, the most common form of hereditary colon cancer, as these patients can have tumors that show deficient mismatch repair (dMMR).

"We're changing the paradigm in colon cancer treatment. By using immunotherapy at earlier stages of disease, we are achieving meaningful benefits for our patients," says Dr. Sinicrope.

Review the abstract for a complete list of authors, disclosures and funding. 

###

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 Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center 
Designated as a comprehensive cancer center by the National Cancer Institute, Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center is defining the cancer center of the future, focused on delivering the world's most exceptional patient-centered cancer care for everyone. At Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center, a culture of innovation and collaboration is driving research breakthroughs in cancer detection, prevention and treatment to change lives.

Media contact:

• Kelley Luckstein, Mayo Clinic Communications, newsbureau@mayo.edu

The post Immunotherapy boosts chemotherapy in combating stage 3 colon cancer appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers will present their latest oncology findings at the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, scheduled to be held May 30–June 3 at the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago. The event, recognized as one of the largest gatherings in the field of cancer research, will feature 59 Mayo Clinic-authored abstracts highlighting advancements in cancer care.

Among the standout presentations are practice-changing studies focused on chemotherapy approaches, artificial intelligence (AI) applications in oncology, cancer care at home and new therapies for breast cancer and melanoma — all focused on improving treatment options for patients with cancer.

Highlights include:

Plenary Session: Randomized trial of standard chemotherapy alone or combined with atezolizumab as adjuvant therapy for patients with stage 3 deficient DNA mismatch repair (dMMR) colon cancer (Alliance A021502; ATOMIC)
Presentation time: Sunday, June 1, 1:05 to 1:17 p.m. CDT
Session title: Special Sessions
Presenter: Frank Sinicrope, M.D., medical oncologist and gastroenterologist

Clinical Science Symposium: Perception and concerns of the hematology and oncology (HemOnc) workforce about artificial intelligence (AI) in clinical practice (CliPr) and medical education (MedED)
Presentation time: Saturday, May 31, 2:03 to 2:15 p.m. CDT
Session title: The Future Is Now: Innovations in Medical Education
Presenter: Guilherme Sacchi de Camargo Correia, M.D., oncology fellow (senior author is Rami Manochakian, M.D., thoracic medical oncologist)

Oral Abstract Session: Tissue-free circulating tumor DNA assay and patient outcome in a phase 3 trial of FOLFOX-based adjuvant chemotherapy (Alliance N0147)
Presentation time: Friday, May 30, 3:57 to 4:09 p.m. CDT
Session title: Gastrointestinal Cancer — Colorectal and Anal
Presenter: Frank Sinicrope, M.D., medical oncologist and gastroenterologist

Oral Abstract Session: [212Pb]VMT-α-NET therapy in somatostatin receptor 2 (SSTR2) expressing neuroendocrine tumors (NETs): Dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) observation participants after one-year follow-up and preliminary report for expansion participants.
Presentation time: Friday, May 30, 4:09 to 4:21 p.m. CDT
Session title: Developmental Therapeutics — Molecularly Targeted Agents and Tumor Biology
Presenter: Thorvardur Halfdanarson, M.D., medical oncologist       

Oral Abstract Session: NeoACTIVATE arm C: Phase II trial of neoadjuvant atezolizumab and tiragolumab for high-risk operable stage 3 melanoma
Presentation time: Tuesday, June 3, 2025, 10:45 a.m. to 10:57 a.m. CDT
Session title: Melanoma/Skin Cancers
Presenter: Tina Hieken, M.D., breast and melanoma surgical oncologist

Poster Session: Cancer Care Beyond Walls (CCBW): A randomized pragmatic trial of home-based versus in-clinic cancer therapy administration
Session time: Sunday, June 1, 9 a.m. to noon CDT
Session title: Care Delivery and Quality Care
Presenter: Roxana Dronca, M.D., medical oncologist and the site deputy director of Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center in Florida

Poster Session: A pilot single-arm, pragmatic trial in progress of in-home versus in-clinic subcutaneous nivolumab administration through Cancer Care Beyond Walls (CCBW) program (connected access and remote expertise)
Session time: Sunday, June 1, 9 a.m. to noon CDT
Session Title: Care Delivery/Models of Care
Presenter: Dina Elantably, M.B., B.CH., oncology fellow (senior author is Roxana Dronca, M.D., medical oncologist and the site deputy director of Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center in Florida)

Poster Session: Initial results of MC200710 investigating therapeutic vaccine (PDS0101) alone or with pembrolizumab prior to surgery or radiation therapy for locally advanced HPV associated oropharyngeal carcinoma, a phase 2 window of opportunity trial
Session time: Monday, June 2, 9 a.m. to noon CDT
Session title: Head and Neck Cancer
Presenter: David Routman, M.D., radiation oncologist

Poster Session: ALISertib in combination with endocrine therapy in patients with hormone receptor-positive (HR+), HER2-negative (HER2–) recurrent or metastatic breast cancer: The phase 2 ALISCA-Breast1 study
Session time: Monday, June 2, 9 a.m. to noon CDT
Session title: Breast Cancer — Metastatic
Presenter: Tufia Haddad, M.D., medical oncologist

Poster Session: Estrogen receptor expression in residual breast cancer following neoadjuvant chemotherapy
Session time: Monday, June 2, 9 a.m. to noon CDT
Session title: Breast Cancer — Local/Regional/Adjuvant
Presenter: Sarah Premji, M.D., oncology fellow (senior author is Matthew Goetz, M.D., breast medical oncologist, and the Erivan K. Haub Family Professor of Cancer Research Honoring Richard F. Emslander, M.D.)

For more information about 2025 ASCO visit: https://www.asco.org/annual-meeting.

###

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 Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center 
Designated as a comprehensive cancer center by the National Cancer Institute, Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center is defining the cancer center of the future, focused on delivering the world's most exceptional patient-centered cancer care for everyone. At Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center, a culture of innovation and collaboration is driving research breakthroughs in cancer detection, prevention and treatment to change lives.

Media contact on-site at ASCO:

• Kelley Luckstein, Mayo Clinic Communications, 507-202-8655, luckstein.kelley@mayo.edu

The post Mayo Clinic experts present key cancer research findings at ASCO appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Mayo Clinic’s Business Development team, consistently recognized as one of the top commercialization operations among academic medical centers, is expanding its capabilities through a new initiative: the Mayo Venture Partner (MVP) program. In response to the dynamic and evolving healthcare landscape, Mayo Clinic is enlisting industry veterans to create groundbreaking technologies, co-invest in aligned companies and build new ventures from the ground up.

The MVP program brings together seasoned entrepreneurs, investors and executives who will leverage their expertise with Mayo Clinic’s world-class research and clinical expertise. These leaders will play a pivotal role in identifying high-potential opportunities across Mayo Clinic's research and clinical practices, forming new companies and accelerating innovations that advance patient care.

The inaugural MVPs are:

• Amy DuRoss — Healthcare innovation leader with deep expertise in policy, commercialization and diagnostics.
• Audrey Greenberg — Company builder, executive leader and expert in launching and scaling ventures across life sciences, healthcare and other industries.
• Brian Poger — Serial entrepreneur and venture strategist with a track record in digital health and healthcare services.

Working in close partnership with the Mayo Clinic Business Development team, the MVPs will help forge strategic collaborations and deliver real-world impact, underscoring Mayo Clinic's enduring commitment to transforming healthcare.

To date, the Business Development team has returned more than $1.2B in revenue to Mayo Clinic to support its clinical practice, education and research. Additionally, the team has helped create more than 180 companies, licensed 4,848 Mayo Clinic-created technologies through 2,913 agreements, and issued 4,159 patents.

This program and these efforts align with Mayo Clinic's vision to transform healthcare by:

• Accelerating innovation — Turning cutting-edge research, data and other resources into real-world solutions for patients. 
• Enhancing patient care — Bringing new treatments and technologies to patients that offer cures and the ability to connect with the healthcare system in ways that increase access and decrease costs. 
• Building strategic partnerships — Leveraging external expertise and resources to amplify impact.

Mayo Clinic is dedicated to driving progress and expanding its impact through innovation. This initiative is an exciting opportunity for investors, CEOs and innovators to collaborate with Mayo Clinic and be part of a future that prioritizes patient-centric, transformative healthcare solutions.

More about the MVPs:

Amy DuRoss

Amy is a Mayo Venture Partner focused on launching and scaling companies at the intersection of life sciences, software, and biopharma services. She has spent her career advancing therapies and technologies that improve patient outcomes and expand access to innovation. Amy was co-founder and CEO of Vineti, a pioneer in advanced therapy supply chain software, and held senior leadership roles at GE Ventures and Navigenics. She played a key role in creating California’s $8.5 billion stem cell initiative (Proposition 71) and served as chief of staff at the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM). Amy serves on several boards across life sciences and biopharma services, is a Health Innovator Fellow at the Aspen Institute, and holds MBA and MA/BA degrees from Stanford University.

Get connected

Audrey Greenberg

Audrey is a Mayo Venture Partner with deep experience in biotech entrepreneurship and global platform development who has built and scaled companies at the forefront of healthcare innovation. Audrey co-founded the Center for Breakthrough Medicines (CBM), a global leader in cell and gene therapy manufacturing. Under her leadership, CBM raised $500 million, launched 350,000 square feet of GMP space, formed a $100 million joint venture with the University of Pennsylvania, and was acquired by SK pharmteco. She went on to lead commercial strategy for SK pharmteco’s 2,000-person global organization. Earlier in her career, Audrey was a private equity executive and investment banker managing over $90 billion in AUM. She is widely recognized for her leadership in life sciences and serves on public, private, and nonprofit boards. Audrey is a CPA and holds an MBA from Wharton.

Get connected

Brian Poger

Brian is a Mayo Venture Partner helping launch companies rooted in Mayo Clinic science. He has dedicated his career to improving patient outcomes and making healthcare more affordable. Brian was founding CEO of Senior Educators (now Alight Health Exchange) and Benefitter, a widely used benefits platform for small businesses. He held leadership roles at Aon, HealthMarkets, and UnitedHealthcare following the acquisitions of his startups. Most recently, he served as an executive in residence at Frazier Healthcare Partners. Brian began his career at Eli Lilly and McKinsey & Company. He holds an MBA with distinction from Kellogg and a Bachelor of Science in Engineering, magna cum laude, from Washington University in St. Louis.

Get connected

To learn more, visit the Mayo Clinic Business Development website and subscribe to its e-newsletter and follow the Mayo Clinic Ventures LinkedIn page.

###

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:

• Tom Millikin, Mayo Clinic Communications, newsbureau@mayo.edu

The post New Mayo Venture Partner (MVP) program announced to accelerate innovation appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

GUAYAQUIL, Ecuador — Mayo Clinic is adding a second patient information office in Ecuador. The new staff in Guayaquil will assist patients traveling to Mayo Clinic for care and help insurance companies, referring physicians and others connect with Mayo.

Mayo Clinic's first office in Ecuador opened in Quito in 2009. Mayo now has patient information offices in 15 countries, including several locations in Latin America.

The office staff in Ecuador, fluent in Spanish and English, help patients make appointments at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota; Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona; Jacksonville, Florida; and Mayo Clinic Healthcare in London.

"We are pleased to add services for patients and their families in Guayaquil and the surrounding area," says Jorge Pascual, M.D., a pulmonary medicine physician at Mayo Clinic in Florida and Mayo Clinic executive medical director of the Americas. "Mayo Clinic excels in caring for patients with serious, complex and unsolved medical needs. Our office staff in Guayaquil and Quito play a critical role in facilitating patients' travel to Mayo for care."

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 Guayaquil office staff may be reached by email at guayaquiloffice@mayo.edu. 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. In 2024, Mayo cared for patients from every U.S. state and 135 countries.

###

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 opens second patient information office in Ecuador appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Millions of people are affected by chronic dry mouth, or xerostomia, an agonizing side effect of damaged salivary glands. While chemotherapy and radiation treatment for head and neck cancer are the most common causes of this, aging, certain medications and other factors, including diabetes, stroke, Alzheimer's disease and HIV/AIDS, can also cause chronic dry mouth. Currently, there is no cure for it.

Mayo Clinic researchers have established the world's first biobank of human salivary gland tissue-organoids that opens the door to research to find a cure.

"This unique biobank resource overcomes a major barrier we've faced in the field, namely: limited access to standardized salivary specimens suited for salivary gland regeneration research. This collection provides a foundation for regenerative therapy development, especially for radiation-induced chronic dry mouth," says Nagarajan Kannan, Ph.D., lead author of the study published in NPJ Regenerative Medicine. Dr. Kannan is also the director of the Mayo Clinic Stem Cell and Cancer Biology Laboratory.

Nearly 70% of patients with head and neck cancer who are undergoing radiation therapy experience permanent damage to their salivary glands. People with this condition experience diminished quality of life from a constant feeling like cotton is lining their mouths. Besides being uncomfortable, chronic dry mouth can lead to difficulties with chewing, tasting, speaking and swallowing. It also can cause tooth decay.

"Chronic dry mouth can extend long after radiation treatments are complete. It's among the top concerns I hear from patients with head and neck cancer. Unfortunately, there aren't many therapeutics available commercially for these patients," says co-author Jeffrey Janus, M.D., an ear, nose and throat specialist at Mayo Clinic in Florida.

One promising avenue of research is the cultivation of rare regenerative cells to greater numbers that can help people someday heal and grow new, healthy salivary gland cells. The biobank consists of specimens collected from 208 donors. From this repository, researchers have already found biomarkers for mature, saliva-producing cells, and with the help of a high-resolution protein map, they have identified the potential tissue origin of rare, self-renewing salivary cells.

The research team also developed a radiation injury model, which paired with the biobank, provides an integrated platform to discover new, personalized regenerative biotherapeutics.

This is a collaboration between Mayo Clinic Center for Regenerative Biotherapeutics, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology and Department of Otolaryngology.

Review the study for a complete list of authors, disclosures and funding. 

###

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:

• Kelley Luckstein, Mayo Clinic Communications, newsbureau@mayo.edu

The post Mayo Clinic researchers develop first salivary gland regenerative biobank to combat chronic dry mouth appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Editors note: May is National Trauma Awareness Month

Campfires are a beloved part of summer — whether you're roasting marshmallows, telling stories or just enjoying the warmth. But for families with young children, it's important to be aware of the risk of burns and know how to prevent and respond to such injuries.

"It's almost a part of a life ritual," says Denise Klinkner, M.D., pediatric trauma center director and pediatric surgeon at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, of social gatherings around a fire. "But approach it diligently to maintain a safe and fun environment."

Dr. Klinkner urges adults and caregivers to remain vigilant and aware, especially regarding the status of the fire and the location of any children.

Risks to watch for around campfires

Children, particularly toddlers and preschoolers, are naturally curious and still developing coordination. That makes them more likely to trip or move too close to the fire. Because of this, most campfire burns in children happen to the hands and are usually second-degree or even third-degree burns.

Here are some common dangers to watch out for:

• Hot tools and sticks: Roasting sticks and metal forks can cause burns or even eye injuries if a child grabs or walks into them.
• Grease from food: Dripping grease can flare up flames and cause more severe burns.
• Accelerants like lighter fluid: These can cause explosions when they catch fire or make burns worse if they come into contact with skin. Caregivers should also ensure these items are sealed to avoid accidental consumption by a young child.
• Propane fire pits: While convenient, they can explode if not handled properly.

Burn prevention tips

You don’t have to give up campfires to stay safe. Dr. Klinkner has these tips:

• Keep a safe distance: Set a clear boundary around the fire that kids know not to cross.
• Supervise closely: Always have an adult watching the fire and the children.
• Avoid accelerants: Never use gasoline or lighter fluid to start or boost a fire.
• Teach fire safety: Show children how to safely enjoy the fire, and for older kids demonstrate what to do in an emergency. Have water or blankets available to stop fires.
• Extinguish completely: Make sure a fire is fully out before leaving or going to bed.

What to do if a burn happens

Dr. Klinkner encourages you to remember the “stop, drop, and roll” fire safety technique to put out the flames if a child's clothing or skin catches fire.

If a child experiences minor burns or blisters, Dr. Klinkner suggests these steps:

• Apply a cool, wet cloth to help cool the burn until the pain eases. Do not use cold water as children's body temperatures can drop quickly.
• Apply a clean, dry dressing or bandage loosely around the burn. This blocks airflow over the burn, often a significant source of pain.  

Seek medical help immediately, especially for larger, deeper or more severe burns.

"Enjoy your summer and remember — only you can prevent forest fires, and more importantly, burns to your friends and family," says Dr. Klinkner.

The post Fire safety tips for families: Prevent burns around campfires appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

ROCHESTER, Minn. — A new discovery by Mayo Clinic researchers could mean more donor hearts are available for heart transplant, giving more people a second chance at life.

In findings published in Nature Cardiovascular Research, a team led by Mayo Clinic cardiac surgeon Paul Tang, M.D., Ph.D., identified a biological process that contributes to donor heart injury during cold storage. The researchers found that a drug already used to treat heart conditions can prevent this damage.

Heart transplantation is the most effective treatment for end-stage heart failure, yet fewer than half of donor hearts are ultimately used. One major reason is the relatively short window for transplanting a donated heart into a patient, due to concerns over low donor heart function that comes from leaving a heart in cold storage too long.  

Why donor hearts deteriorate in cold storage

Although cold storage slows metabolism and helps preserve tissue, prolonged exposure to cold storage conditions can lead to molecular changes that compromise how well the heart performs after transplant. One complication is called primary graft dysfunction, in which the transplanted heart cannot pump blood effectively after surgery. This may affect up to 20% of recipients to varying degrees.

To investigate why this damage occurs, the researchers focused on a protein inside heart cells called the mineralocorticoid receptor, which plays a role in how cells respond to stress. During cold storage, they found that this protein undergoes a process in which the protein clumps together in a way that harms the heart cells, called liquid-liquid phase separation. This process promotes cardiac damage from increased inflammation and cell death, making the heart less likely to function well after transplant.

Preventing damage with a common drug

To test whether the process could be prevented, the researchers treated donor hearts with a drug called canrenone, which blocks mineralocorticoid receptor activity. In human donor hearts stored beyond the typical timeframe, treatment with the drug nearly tripled their pumping strength compared to hearts stored without it. The hearts also showed better blood flow and fewer signs of cell injury. The findings suggest canrenone may help extend the safe storage period for donor hearts by improving the heart’s pumping strength to increase chances of a successful transplant.

"As a cardiovascular surgeon, I’ve personally experienced in the operating room how every additional hour of preservation can impact the likelihood of whether a donor heart can return to normal function after transplantation," Dr. Tang says. "This discovery may give us a new tool to preserve heart function for longer during storage, improve transplant outcomes and enhance patient access to lifesaving transplants."

The study's findings also have the potential to improve the preservation of other transplantable organs. Similar protein clustering was observed in donor kidneys, lungs and livers during cold storage. This suggests that the same strategy may help expand transplant options across multiple organ systems.

Mayo Clinic collaborated with the University of Michigan on this research. Review the study for a complete list of authors, disclosures and funding. 

### 

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:  

• Susan Murphy, Mayo Clinic Communications, newsbureau@mayo.edu 

The post Mayo Clinic discovery could mean better access to more donor hearts and improved transplant outcomes appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

GUATEMALA CITY — Mayo Clinic's patient information office in Guatemala, one of Mayo's first local offices to assist patients in the region, is growing.

Mayo Clinic is adding a second representative to the office to assist patients, referring physicians, health insurance companies, and others interested in connecting with Mayo. The office in Guatemala City opened in 2008. Mayo Clinic now has patient information offices in 15 countries, including several locations in Latin America.

The office staff, fluent in Spanish and English, help patients make appointments at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota; Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona; Jacksonville, Florida; and Mayo Clinic Healthcare in London.

"The growth of the office in Guatemala reflects Mayo Clinic's commitment to providing an excellent patient experience before, during and after patients visit Mayo for care," says Jorge Pascual, M.D., a pulmonary medicine physician at Mayo Clinic in Florida and Mayo Clinic executive medical director of the Americas. "The Mayo team partners with patients and their families to assist with arrangements and meet individual needs and preferences throughout their care experience."

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.

The staff also 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 Clinic is a destination for patients with serious, complex or undiagnosed conditions. 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 Guatemala office staff may be reached by email at guate.oficina@mayo.edu. They can be contacted by phone at (502) 5551-5137 and (502) 3848-6031. The office is located at Blvd. Vista Hermosa 25-19 Multimedica Nivel Of 1206, zona 15, Guatemala City.

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. In 2024, Mayo cared for patients from every U.S. state and 135 countries.

###

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 expands patient information office in Guatemala  appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Peter Lee, Ph.D., president of Microsoft Research, was elected today to the Mayo Clinic Board of Trustees. Dr. Lee oversees Microsoft Research's 13 global laboratories, driving advancements in artificial intelligence, computer science, health and life sciences while fostering the development of research-driven products that expand human knowledge.

"Dr. Lee is a values-driven leader recognized for his excellence in technological innovation, particularly in healthcare," says Gianrico Farrugia, M.D., president and CEO of Mayo Clinic. "With his deep expertise in artificial intelligence, machine learning and data science, he will offer valuable insights to our Board of Trustees as we continue to transform healthcare for the benefit of patients worldwide."

Before joining Microsoft in 2010, Dr. Lee established a new technology office at the federal Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) called the Transformational Convergence Technology Office, which created operational capabilities in machine learning, data science and computational social science. Prior to that, he was the department head and a professor of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University. Dr. Lee is a member of the National Academy of Medicine and serves on the boards of several institutions, including the boards of directors of the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine and the Brotman Baty Institute for Precision Medicine. In 2024, TIME magazine named Dr. Lee one of the 100 most influential people in health and life sciences.

###

About the Mayo Clinic Board of Trustees 
The Mayo Clinic Board of Trustees, a 32-member 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 

The post Peter Lee, Ph.D., president of Microsoft Research, elected to Mayo Clinic Board of Trustees appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Pick's disease, a neurodegenerative disease of unknown genetic origin, is a rare type of frontotemporal dementia that affects people under the age of 65. The condition causes changes in personality, behavior and sometimes language impairment. In patients with the disease, tau proteins build up and form abnormal clumps called Pick bodies, which restrict nutrients to the brain and cause neurodegeneration. The only way to diagnose the disease is by looking at brain tissue under a microscope after a person dies.

In a new study, Mayo Clinic researchers have identified gene expression changes in the brains of people with Pick's disease. Since Pick's disease is a rare neurodegenerative disorder that cannot be diagnosed during life, their findings offer valuable insights that may help guide the development of biomarkers and therapeutic strategies.

Researchers at Mayo Clinic in Florida, University College London in England and collaborators worldwide have established the Pick's Disease International Consortium to study a specific MAPT gene variation known as MAPT H2 that makes the tau protein and acts as a driver of disease. They investigated a connection between the gene and disease risk, age at onset, and duration of Pick's disease. Their findings are reported in The Lancet Neurology.

Mayo Clinic researchers identified the first MAPT gene mutations for a behavioral form of dementia in 1998, and other genetic changes associated with related dementias in 2001, which paved the way to understanding the mechanisms of tau-related disease. This new study confirms a tau genetic factor linked specifically to Pick's disease and opens up new avenues of therapeutic design.

"Our research could have profound implications for the development of therapies for Pick's disease and other related neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease and progressive supranuclear palsy," says Owen Ross, Ph.D., a Mayo Clinic neuroscientist and senior author of the paper. The consortium hosts a database of clinical, pathological and demographic information about patients with the disease who donated their brain tissue for science.

To conduct the study, researchers investigated brain samples of 338 patients confirmed to have Pick's disease to compare with blood samples from 1,312 neurologically healthy individuals. Patients confirmed to have the disease came from 35 brain banks and hospitals in North America, Europe and Australia between 2020 and 2023. The Mayo Clinic Brain Bank was among the sites in the study that provided the largest collection of samples.

Analyzing DNA from the blood samples and brain tissue, the research team recorded baseline information on study participants, including age at disease onset, age at death for those with Pick's disease, and sex and age at blood collection for the control group. Disease duration was calculated by the difference between age at Pick's disease onset and age at death. In addition, the researchers looked at clinical characteristics such as clinical diagnosis, impairment in behavior and language.

"We found that the MAPT H2 genetic variant is associated with an increased risk of Pick's disease in people of European descent," says Dr. Ross. "We were only able to determine that because of the global consortium, which greatly increased the sample size of pathology cases to study with Pick's disease."

The team's next steps are to expand the consortium to the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Latin America, further resolve the genetic architecture of the disease, and assess this specific genetic variant as a biomarker or test for clinical diagnosis of Pick's disease. There is currently no clinical test or diagnosis available for Pick's disease. For the first time, the creation of the consortium may allow for the development of a clinical test.

Funding for this research at Mayo Clinic was supported in part by the National Institutes of Health, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, the State of Florida Ed and Ethel Moore Alzheimer’s Disease Research Program, and Mayo Clinic Alzheimer's Disease Research Center. For a full list of authors, collaborating institutions and disclosures, see the paper.

###

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: 

• Tia Ford, Mayo Clinic Communications, newsbureau@mayo.edu 

The post Advancing the study of Pick’s disease, rare form of early-onset dementia appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.