ROCHESTER, Minn. — A new study from Mayo Clinic underscores the widespread impact of menopause symptoms on midlife women — and raises concern that most are navigating this stage of life without medical care to help manage those challenges.

The study, published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, was based on responses from nearly 5,000 women ages 45-60 who were surveyed across four Mayo Clinic primary care locations. More than 3 out of 4 respondents experienced menopause symptoms, with many reporting substantial effects on daily life, work productivity and overall well-being.

Despite the availability of safe and effective treatment options, Mayo Clinic researchers found that menopause symptoms remain underrecognized, undertreated and inadequately addressed in the health care system.

Severe symptoms affect daily life, yet few women seek care or receive treatment

More than one-third (34%) of women who were surveyed reported moderate to very severe symptoms. Sleep disturbances and weight gain were among the most common issues reported by more than half of participants.

The most striking finding was that more than 80% of the women who responded to the survey did not seek medical care for their menopause symptoms. While many women said they preferred to manage symptoms on their own, others said that they were too busy or unaware that effective treatments exist. Only about 1 in 4 women were receiving any treatment for menopause symptoms at the time of the survey.

"Menopause is universal for women at midlife, the symptoms are common and disruptive, and yet, few women are receiving care that could help them," says lead author Ekta Kapoor, M.B.B.S., an endocrinologist and menopause specialist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester. "This gap has real consequences for women's health and quality of life, and it's time we address it more proactively."

Without proper treatment, menopause symptoms can negatively affect sleep, mood, cognition, and productivity at work and at home. The findings underscore the importance of healthcare professionals proactively identifying and managing menopause symptoms in patients who may be struggling with them, the authors said.

Researchers call for proactive care strategies and new tools to close the treatment gap

The study noted that women often do not voluntarily mention concerns about menopause symptoms to their healthcare professional. Mayo Clinic researchers emphasize the need for strategies that destigmatize menopause care and make it more visible and accessible. Efforts are underway to develop questionnaires, digital tools and smartphone apps that help women identify symptoms, learn about treatment options and have more productive discussions with their primary care professionals.

"Our goal is to educate women and healthcare professionals about menopause," Dr. Kapoor says. "By making it easier to recognize and understand symptoms, we can close the gap between need and care — and help midlife women live healthier, more fulfilling lives."

Review the study for a complete list of authors, disclosures and funding.  A video of Dr. Kapoor discussing the findings is available.

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About Mayo Clinic Proceedings
One of the premier peer-reviewed clinical journals in general and internal medicine, Mayo Clinic Proceedings is among the most widely read and highly cited scientific publications for physicians. Continuously published since 1926 and celebrating its centennial next year, Mayo Clinic Proceedings is sponsored by Mayo Clinic, guided by its Bold. Forward. vision to transform medicine as the global authority in the care of serious or complex disease. The journal publishes original research, articles and commentary from authors worldwide and has an Impact Factor of 6.7, placing it in the top 10% among general and internal medicine journals.

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. — Mayo Clinic researchers have discovered a key reason why certain breast cancers might not respond to an important new class of therapeutics called antibody drug conjugates (ADCs). These treatments pair an antibody that targets cancer cells with a strong chemotherapy drug. For many patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive (HER2+) breast cancers, ADCs such as trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd) have dramatically improved outcomes.

"While T-DXd has shown remarkable results for many patients, it hasn't worked for everyone with advanced HER2+ breast cancer," says Peter Lucas, M.D., Ph.D., vice chair for research in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at Mayo Clinic and co-senior author of the study, published in Nature Cancer. "This indicates that some tumors have built-in resistant mechanisms that prevent the drug from doing its job."

In the study, researchers in the Oncoimmune Signaling and Therapeutics Laboratory at Mayo Clinic discovered that a shortened version of the HER2 protein, called p95HER2, that is produced by a subset of HER2+ breast cancers can alter treatment response. The protein p95HER2 "signals differently" from the full HER2 oncoprotein — which proved to be the key to how it drives therapy resistance.

"Our discovery that p95HER2 has the unique ability to induce signals that produce an immune-protected microenvironment strongly suggested that p95HER2 could function within cancer cells to actively resist T-DXd," says Dr. Lucas.

The study also revealed that a drug called neratinib is highly effective at blocking the action of p95HER2, even causing the protein to be degraded.

"In fact, treatment with neratinib results in complete p95HER2 degradation, abolishing the protein from the cancer cells in our preclinical models," says Dong Hu, Ph.D., a research scientist in Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at Mayo Clinic and lead author of the manuscript.

Based on these findings, the research team believes the next step is a clinical trial to evaluate the combination of neratinib with T-DXd in patients with HER2+ early breast cancer. The goal is to determine if this combination therapy can improve the response in cancers that co-express p95HER2 along with full HER2.

They note that this is just one of many therapeutic combinations being considered.

"No single, one-size-fits-all approach to treatment will work for every patient with HER2+ breast cancer," says Linda McAllister, M.D., Ph.D., a pediatric hematologist/oncologist at Mayo Clinic and co-senior author of the study.

However, with the discovery of p95HER2's role, a clear roadmap for future treatment is in sight.

"Having this new understanding of why T-DXd does not always work helps us to envision next steps toward customized therapies and more cures," says Dr. Lucas. "It's all about staying one step ahead of cancer."

For a complete list of authors, disclosures and findings, review the study. The work was supported by the Mayo Clinic Breast Cancer SPORE.

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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.

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 

The post Mayo Clinic discovery of breast cancer treatment resistance can lead to new hope for some appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

ROCHESTER, Minn. — When it comes to treating disease, one promising avenue is addressing the presence of senescent cells. These cells — also known as "zombie cells" — stop dividing but don't die off as cells typically do. They turn up in numerous diseases, including cancer and Alzheimer's disease, and in the process of aging. While potential treatments aim to remove or repair the cells, one hurdle has been finding a way to identify them among healthy cells in living tissue. 

In the journal Aging Cell, Mayo Clinic researchers report finding a new technique to tag senescent cells. The team used molecules known as "aptamers" — small segments of synthetic DNA that fold into three-dimensional shapes. Aptamers have the ability to attach themselves to proteins on the surfaces of cells. In mouse cells, the team found several rare aptamers, identified from among more than 100 trillion random DNA sequences, that can latch onto specific cell surface proteins and flag senescent cells.

"This approach established the principle that aptamers are a technology that can be used to distinguish senescent cells from healthy ones," says biochemist and molecular biologist Jim Maher, III, Ph.D., a principal investigator of the study. "Though this study is a first step, the results suggest the approach could eventually apply to human cells."

From a quirky idea to collaboration  

The project began with the quirky idea of a Mayo Clinic graduate student who had a chance conversation with a classmate.

Keenan Pearson, Ph.D. — who recently received his degree from Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences — was working under the mentorship of Dr. Maher, studying how aptamers might address neurodegenerative diseases or brain cancer.

A few floors away, Sarah Jachim, Ph.D., — who was also then conducting her graduate research — was working in the lab of researcher Nathan LeBrasseur, Ph.D., Director, Mayo Clinic Robert and Arlene Kogod Center on Aging, who studies senescent cells and aging.

At a scientific event, the two happened to chat about their graduate thesis projects. Dr. Pearson thought aptamer technology might be able to identify senescent cells. "I thought the idea was a good one, but I didn't know about the process of preparing senescent cells to test them, and that was Sarah's expertise," says Dr. Pearson, who became lead author of the publication.  

They pitched the idea to their mentors and to researcher Darren Baker, Ph.D., who investigates therapies to treat senescent cells. At first, Dr. Maher acknowledges, the students' idea seemed "crazy" but worth pursuing. The three mentors were excited about the plan. "We frankly loved that it was the students' idea and a real synergy of two research areas," says Dr. Maher.

The students obtained compelling results sooner than they expected and quickly recruited other student participants from the labs. Then-graduate students Brandon Wilbanks, Ph.D., Luis Prieto, Ph.D., and M.D.-Ph.D. student Caroline Doherty, each contributed additional approaches, including special microscopy techniques and more varied tissue samples. "It became encouraging to expend more effort," Dr. Jachim says, "because we could tell it was a project that was going to succeed."

Identifying attributes of senescent cells

 The study has provided new information about senescent cells beyond a way to tag them. "To date, there aren't universal markers that characterize senescent cells," says Dr. Maher. "Our study was set up to be open-ended about the target surface molecules on senescent cells. The beauty of this approach is that we let the aptamers choose the molecules to bind to."

The study found several aptamers latched onto a variant of a specific molecule on the surface of mouse cells, a protein called fibronectin. The role of this variant fibronectin in senescence is not yet understood. The finding means that aptamers may be a tool to further define unique characteristics of senescent cells.

Additional studies will be necessary to find aptamers that can identify senescent cells in humans. Aptamers with the ability to latch onto senescent cells could potentially deliver a therapy directly to those cells. Dr. Pearson notes aptamer technology is less expensive and more versatile than conventional antibodies, proteins that are typically used to differentiate cells from one another.

"This project demonstrated a novel concept," says Dr. Maher. "Future studies may extend the approach to applications related to senescent cells in human disease."

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

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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 

The post A new tool to find hidden ‘zombie cells’ appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Mayo Clinic researchers collaborated on a new study showing that the drug abemaciclib improves survival for people with high-risk, early-stage breast cancer.

In the phase 3 monarchE trial, two years of abemaciclib (Verzenio) plus endocrine therapy reduced the risk of death by 15.8% compared with endocrine therapy alone among patients with a common type of early-stage breast cancer.

The clinical trial enrolled more than 5,600 patients at over 600 sites across 38 countries. All participants had breast cancer that was hormone receptor-positive (HR+) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HER2-), a subtype that includes 70% of all breast cancers, and also had cancer in at least one underarm lymph node, a factor linked to higher risk of recurrence.

"This is the first therapy to significantly prolong survival for this patient population in over two decades," says study co-author Matthew Goetz, M.D., a breast medical oncologist at Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center. "With the addition of just one drug to standard endocrine therapy, we are not only seeing fewer recurrences but are also reducing the chance for breast cancer death."

These findings, published in the Annals of Oncology, establish abemaciclib plus endocrine therapy as the new standard of care for this high-risk group.

Abemaciclib is a CDK4/6 inhibitor, a type of drug that blocks proteins involved in cancer cell division. It is the first drug in its class approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat node-positive, high-risk early breast cancer. Dr. Goetz previously led the MONARCH 3 clinical trial, which led to the FDA approval of abemaciclib in combination with hormone therapy for advanced HR+/HER2- breast cancer.

"Abemaciclib was developed to target estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer in a way that's different than chemotherapy by slowing the proliferation of cancer cells," Dr. Goetz says. "We now can confidently state that the benefits seen early on, in terms of reducing recurrence, result in improved survival, which is what matters most to patients."  

While most patients with HR+/HER2- breast cancer have good long-term outcomes, those with lymph-node involvement or large or high-grade tumors are more likely to experience recurrence.

Among patients who took abemaciclib with endocrine therapy, 32% fewer experienced disease spread after seven years compared with those who only received endocrine therapy. This confirms that abemaciclib helps lower the risk of recurrence even after treatment with the drug has ended.  

Continued follow-up will determine whether the survival benefit deepens over time.   

Review the study for a complete list of authors, disclosures and funding. The study was led by Eli Lilly. 

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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.

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

The post Mayo Clinic collaborates on new drug study showing improved survival for early breast cancer appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

ROCHESTER, Minn. — A genomic test co-developed by Mayo Clinic and SkylineDx can identify whether people with melanoma are at low or high risk for cancer in their lymph nodes — a finding that could guide treatment decisions and help some people avoid lymph node biopsy surgery. The study results are published in JAMA Surgery.

In the largest prospective study of its kind, about 93% of people classified as low risk had no cancer in their lymph nodes, while about 25% in the high-risk group did. The multicenter clinical trial enrolled 1,761 people with early- or intermediate-stage melanoma at nine U.S. cancer centers between 2021 and 2024. 

Decoding the tumor’s genomic blueprint

The test measures the activity of eight genes in a melanoma tumor and combines that data with a person's age and tumor thickness to estimate the chance that cancer has reached the lymph nodes. The Merlin CP-GEP Test analyzes tissue from the tumor already collected during an initial biopsy, so no additional procedure or visit is required for the test.

Sentinel lymph node biopsy is performed under anesthesia to remove one or a few lymph nodes and check for microscopic cancer. The procedure usually requires a second incision and can have side effects, yet nearly 80% of people who undergo the surgery have no cancer in their lymph nodes.

"Surgery will always be central to cancer care, but this study shows that sentinel lymph node surgery might be avoided for selected patients with melanoma," says first author Tina Hieken, M.D., a surgical oncologist at the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center and co-principal investigator of the study. "This test lets us use a patient's own tumor biology to guide care with true precision."

Turning molecular insight into clinical impact

Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer. While early-stage disease can often be treated successfully, once melanoma spreads to the lymph nodes, the risk of recurrence increases. Determining whether the cancer has reached the lymph nodes is a key step in guiding treatment.

"Melanoma progression is driven by subtle molecular processes that we're only beginning to understand," says Alexander Meves, M.D., a dermatologist at the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center who led earlier validation studies of the test. "This work translates that biology into tools that can improve care."

Researchers are now studying how incorporating the test into melanoma care might help healthcare professionals understand the risk of recurrence and guide follow-up care.

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

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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.

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

The post New genomic test could spare some people with melanoma from lymph node biopsy surgery  appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Join Mayo Clinic and local law enforcement to safely and anonymously discard your unused and expired medications during National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, Oct. 25.

Mayo Clinic, in collaboration with the Olmsted County Sheriff's Office, Olmsted Medical Center, Zumbro Valley Medical Society and the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), will host a community drop-off event to collect unused or expired medications. The Rochester Fire Department, Olmsted County Drug & Alcohol Response Team, Mayo Clinic Ambulance Service and Rochester Police Department will be on-site with opportunities to learn more about community drug safety and emergency response.  

"Safe medication disposal is prevention in action," says Benjamin Lai, M.B., B.Ch., B.A.O., a family medicine physician and chair of Mayo Clinic's Opioid Stewardship Program.

"National Prescription Drug Take Back Day reminds us that small actions — like cleaning out a medicine cabinet — can have a powerful impact on protecting our loved ones and our community."

Anyone can anonymously drop off medications in Rochester on Oct. 25 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Mayo Family Clinic Northeast, 3041 Stonehedge Drive NE.

Medications accepted for safe disposal at take-back locations include:

• Prescription drugs
• Over-the-counter medications
• Ointments, patches, creams, inhalers and vials
• Pet medications
• Nonaerosol medications

Liquid medications must be in the original container. Vape pens and other e-cigarette devices are accepted with the batteries removed. 

"Every returned medication is one less chance for misuse or accidental harm," says Dr. Lai. "Safe disposal is one of the easiest ways we can all promote community health."

For those who live outside of Rochester, visit the DEA National Prescription Drug Take Back Day website to find a drop-off location in your area.

Community members who cannot attend the National Prescription Drug Take Back Day event can dispose of medications safely in the prescription drug collection box at the Olmsted County Government Center. The box is in the vestibule of the Adult Detention Center and is accessible around the clock every day of the year. Several pharmacies in the community also offer collection boxes — locate your nearest box with the DEA's year-round disposal site locator tool.

JOURNALISTS: Journalists interested in covering the event are invited to arrive between 10 and 11 a.m. Representatives from participating agencies will be available for on-site interviews.

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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: 

• Vincent Jacobbi, Mayo Clinic Communications, newsbureau@mayo.edu

The post Safely dispose of unused medications this Take Back Day appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — About 50% of menopausal women experience genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM) that involves changes to the genitals, including the vagina, urethra and bladder. When estrogen levels drop during menopause, it can cause the GSM symptoms of vaginal dryness, itching, burning, frequent urinary tract infections and pain during sex. Replenishing the hormone through vaginal estrogen is an effective GSM treatment. But many breast cancer survivors either can't or don't want to use estrogen.  

More than 4 million people in the U.S. are breast cancer survivors. GSM affects up to 70% of these survivors. Medications that stop the body from producing estrogen can prevent or stop the spread of breast cancer. However, these antiestrogen therapies, called aromatase inhibitors, also can exacerbate GSM symptoms. 

"Our data shows that as many as 20% of breast cancer survivors on aromatase inhibitors will stop taking their medication prematurely because they cause severe GSM symptoms. This early discontinuation of their breast cancer therapy can lead to worse outcomes in breast cancer survivorship. So, clearly, nonhormonal treatment options for GSM are needed," says Anita Chen, M.D., a gynecologist at Mayo Clinic in Florida. Dr. Chen is the lead author of a study published in Obstetrics & Gynecology.  
 
This need drove Dr. Chen to search for another option. Her team conducted a phase 1 clinical trial with 20 breast cancer survivors with GSM to test the efficacy of platelet-rich plasma (PRP), the part of the blood that holds healing properties, to see if it could help. Blood was drawn from each participant and then spun in a centrifuge to obtain platelets and plasma that have self-healing and regenerative effects. PRP was then injected diffusely once into the opening of the vagina and the vaginal canal in each participant. 

"After six months, the breast cancer patients' GSM symptoms had significantly improved, including sexual function, urinary symptoms and overall quality of life, even amongst those taking estrogen blockers," says Emanuel Trabuco, M.D., a Mayo Clinic researcher and co-author of the study. 

While vasomotor symptoms of menopause, such as hot flashes and night sweats, can improve over time, GSM does not improve without treatment and worsens over time.  

"All of our participants completed the injection protocol and rigorous follow-up, which suggests that this population desires treatment for a bothersome condition, one that is likely underreported, underestimated and undertreated," says Dr. Chen. "Most importantly, none of the participants stopped their breast cancer treatment or experienced cancer recurrence during the study." 

PRP has been used for years in orthopedics and dermatology, and gynecologists have started looking into it to treat stress urinary incontinence, reproductive medicine and GSM. 

The next step in this research includes pursuing a phase 2 randomized controlled clinical trial to compare PRP injection with a placebo to treat GSM in breast cancer survivors and further evaluate its efficacy. 

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

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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 

The post Breast cancer survivors find relief for debilitating menopause symptom appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

ROCHESTER, Minn. — The American Heart Association and the Minnesota Department of Health recently recognized Mayo Clinic in Rochester as a Heart Safe business. This honor reflects the commitment of Mayo's teams to prepare for cardiac emergencies, provide exceptional care and lead by example in the community. 

What the designation means 

The designation program aims to save people from sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) by helping businesses assess their preparedness for cardiac emergencies and find gaps where improvements can be made. Recognition is earned by demonstrating strength in key areas such as: 

• CPR and automated external defibrillator (AED) training: Equipping staff with lifesaving skills.  
• Cardiac Emergency Response Plan: Establishing clear, written steps to follow, allowing people to act quickly during a cardiac arrest to reduce deaths.  
• AED placement: Ensuring AEDs are readily accessible. 
• Community and awareness: Hosting education sessions, social media campaigns and community CPR/AED events.   
• Workforce well-being initiatives: Offering resources and tools to support employee health.  

How Mayo Clinic achieved this designation 

The idea to apply for the Heart Safe business designation came from Jessica Nelson, a registered nurse in Heart Rhythm Services at Mayo Clinic, who brought it to the Mayo Clinic Cardiovascular Nursing Division Coordinating Council. The Council recognized the program's alignment with the Department of Nursing’s goal to be a global leader and set the application process in motion, supported by a broad coalition across Mayo Clinic, including the leadership teams of Nursing, Legal, Emergency Medical Services (EMS - Gold Cross), Administration, Communications, Stroke and the Cardiovascular Department.  

In a statement, members of the Mayo Clinic Cardiovascular Nursing Division Coordinating Council shared, "Because we are Mayo Clinic and set the example for many other healthcare institutions, we felt we should pursue this designation to highlight the outstanding work that the Department of Cardiology does in alignment with Mayo Clinic's top ratings." 

This designation serves as a recognition of the hard work, dedication and excellence of Mayo Clinic's staff and reflects the organization's ongoing commitment to patient care, staff safety and community leadership. 

Next Step: Heart Safe Community 

This recognition is one of several affirmations of Mayo Clinic's highest level of care. The next goal is to pursue the Heart Safe Community designation in partnership with the City of Rochester.  

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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 contacts:  

• Terri Malloy, Mayo Clinic Communications, newsbureau@mayo.edu 

The post Mayo Clinic earns Heart Safe Business designation  appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Mayo Clinic Platform_Accelerate has announced its latest cohort of health tech startups, including national and international businesses. They will participate in an immersive, 30-week program that offers participants access to expert mentors, industry-leading technologies and millions of de-identified, longitudinal clinical records to develop and validate their artificial intelligence (AI)-driven healthcare solutions.

Participating companies will have unparalleled access to Mayo Clinic experts in regulatory, clinical, technology and business domains along with top investors and healthcare leaders — unlocking the resources, relationships and credibility needed to scale and succeed in their ventures.

"The only way we can transform healthcare is by bringing together clinical experts with technology innovators," says John Halamka, M.D., Diercks president of Mayo Clinic Platform. "Our Accelerate program connects innovative startups with Mayo Clinic physicians and scientists to turn breakthrough ideas into real-world healthcare solutions.”

More about each of the companies in the new cohort who are working to tackle some of healthcare’s biggest challenges:

• Bowhead Health is developing a radiogenomics platform that uses imaging to predict genomic mutations and guide personalized treatment and clinical trial matching. 
• Cleancard is creating an AI-powered, at-home cancer detection test that delivers lab-grade diagnostics in 30 minutes. 
• Dart Health rapidly deploys hospital-wide AI solutions by embedding engineering teams on-site to solve clinical and operational challenges. 
• Kanjo Health uses AI and evidence-based insights to deliver earlier, personalized and scalable care for children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism. 
• Koroid's intelligent platform predicts clinical demand and automates healthcare logistics to utilize staff and resources in an efficient, cost-effective and safe manner leading to better quality care.
• MedLink Global is advancing AI-driven precision psychiatry with tools that deliver accurate diagnoses and personalized treatment guidance. 
• MyAtlas Health leverages AI and data from wearable devices to predict mental health crises early and deliver personalized, preventive support. 
• Ordinatrum Health enhances critical care through AI-powered, FDA-cleared virtual intensive care units (ICU) and data integration solutions. 
• Promed AI combines at-home testing and multimodal AI to deliver affordable, personalized preventive healthcare. 
• RTHM provides data-driven, technology-enabled care to improve the diagnosis of and treatment for complex chronic illnesses like long COVID, myalgic encephalomyelitis and chronic fatigue syndrome. 
• Radical is developing a general-purpose AI model for oncology that generates personalized treatment recommendations to improve outcomes and reduce costs. 

"We're proud to welcome our October cohort — 11 companies pushing the boundaries of AI in healthcare,” says Jamie Sundsbak, director of the Accelerate program. “Their energy and vision reflect the very spirit of Accelerate: bold innovation, deep collaboration and a relentless focus on patient impact. Our team is honored to support their journey and excited to see what they build next."

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About Mayo Clinic Platform 
Founded on Mayo Clinic's dedication to patient-centered care, Mayo Clinic Platform enables new knowledge, new solutions and new technologies through collaborations with health technology innovators to create a healthier world. To learn more, visit Mayo Clinic Platform.

About Mayo Clinic 
Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to innovation in clinical practice, education and research, and to providing compassion, expertise and answers to everyone who needs healing. Visit the Mayo Clinic News Network for additional Mayo Clinic news.

Media contact: 

• Mayo Clinic Communications, newsbureau@mayo.edu

The post Mayo Clinic Platform_Accelerate announces latest cohort of AI startups appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

November is Epilepsy Awareness Month

PHOENIX — Medication has long been the cornerstone of treatment for people with epilepsy, but it doesn't stop seizures for everyone and may come with significant side effects. New options in use or under development include devices and gene and cell therapies aimed at resetting or rehabilitating the brain circuits that cause seizures, explains Dr. Jonathon Parker, a neurosurgeon at Mayo Clinic in Phoenix and director of the Device-Based Neuroelectronics Research Lab.

The objective is a personalized approach that provides patients with the safest, most effective treatment options for them, Dr. Parker says.

"Epilepsy on its own is very impactful on quality of life. You have these intermittent, unpredictable events or spells — electrical storms in the brain — that can affect your ability to communicate and control your body. Often, people lose consciousness," he says. "It's a really challenging disease to live with."

Medication controls seizures in many patients, but it can come with side effects such as sleepiness, cognitive changes, mood changes and a feeling of mental fogginess, further affecting quality of life, Dr. Parker explains.

Epilepsy is one of the world's most common neurological diseases. Roughly 50 million people have it, global statistics show. It can affect anyone of any age. Possible causes include genetics, brain damage, brain tumors, stroke and other blood vessel diseases, and some infections. Often, the cause of a person's epilepsy remains unknown.

"In up to one-third of patients with epilepsy medications eventually fail to control seizures," Dr. Parker says. In those cases, surgery to remove or ablate the part of the brain causing seizures has typically been the next option explored, he adds. In ablation, laser energy is channeled to disable epileptic tissue.

"However, there has been a paradigm shift and now we have new options to try to electrically rehabilitate abnormal circuitry that's causing seizures, a type of treatment called neuromodulation," Dr. Parker says. "And we're investigating regenerative therapies to try to get to the root cause and repair the brain at the cellular or molecular level rather than remove brain tissue or reset the brain."

Neuromodulation

Using deep brain stimulation techniques, neuroscientists at Mayo Clinic are looking for early signals in the brain to help stop seizures. In their biomarker discovery initiative, a team of researchers assesses how different stimulation patterns affect different parts of the brain.

"We're looking for that brain signal fingerprint that yes, these are the right stimulation settings that are pushing the brain toward a state where seizures are less likely," Dr. Parker says. "For patients having multiple attacks, sometimes per day or per week, if we're able to dramatically reduce them, it allows them to live their life in a much more predictable fashion, easier for them to do the things that they like to do in life without having to live in fear of these uncontrolled neurological attacks."

Deep brain stimulation involves implanting electrodes in the brain that produce electrical impulses to treat certain medical conditions, such as epilepsy. The team includes engineers, clinicians and neuroscientists who analyze the brain's electrical signals and extract meaning for the right settings for an individual patient's deep brain stimulation device.

Neural cell therapy

Dr. Parker and colleagues are studying cell-based therapies to help the brain restore its ability to regulate its electrical activity.

"You can think of epilepsy at some level as a disorder of abnormal regulation of brain neurons. In a healthy brain, some things excite the brain, and some things inhibit the brain. There's a never-ending balance of exciting neurons and quieting neurons down that allows the brain to function normally," he explains.

In people with epilepsy, the brain sometimes loses interneurons, the neurons that slow things down.

"You have this tendency for neurons to get very excited and then draw other neurons into that, creating a rhythmic electrical activity in the brain known as a seizure," Dr. Parker says.

The idea behind cell therapy is to transplant interneurons into the area of the brain affected by epilepsy, the temporal lobe, so the interneurons persist and help to restore the normal balance, he says.

Gene therapy

Dr. Parker is co-leader of a Mayo research team investigating potential gene therapy for epilepsy.

The approach in gene therapy is to look at specific ion channels or proteins in cells that control whether a cell is going to be active or inactive, he explains. In epilepsy, some of those gatekeepers do not work normally.

"They open and close incorrectly, or they stay open or close too long. Neurons get excited, and that excitement spreads in an uncontrolled fashion and a seizure happens," Dr. Parker says.

The team is studying the use of an adenovirus, a common virus in the body, to deliver therapy to reduce the activity of genes in the part of the brain where seizures are coming from, he says. 

"The options that we have are changing," Dr. Parker says. "They're improving year after year."

For more information about innovations in epilepsy care, visit mayoclinic.org.

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Media contact:

• Sharon Theimer, Mayo Clinic Communications, newsbureau@mayo.edu

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