Research - March 2015 Archives

Mayo Clinic’s campus in Jacksonville, Fla. has been recognized as one of four Cancer Centers of Excellence to be designated by the State of Florida. The announcement was made Monday by state Surgeon General and Secretary of Health Dr. John Armstrong.   The Cancer Center of Excellence designation recognizes Mayo Clinic and three other cancer centers for demonstrating a commitment to excellence by providing patient-centered coordinated care for those undergoing cancer treatment and therapy in Florida. The goal of the program is to encourage excellence in cancer care in Florida, attract and retain the best cancer care professionals to the state, and help Florida organizations to be recognized nationally as a preferred destination for quality cancer care. In addition to being recognized as a newly designated Cancer Center of Excellence, Mayo Clinic is also one of only two National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated comprehensive cancer centers in Florida. Media Contact: Paul Scotti, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 904-953-0199. Email: scotti.paul@mayo.edu Journalists: Sound bites with Dr. Smallridge are available in the downloads. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Twnikc19N2E

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fMY6vJ5kig The Mayo Clinic Center for Tuberculosis,  a regional training and consultation center at Mayo Clinic's campus in Rochester, Minn, is today launching a new medical journal, the Journal of Clinical Tuberculosis and Other Mycobacterial Diseases. The online journal is published by Elsevier. “We believe that the Journal of Clinical Tuberculosis and Other Mycobacterial Diseases fills an unmet need by providing a platform for the dissemination of the results of clinically relevant research,” say the editors in their inaugural editorial for the publication. They also cite the continue spread of tuberculosis as a global health problem, making it the second greatest cause of death from infectious diseases after HIV. “We are very excited that we are launching this journal on World TB Day and hope that it will effectively advance new knowledge that will ultimately help end this terrible disease,” says Editor-in-Chief Zelalem Temesgen, M.D [Za-La-Lum Tah-mezg-in]. Two other Mayo Clinic physician-researchers, Stacey Rizza, M.D. and John Wilson, M.D., will serve as associate editors. All three are members of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Mayo Clinic and members of the tuberculosis center. An editorial board composed of leading experts in the field from around the globe has already been established to help advance the journal's mission. MEDIA CONTACT: Bob Nellis, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, Email: newsbureau@mayo.edu

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — By examining more than 3,600 postmortem brains, researchers at Mayo Clinic’s campuses in Jacksonville, Florida, and Rochester, Minnesota, have found that the progression of dysfunctional tau protein drives the cognitive decline and memory loss seen in Alzheimer’s disease. Amyloid, the other toxic protein that characterizes Alzheimer’s, builds up as dementia progresses, but is not the primary culprit, they say. The findings, published in Brain, offer new and valuable information in the long and ongoing debate about the relative contribution of amyloid and tau to the development and progression of cognitive dysfunction in Alzheimer’s, says the study’s lead author, Melissa Murray, Ph.D., a neuroscientist at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville. MEDIA CONTACT: Kevin Punsky, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 904-953-0746, punsky.kevin@mayo.edu Journalists: Video is available in the downloads. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=452BcXATI4c  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2GPtZhos5Y&feature=youtu.be A new class of drugs identified and validated by Mayo Clinic researchers along with collaborators at Scripps Research Institute and others, clearly reduces health problems in mice by limiting the effect of senescent cells — cells that contribute to frailty and diseases associated with age. The researchers say this is a first step toward developing similar treatments for aging patients. Their findings appear today in the journal Aging Cell.  “If translatable to humans — which makes sense as we were using human cells in many of the tests – this type of therapy could keep the effects of aging at bay and significantly extend the healthspan of patients,” says James Kirkland, M.D., Ph.D., head of the Mayo Clinic Kogod Center on Aging and senior author of the study.  The drugs — called senolytics — selectively kill senescent cells without harming nearby cells and tissue, to reduce heart and vascular problems, muscle weakness, osteoporosis, and neurological problems. Senescent cells are cells that appear with aging and at sites of many age-related diseases. They produce factors that can damage the cells and tissues around them and at a distance, amplifying their effects. In many examples, the drugs caused significant and visible reduction of multiple conditions after just one dose – and remained therapeutic for up to seven months. The researchers say that this long lasting effect is consistent with a change in cellular or tissue composition. MEDIA CONTACT: Bob Nellis, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, Email: newsbureau@mayo.edu

It's estimated that 5 million Americans age 65 and older may have Alzheimer's disease. And with an aging population on the rise, that number is expected to ...

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Mayo Clinic and Gentag, Inc. have reached an agreement to develop the next generation of wearable biosensors designed to fight obesity and diabetes. “We are hoping that this technology will be game-changer. These patch biosensors may help us reduce global obesity and diabetes,” says James Levine, M.D., Ph.D., a Mayo Clinic endocrinologist and obesity researcher. “They are accurate, inexpensive, and can be integrated into the care people receive." A first-of-its-kind, the wearable patch sensors are the size of a small bandage, and are designed to be painless, wireless and disposable. In the bandage is a sensor that communicates via a closed-loop diabetes management system which is compatible with cell phones. The system will allow researchers to monitor movement and develop treatments for obesity and related conditions. MEDIA CONTACT: Brian Kilen, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, newsbureau@mayo.edu