Research

Mayo Clinic researchers have created a map of the brain and found that activity lingers longer, in certain areas, in those with Alzheimer’s than it ...

Mayo Clinic researchers have found a novel way to monitor real-time chemical changes in the brains of patients undergoing deep brain stimulation (DBS). This groundbreaking insight ...

ROCHESTER, Minn. — July 11, 2012.  Mayo Clinic and 18 other leading medical research institutions nationwide are urging congressional leaders to maintain current funding levels for the National Institutes of Health (NIH). They say medical research funding is essential for the health of the nation and the economy. NIH-funded research happens in all 50 states, and occurs in large and small communities across the nation — strengthening the economy and creating jobs. It is estimated that every $1 million in federal research funding creates at least 16 jobs in a community. The institutions also ask that a federal salary cap for NIH-funded researchers be returned to its previous level. The letter says the pay cut to scientists will drive some away and make recruitment of "the best and the brightest" even more difficult. Most medical research at U.S. academic medical centers — whether laboratory studies or clinical trials — is supported by NIH dollars. That includes research in all key disease areas: all types of cancer; Alzheimer's disease; Parkinson's disease and other neurological disorders; heart and lung diseases; diabetes and obesity; genetic conditions; infectious diseases; mental illness and more. Almost any major advance or therapy in these areas has involved NIH funding. In recent years, inflation and budget cuts have led to cuts in award amounts and the number of grants. In the past, one-third of grant applications received funding in many disciplines. Now only 12 percent in some areas win funding. Difficulty obtaining grants has driven some experienced researchers from their scientific careers and made many students think twice about research as a career choice. Those signing the letter are: Arizona State University Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute Duke University School of Medicine Henry Ford Health System Mayo Clinic New York University School of Medicine Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine University of California Health System University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus University Hospitals Case Medical Center University of Michigan Health System University of Minnesota The University of Texas at Arlington The University of Texas System University of Utah School of Medicine University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health University of Wisconsin System Vanderbilt University Text of the letter sent to the U.S. Congress follows: The undersigned institutions are recognized as some of the leading research and academic medical centers in the United States. We appreciate the opportunity to bring to your attention two issues that dramatically impact the research function of our institutions: National Institutes of Health (NIH) — It is critically important that the NIH continues to be recognized as a national priority. We strongly urge your consideration of funding NIH at the $32 billion level in the FY 2013 Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill. Executive Pay Scale/Salary Cap — The restoration of the salary limit imposed on extramural NIH researchers to Level I of the Executive Pay Scale is critical to our ability to attract and retain the most qualified researchers to our institutions and the field. We urge your inclusion of the salary cap restoration during your subcommittee's deliberations.

ROCHESTER, Minn. — June 27, 2012.   Mayo Clinic researchers have successfully used smaller, folded DNA molecules to stimulate regeneration and repair of nerve coatings in mice that mimic multiple sclerosis (MS). They say the finding, published today in the journal PLoS ONE, suggests new possible therapies for MS patients. VIDEO ALERT: Video resources with Dr. Maher are available here. "The problem has been to find a way to encourage the nervous system to regenerate its own myelin (the coating on the nerves) so nerve cells can recover from an MS attack," says L. James Maher III, Ph.D., Mayo Clinic biochemist and senior author on the paper. "We show here that these small molecules, called aptamers, can stimulate repair in the mice we are studying." More than 200,000 people have multiple sclerosis. There is no cure and no effective therapy to stop progression or repair damage to the myelin sheath that surrounds and protects the nerves. Without that protection, nerve fibers will be damaged, leading to declining mobility and cognitive function, and other debilitating complications. MS researchers, including Mayo neurologist Moses Rodriguez, M.D., a co-author on this paper, have focused on monoclonal antibodies in mice to stimulate myelin repair. The Rodriguez and Maher teams, working together, have determined that the aptamers are not only effective, but they are easy and cheap to synthesize — an important point for drug developers. They also are stable and not likely to cause an immune response. This new approach must be validated in other mouse models to see if it might be a candidate for human clinical trials.

Here are highlights from the online issue of Discovery's Edge, Mayo Clinic's research magazine. You may cite and link to this publication as often as ...

ROCHESTER, Minn. — May 7, 2012.  The Medical Publishing Insights and Practices (MPIP) initiative and its co-sponsors recently collaborated with journal editors to characterize the persistent and perceived credibility gap in reporting industry-sponsored research and to identify potential approaches to resolve it. This unique round table, hosted by MPIP, reached consensus on Ten Recommendations for Closing the Credibility Gap in Reporting Industry-Sponsored Clinical Research as reported in the May issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings. Attendees of the roundtable agreed that important improvements have been made in the conduct and reporting of industry-sponsored studies during the last five years, but several opportunities remain for additional improvement. These include ensuring that clinical studies and publications address clinically important questions; making public all results, including negative or unfavorable ones in a timely fashion, while avoiding redundancy; and exhibiting zero tolerance for selective or biased disclosure of research results, ghostwriting and guest authorship, and inaccurate or incomplete reporting of potential conflicts of interest. "Intended as a 'call to action' for all stakeholders, these recommendations provide a road map for authors, editors, and publishers to improve standards applicable to all medical research studies and publications by highlighting critical areas that merit attention in terms of policies, education, and other activities," notes Maja Zecevic, Ph.D., MPH, corresponding author of the paper and North American senior editor of The Lancet. "We are extremely pleased to publish this important set of recommendations in Mayo Clinic Proceedings," says Editor-in-Chief William Lanier, M.D. "Although framed in the context of industry sponsorship, many of these recommendations are more widely applicable to enhance the credibility of clinical research publications in general, regardless of the funding source."

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Mayo Clinic physiologists have left Rochester, Minn., on the first leg of their journey to Mount Everest where they will conduct research ...

MEDIA ADVISORY:  Mayo Clinic Everest Team Leaves Monday April 16th @ 3:30 p.m. Rochester, MN Airport Mayo Clinic’s ...

A new class of molecular mutation, in various forms of breast cancer, has been discovered by Mayo Clinic researchers in Florida.   This finding may shed new ...

A Mayo Clinic research team of physiologists will leave for Nepal and Mount Everest on Monday afternoon, April 16, from the Rochester, Minn., airport. The ...

ROCHESTER, Minn. — April 9, 2012.   The Breast Cancer Genome Guided Therapy Study (BEAUTY Project) will help physicians tailor chemotherapy to breast cancer patients based on their individual genomes and the genomes of their tumors. Mayo Clinic researchers will obtain three whole genome sequences: one from the patients' healthy cells before treatment, and two tumor genomes – one before chemotherapy and one after. Patients will be paired with mouse "avatars" that will help physicians identify the best treatment for each person. "What is so exciting about this study is that it has the potential to really bring individualized medicine to our patients," says Matthew Goetz, M.D., Mayo oncologist and study co-leader. "It will transform how we conduct breast cancer research and how drug therapies are delivered to women with breast cancer." In phase one of the BEAUTY Project, researchers will study the first 200 participants to look for common mutations that allow some tumors to adapt and thrive during chemotherapy. This information will help doctors identify new drugs and treatment strategies. Women diagnosed with "high-risk" cancers who are scheduled to receive standard chemotherapy before surgery will have their healthy genome and their breast cancer tumor cells sequenced before treatment, and then receive the commonly prescribed chemotherapy to shrink the tumor. At surgery, the residual cancer tumor cells will be sequenced again to evaluate how they have mutated and adapted to chemotherapy. In addition, patients' tumor tissue will be kept alive by implanting cell lines in immune-compromised mice — before and after chemotherapy. The use of these mouse "avatars'' will let researchers study the effects of chemotherapy on individual patient tumors and identify the best treatment, without risk of harm to the patient. "Patients are pleased after definitive breast surgery to be cancer free," says Judy Boughey, M.D., a Mayo breast surgeon and study co-leader. "Unfortunately, a subset of high-risk patients still may experience recurrence, even months or years later. We designed this study to give those patients hope that our ability to decode the genome of every patient might give us new tools to treat cancer."

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Research on kidney stones in fruit flies may hold the key to developing a treatment that could someday stop the formation of ...