For Loren Vinal, the holidays have always carried a gentle kind of magic. Loren's hometown of Corning, New York, and his winters on Jekyll Island, Georgia, offered two peaceful places where music and community shaped his daily life.

In late 2017, everything changed. After months of worsening shortness of breath and repeated misdiagnoses, Loren — a guitarist with 40 years of experience — flew to Nashville, Tennessee, to play a show with a friend. Loren ended up in the emergency department before he could play — diagnosed with advanced heart failure. He remembers the shock of that moment. 

"Out of the blue, my life completely shifted," Loren says. 

After receiving that diagnosis, Loren spent 13 days in the hospital in Nashville. Once stable, he returned to upstate New York and continued care at a local hospital where specialists determined he needed a left ventricular assist device (LVAD). The LVAD is a mechanical pump that supports the heart by helping the left ventricle circulate blood throughout the body.  

After about seven years with the LVAD, new complications in 2024 meant it was time to revisit transplant. By then, Lorena already knew about Mayo Clinic in Florida. Years earlier, he had been transferred there from a nearby hospital while wintering on Jekyll Island because smaller hospitals were not equipped to manage patients with the LVAD.

Loren never forgot the care he received then. 

"I was so impressed with the dedication and professionalism at Mayo Clinic," Loren says. 

When he learned he was a strong candidate for heart transplant, he says the decision to pursue care at Mayo Clinic felt right. 

Heart transplant

Loren received his first heart transplant on July 1, 2024. However, due to unforeseen circumstances, Loren would need another new heart, and he was relisted on the transplant waiting list in May 2025. He spent nine and a half weeks waiting in the hospital before receiving his second heart transplant on July 19, 2025. 

Waiting was difficult, but he felt supported at every turn. Today, Loren shares that he exercises and plays music again — feeling stronger with each passing day.  

"A good working heart changes everything," Loren says. 

Loren speaks openly about the gratitude he feels toward his donors who gave him the incredible gift of life. "It is the greatest gift you can bestow on another human," he says. 

Throughout his journey, Loren learned more about the scope of Mayo Clinic's commitment to transplantation. As one of the largest and most comprehensive transplant programs in the world, Mayo Clinic Transplant Center provides seamless care across heart, lung, liver, kidney, pancreas and bone marrow transplantation for both adults and children. 

The transplant center teams in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota work together to advance innovation, research and education, shaping the future of transplantation worldwide. 

Mayo Clinic also leads research in organ preservation, living donation and regenerative medicine, guided by a vision that no patient should die while waiting for a transplant. These advances have helped expand access for patients with complex needs and support successful outcomes like Loren's. 

"Loren showed extraordinary resilience," says Dr. Daniel Yip, transplant cardiologist at Mayo Clinic in Florida. "Even in the face of profound challenges, he remained engaged and hopeful. Our team was committed to walking every step of this with him."  

As Loren looks toward the new year with a new heart, he feels a deeper joy in the moments he once took for granted: a strong, steady heartbeat; music returning to his fingertips; and time with the people he loves.

"I sincerely thank everyone involved, and I hope to continue to pay it forward," Loren says. 

His story now carries its own quiet holiday light — hope renewed, life restored and gratitude that stretches far beyond the season.  

The post New heart helps Loren Vinal return to music, life he loves appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Dressed as Santa, kidney transplant recipient Dan Reed returned to Mayo Clinic to thank his transplant team and spread holiday cheer. 

"I knew 2025 would be a big year for me," Dan says. 

For Dan, May 2025 brought the greatest gift of all: the gift of life. 

Dan's journey to transplant first came to light in 2024, when he shared his story publicly while awaiting a kidney transplant. That journey came full circle this holiday season when he returned to the Transplant Center at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota — this time healthy, thriving and dressed in a familiar red suit. 

"Not only are kidney transplants possible, they're doable, life-changing. And Mayo is just a phenomenal place to have it done," Dan says.  

Each holiday season, Dan volunteers as Santa, spreading joy and connection within the community. This year, he wanted that tradition of giving to include the Mayo Clinic transplant team who supported him through his transplant journey. 

Dan was joined by Steve Eckhouse, his best friend of more than 40 years and the person who helped initiate the living donor chain that ultimately led to Dan receiving a kidney. Together, they visited Mayo Clinic physicians, nurses, transplant coordinators and staff to personally express their gratitude. 

"I was happy to learn that anybody could possibly be eligible (to be a donor)," Steve says. 

For the transplant team, the visit offered a meaningful opportunity to see the impact of their work — from a patient thriving after transplant, to the friend who helped make it possible. 

Watch: Kidney transplant recipient visits transplant care team

Mayo Clinic Transplant Center is one of the largest and most comprehensive transplant programs in the world. With programs in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota, Mayo Clinic provides seamless, coordinated care across the full spectrum of transplantation, including living donation. 

The post A thank-you for the gift of life: Kidney transplant recipient reunites with care team appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

These discoveries reflect progress across three major innovation efforts at Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic clinicians and scientists are working together to develop tools to predict and intercept biological processes before they evolve into disease or progress into complex, hard-to-treat conditions through the Precure initiative. They are advancing new cures for end-organ failure beyond traditional transplantation as part of the Genesis initiative. They are also uniting clinical insight with cutting-edge engineering to deliver novel neurological diagnostics and therapies through the Bioelectronics Neuromodulation Innovation to Cure (BIONIC) initiative. 
 

1. 'Virtual clinical trials' may predict success of heart failure drugs 

Mayo Clinic researchers have created "virtual clinical trials" that advance the discovery of therapies while reducing time, cost and the risk of failed studies by combining advanced computer modeling with real-world patient data as part of the Precure and Genesis initiatives. Through one virtual clinical trial, they have developed a new way to predict whether existing drugs could be repurposed to treat heart failure, one of the world's most pressing health challenges. 

"Clinical trials will always remain essential," says Cui Tao, Ph.D., the Nancy Peretsman and Robert Scully Chair of Artificial Intelligence and Informatics and vice president of Mayo Clinic Platform Informatics. "But this innovation demonstrates how AI can make research more efficient, affordable and broadly accessible. Integrating trial emulation, simulation, synthetic trials and biomedical knowledge modeling opens the door to a new paradigm in translational science." 

2. New discovery may unlock regenerative therapies for lung disease

Mayo Clinic researchers have uncovered the molecular "switch" that directs a small but powerful set of cells that choose whether to repair tissue or fight infection, a discovery that could inform regenerative therapies for chronic lung diseases, which is part of Mayo Clinic's Genesis initiative.
 
"We were surprised to find that these specialized cells cannot do both jobs at once," says Douglas Brownfield, Ph.D., senior author of the study. "Some commit to rebuilding, while others focus on defense. That division of labor is essential — and by uncovering the switch that controls it, we can start thinking about how to restore balance when it breaks down in disease." 

3. Stem cells may offer new hope for end-stage kidney disease treatment

Mayo Clinic researchers found that injecting patients' own stem cells from fat cells into the vein before hemodialysis, a treatment for end-stage kidney disease, often helped prevent inflammation and vein narrowing. This could help millions of people tolerate dialysis longer, extending the time before they require a kidney transplant as part of the Mayo Clinic Genesis initiative. 

"This approach has the potential to improve outcomes for millions of patients with kidney failure, reduce healthcare costs and inform new clinical guidelines for dialysis access management if validated in larger clinical trials," says Sanjay Misra, M.D., a Mayo Clinic interventional radiologist. 

4. Mayo Clinic physicians map patients' brain waves to personalize epilepsy treatment

Using detailed maps of each patient's unique brain wave patterns, Mayo Clinic physicians can now pinpoint where stimulation is most effective, moving beyond the traditional one-size-fits-all approach to epilepsy treatment. This research is part of the BIONIC initiative.

"The long-term goal is to quiet the seizure network, so it is eventually forgotten. Reorganizing the neuronal network could move us beyond controlling seizures to actually curing epilepsy," says Nick Gregg, M.D., a Mayo Clinic neurologist. 

5. New genetic biomarker flags aggressive brain tumors

Mayo Clinic researchers found when meningiomas — the most common type of brain tumor — show activity in a gene called telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT), it tends to recur more quickly, even if it looks low grade under the microscope. This is part of the Mayo Clinic Precure initiative. 

"High TERT expression is strongly linked to faster disease progression," says Gelareh Zadeh, M.D., Ph.D., a neurosurgeon at Mayo Clinic and senior author of the study. "This makes it a promising new biomarker for identifying patients who may be at greater risk of developing aggressive disease."

6. Mayo Clinic researchers discover the immune system's 'fountain of youth'

Mayo Clinic researchers have found that some older people maintain "immune youth" – a new term coined by Mayo researchers to explain a young immune system in someone over age 60.  
 
"We observed that these patients have very young immune systems despite being in their 60s and 70s. But the price they pay for that is autoimmunity," says Cornelia Weyand, M.D., Ph.D., a Mayo Clinic rheumatologist and clinician-scientist. This is part of the Mayo Clinic Precure initiative.

7. Mayo Clinic tools predict, identify and diagnose Alzheimer's, dementia quicker

Mayo Clinic researchers have developed new tools to estimate a person's risk of developing Alzheimer's disease years before symptoms appear as part of the Precure initiative and to help clinicians identify brain activity patterns linked to nine types of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, using one scan. They also confirmed the accuracy of an FDA-approved blood test that can be used at outpatient memory clinics to diagnose the disease in patients with a range of cognitive impairment. 

"Every patient who walks into my clinic carries a unique story shaped by the brain's complexity," says David T. Jones, M.D., a Mayo Clinic neurologist. "That complexity drew me to neurology and continues to drive my commitment to clearer answers."

8. Mayo Clinic research improves dense breast cancer screening and early detection

Nearly half of all women in the U.S. have dense breast tissue, which can make detecting breast cancer difficult with a mammogram. Mayo Clinic researchers found that adding another test, called molecular breast imaging, or MBI, to a 3D mammogram, improved the ability to find cancer in dense tissue by more than double. 
 
"Our research focuses on detecting the most lethal cancers, which can include invasive tumors that grow quickly. If these are detected earlier, we likely can save more lives," says Carrie Hruska, Ph.D., a Mayo Clinic professor of medical physics and lead author of the study. 

9. Mayo Clinic researchers find 'sugar coating' cells can protect those typically destroyed in type 1 diabetes

After identifying a sugar molecule that cancer cells use on their surfaces to hide from the immune system, Mayo Clinic researchers have found the same molecule may eventually help in the treatment of type 1 diabetes, once known as juvenile diabetes. 

"A goal would be to provide transplantable cells without the need for immunosuppression," says Virginia Shapiro, Ph.D., a Mayo Clinic immunology researcher. "Though we're still in the early stages, this study may be one step toward improving care."

10. New study calculates autoimmune disease prevalence

Mayo Clinic researchers and collaborators have described — for the first time — the prevalence of autoimmune diseases in the U.S. Their research reports that about 15 million people are estimated to have one or more of 105 autoimmune diseases. The study also found that autoimmune diseases occur most often in women, and it identified the top autoimmune diseases by prevalence, sex and age. 
 
"Knowing the number of patients with an autoimmune disease in the U.S. is critical to assess whether these diseases are increasing or decreasing over time and with treatment," says DeLisa Fairweather, Ph.D., vice-chair of translational research for the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at Mayo Clinic in Florida and corresponding author of the study.

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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 Year of Discovery: 10 Mayo Clinic research breakthroughs moving medicine forward  appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Barbara Brown was working in New York City when the Sept. 11 attacks occurred. Exposure to toxins led to years of struggling to breathe and searching for answers.

Barbara's journey led her to Mayo Clinic and, ultimately, a life-changing double-lung transplant. With renewed strength, Barbara shares what drives her to educate others about transplants.

Watch: Double-lung transplant inspires mom to educate and support others

Journalists: Broadcast-quality video pkg (2:14) is in the downloads at the end of the post. Please courtesy: "Mayo Clinic News Network." Read the script.

"I was meeting my girlfriends for breakfast," Barbara says. "She actually worked in the World Trade Center. When the actual plane hit the tower, I wasn't right up on the towers, but I was where you could see it."

What followed that day would change Barbara's health and life forever.

"All of this stuff that was in your lungs," Barbara recalls.

Over time, Brown started to notice changes in her health. Then, a pivotal moment in 2006 while being a mom to an active 2-year-old girl.

"(My daughter) jumped up in my arms, and I kind of fell backward. And I fell down, and I couldn't hold her," Barbara says. "That was the first big thing with my lungs."

Barbara was diagnosed with interstitial lung disease, where inflammation and scarring make it difficult to breathe. Doctors explained that someday she would need a lung transplant.

"I looked at this little girl that I had, and I said, 'You know, if I'm going to fight, I'm going to fight for her, you know,'" Barbara says. "And so that's what I chose to do."

Barbara spent much of the next decade searching for a transplant program that would be the right fit. She traveled across the country speaking with care teams and taking evaluations — all while her lungs grew weaker. Then, Mayo Clinic entered her life.

"Barbara came through our doors, referred to us from an outside provider, with a disease that was fairly advanced," Dr. Tathagat Narula, a Mayo Clinic transplant pulmonologist, says. "She was on a lot of oxygen, very, very sick."

After qualifying for a double-lung transplant and spending time on the waiting list, Barbara got the call in April 2017.

"It's the scariest thing in the world because now you're looking at everybody and you're like, 'This is it!'" Barbara says. "'This is really it!'"

Recovery would be long, but after physical therapy to regain her strength, Barbara was breathing without assistance and ready to pick up where her life had paused. The journey has also inspired her to share her story and dispel misconceptions about transplant.

"I decided that I was going to really write about my experience," Barbara says. "If I can do something to get the information out there, and I said, 'I'm going to maybe attempt at it this way.'"

"In Barbara's case, she has had this opportunity to see her daughter grow up, go to college," Dr. Narula says. " Barbara is writing a book to share her journey, to share her story with the wider audience. What more can you ask for?"

Eight and a half years after transplant, she's happy and excited for her next chapter.

"Do I look like someone who's been through a double-lung transplant? No, but what does someone look like? If someone says I look like a happy person, then that's what I would prefer looking like," Barbara says.

Related stories:

• Mayo Clinic’s transplant center in Florida performs 10,000th
• Expert alert: 5 reasons more diverse organ donors are needed

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November is Diabetes Awareness Month

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Diabetes affects how the body uses glucose, also known as blood sugar. It can mean that there is too much sugar in the blood. This can harm people in several ways. One serious complication is chronic kidney disease. Ivan Porter II, M.D., a nephrologist at Mayo Clinic in Florida, explains the connection between diabetes and chronic kidney disease.

Up to 40% of people with diabetes develop chronic kidney disease, also called chronic kidney failure, global statistics show. Their kidneys cannot effectively do their most important job, which is regulating the composition of the blood by filtering out waste and maintaining the balance and amount of salt and water in the body.

Chronic kidney disease may be advanced before symptoms appear and a person is diagnosed. It can progress to end-stage kidney failure, which can be fatal without dialysis or a kidney transplant.

Both type 1 and type 2 diabetes can lead to chronic kidney disease. Type 2 diabetes is a far more common cause. With either type, the body can't produce enough insulin. Insulin is a hormone produced in the pancreas that helps the body convert sugar into energy. Because one of the kidneys' most important jobs is cleaning the blood, they help regulate blood glucose levels, Dr. Porter explains.

"The high levels of circulating glucose in the blood are poisonous to nerves and blood vessels, and the kidneys are a big ball of blood vessels," Dr. Porter says. "The presence of high glucose leads to chemical changes that cause protein in urine, and the presence of protein in urine directly activates factors that cause scarring and fibrosis within the kidney, leading to worsening of kidney disease."

How diabetes and chronic kidney disease overlap and interact with each other is complex. Too much glucose in the blood can damage the kidneys and lead to chronic kidney disease. At the same time, declining kidney function related to chronic kidney disease can lead to insulin resistance, which can cause type 2 diabetes. In addition, declining kidney function can worsen preexisting diabetes.

The longer you have diabetes — and the less controlled your blood sugar — the higher the risk of complications such as chronic kidney disease. 

There are five stages of kidney disease, based on the glomerular filtration rate (GFR). The GFR measures how well the kidneys filter waste from the blood. The stages are:

• Stage 1. At this stage, the GFR is 90 or higher, which is considered a healthy level. However, there is also another indicator of kidney disease present, such as blood or protein in the urine.

• Stage 2. At this stage, the GFR is 60 to 89.

• Stage 3. This stage is broken down into two subtypes — stage 3a and stage 3b. With 3a, the GFR is 45 to 59, and there is mild to moderate decline in kidney function. With 3b, the GFR is 30 to 44, and there is a more severe decline in kidney function.

• Stage 4. The GFR is 15 to 29, and kidney decline is severe.

• Stage 5. This stage is considered end-stage renal disease, also called kidney failure. The GFR is under 15. At this point, dialysis or a kidney transplant is needed.

Most often, chronic kidney disease is diagnosed in stage 3 or later.

"The presence of other comorbidities, such as uncontrolled blood pressure, uncontrolled diabetes or the presence of protein in the urine, can make what might seem like an earlier stage worse for someone," Dr. Porter says.

Not everyone living with diabetes will develop chronic kidney disease. Dr. Porter says it is critical to manage your diabetes, monitor your kidney function regularly and take steps to protect your kidney health to help lower risk.

Controlling diabetes includes managing medication, developing a healthy eating routine, exercising and planning for factors that can affect blood sugar levels, such as illness, stress, and changes in hormone levels due to menstrual cycles, perimenopause and menopause.

Type 2 diabetes has risk factors that people can try to avoid. These include preventing or treating overweight or obesity; being active; maintaining healthy levels of HDL cholesterol, also known as good cholesterol; and avoiding alcohol or limiting consumption to a moderate level. 

For more information, visit Mayo Clinic and Mayo Clinic Press.

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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:

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

The post Another critical reason to prevent and control diabetes: It is a top cause of chronic kidney disease appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

PHOENIX — Mayo Clinic researchers have developed a pioneering method to mend damaged hearts without open-heart surgery, an advance that could one day transform the treatment of heart failure. 

The new approach uses lab-grown heart tissue made from reprogrammed adult stem cells, delivered through a tiny incision rather than a surgically opened chest cavity. In preclinical testing, the stem cell patch restored heart function and improved healing.

"For patients with severe heart failure, there are very few options beyond mechanical pumps or transplants. We hope this approach will offer a new way to repair their own hearts," says Wuqiang Zhu, Ph.D., senior author of the study published in Acta Biomaterialia and a cardiovascular researcher at Mayo Clinic in Arizona.

Reversing the irreversible

Heart attacks remain one of the leading causes of death worldwide. When blood flow to the heart is blocked, oxygen-starved cells die and are replaced by scar tissue that cannot contract or conduct electrical signals — weakening the heart’s ability to pump blood.

"The adult human heart doesn't regenerate once those cells are lost," Dr. Zhu explains. "That's why heart failure, especially chronic heart failure due to the loss of functional cardiac muscle, is often difficult to treat; the muscle simply can't repair itself."

For years, scientists have been working on ways to replace damaged tissue with healthy heart cells derived from stem cells. Early efforts showed promise, but most required open-heart surgery — a procedure too risky for many patients already struggling with severe heart failure.

Scientists have long hoped that stem cells could provide a way to rebuild what the body cannot. By reprogramming ordinary adult cells such as skin or blood cells into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), researchers can coax them into becoming replacement heart cells.

But safely and effectively delivering engineered heart tissues made from these cells has remained a major challenge.

Innovation at heart

In collaboration with engineers at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Mayo researchers developed a flexible, paper-thin patch made of nano- and microfibers coated with gelatin. This hybrid scaffold supports a blend of human heart muscle cells, blood vessel cells and fibroblasts—cells that form the tissue’s structural framework—to create a living, beating piece of heart tissue. Before transplantation, the tissue is infused with bioactive factors such as fibroblast growth factor 1 and CHIR99021 that encourage the growth of new blood vessels and help the cells survive once they are in place.

"The beauty of this design," says Dr. Zhu, "is that it can be folded like a piece of paper, loaded into a slender tube, and delivered precisely where it's needed through a small incision in the chest. Once in place, it unfolds and adheres naturally to the heart's surface."

Instead of using stitches, the team used a biocompatible surgical adhesive that holds the patch in place while minimizing additional trauma to the surrounding tissue.

Testing in preclinical models showed that the minimally invasive method improved heart function, reduced scarring, enhanced vascular growth and lessened inflammation compared with conventional approaches.

"Our results show that these engineered tissues not only survive but actually help the heart heal itself," says Dr. Zhu. "That's the ultimate goal: to replace what's lost and restore function."

A step toward regeneration

The research aligns closely with Mayo Clinic's Genesis Initiative, which aims to accelerate discoveries that restore or regenerate human organs and tissues.

"Genesis is about pioneering new ways to repair and rebuild the human body," Dr. Zhu says. "What we're doing here is exactly that — using regenerative science and minimally invasive delivery to give the heart a chance to recover."

Currently, more than 4,000 heart transplants are performed in the United States each year, while thousands more patients die waiting for a donor organ. Dr. Zhu hopes this technology could eventually offer another option.

"Our vision," he says, "is that patients could one day receive engineered heart tissue made from their own reprogrammed cells, delivered through a minimally invasive procedure — no donor organ, no long recovery, just a repaired heart."

Next steps

The Mayo Clinic team plans to advance this work through larger-scale preclinical testing to ensure the therapy's safety and effectiveness before moving to human clinical trials, a process that Dr. Zhu estimates could take five years or more.

"Heart failure remains a devastating condition," he says. "If we can make stem cell treatment accessible to more patients, especially those too fragile for open-heart surgery, we could save lives."

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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:

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

The post Mayo Clinic researchers identify a new stem cell patch to gently heal damaged hearts appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

On October 29, the Transplant Center at Mayo Clinic in Florida performed its 10,000th transplant since the program launched in 1998. The milestone is a reflection of the lives transformed through the gift of organ donation.

"Every transplant represents the work of an extraordinary team dedicated to restoring hope and health," says Dr. Burcin Taner, chair of the Department of Transplantation at Mayo Clinic in Florida. "Reaching this milestone reflects our clinical excellence and the trust our patients place in Mayo Clinic. Together, we're shaping the next era of transplantation — one defined by innovation, collaboration and compassion."

The Florida Transplant Program began as a liver transplant program. Kidney transplant was added in 2000, followed by heart and lung transplants in 2001. The transplant program reports some of the highest survival rates, the lowest median wait times and the highest volumes in the country, according to the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients.

The 10,000th transplant places the program among the top transplant centers nationwide for overall transplant volume. Additionally, the transplant center is on track for a record volume year, having performed more than 465 procedures by Oct. 29.

Nationally, Mayo Clinic's Transplant Center, which offers transplant services at its campuses in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota, is a leader in treating patients with heart disease. Combined volumes rank Mayo Clinic first among all adult transplant centers in the nation.

Mayo Clinic physicians have experience treating patients with complex conditions who may need multiorgan transplants, including heart-lung, kidney-pancreas, heart-lung-liver transplants and more.

"Every transplant tells a story of teamwork, trust and commitment," Dr. Taner says. "The growing volume of transplants at Mayo Clinic is the ultimate testament that our patients value our expertise and sense the dedication behind our care."

The post Mayo Clinic’s transplant center in Florida performs 10,000th transplant appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

When a person's lungs are damaged, that organ's survival depends on a small but powerful set of cells that must choose whether to repair the tissue or fight infection. A new Mayo Clinic study has uncovered the molecular "switch" that directs these cells down one path or the other, a discovery that could inform regenerative therapies for chronic lung diseases.

"We were surprised to find that these specialized cells cannot do both jobs at once," says Douglas Brownfield, Ph.D., senior author of the study, which was published in Nature Communications. "Some commit to rebuilding, while others focus on defense. That division of labor is essential — and by uncovering the switch that controls it, we can start thinking about how to restore balance when it breaks down in disease."

It takes two

The new research centers on alveolar type 2 (AT2) cells, which play a dual role in the lung. These cube-shaped cells secrete surfactant proteins that keep air sacs open, but they also act as reserve stem cells capable of regenerating alveolar type 1 (AT1) cells — the paper-thin cells that form the surface for gas exchange. This regenerative capacity makes AT2 cells essential for lung repair after injury.

For decades, scientists have known that these cells often fail to regenerate properly in lung diseases such as pulmonary fibrosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and severe viral infections like COVID-19. What remained unclear was how AT2 cells lose their stem cell capacity.

Using single-cell sequencing, imaging and preclinical injury models, the team mapped the developmental "life history" of AT2 cells. They found that newly formed AT2 cells stay flexible for about one to two weeks after birth before "locking in" to their specialized identity.

That timing is controlled by a molecular circuit involving three key regulators called PRC2, C/EBPα, and DLK1. The researchers showed that one of them, C/EBPα, acts like a clamp that suppresses stem cell activity. In adult lungs, AT2 cells must release this clamp after injury to regenerate.

The same molecular switch also directs whether AT2 cells repair lung tissue or defend against infection. That helps explain why infections often slow recovery from lung disease.

"When we think about lung repair, it's not just about turning things on — it's about removing the clamps that normally keep these cells from acting like stem cells," says Dr. Brownfield. "We discovered one of those clamps and how it times the ability of these cells to repair."

Preventing organ failure

The discoveries could guide the development of therapies to fix AT2 cells that are broken in disease. Drugs that target C/EBPα, for example, may restore repair programs or reduce scarring in pulmonary fibrosis.

"This research brings us closer to being able to boost the lung's natural repair mechanisms, offering hope for preventing or reversing conditions where currently we can only slow progression," says Dr. Brownfield.

The findings may also guide earlier detection, helping clinicians identify when AT2 cells are stuck in one state and unable to regenerate. Such insights could lead to new biomarkers for lung disease. This work aligns with Mayo Clinic's Precure initiative, which focuses on detecting disease at its earliest stages — when interventions are most effective — and preventing progression before organ failure occurs.

At the same time, the research advances Mayo Clinic's Genesis initiative, which aims to prevent organ failure and restore function through regenerative medicine. The team is now testing strategies to remove the repressive clamp on human AT2 cells, expand them in culture and potentially use them for cell replacement therapy.

The post New discovery may unlock regenerative therapies for lung disease appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

For the first time at Mayo Clinic in Arizona, surgeons have performed a robotic kidney transplant — a minimally invasive procedure designed to ease recovery with smaller incisions, less pain and reduced risk of wound complications.

That innovation came at a critical moment for 74-year-old Joe Harris. His daughter-in-law, Brooke, made the extraordinary decision to donate her kidney, and together with this new surgical approach, it gave Joe not just better health, but a renewed future.

Watch: Robotic kidney transplant, when innovation meets family

Journalists: Broadcast-quality video (3:04) is in the downloads at the end of this post. Please courtesy: "Mayo Clinic News Network." Read the script.

"You're a match."

The words Brooke Harris was waiting for. Now, to share the news with her father-in-law.

Joe Harris had been on a kidney transplant waiting list since 2016. Worried about his age and ability to care for his wife, he was eager to find a match.

"I just was afraid that things were going to run out and I would get to a point that I could only be on dialysis, and then I wouldn't be, wouldn't be able to take care of her," says Joe.

Multiple setbacks in finding a kidney donor deeply affected Brooke.

"As soon as we found out and they told us that that second person didn't work, it was just this deep knowing in me that I need to test and find out. I didn't know why," she says.

And that test was a match. Dr. Michelle Nguyen, a Mayo Clinic transplant surgeon, explains how direct donation works.

"If you have a friend or a loved one who wants to donate a kidney to you, and you match them by blood type and by tissue typing, they can donate their kidney directly to you," says Dr. Nguyen.

Not only would Joe get the organ he had been hoping for, but he'd also be the first patient at Mayo Clinic in Arizona to undergo robotic kidney transplantation.

"I went, 'Good, let's do it.' I had no hesitancy about the robotic thing. The more I learned about it, the more I thought this is going to be kind of cool," Joe says.

"In patients who meet criteria to receive robotic kidney transplant, the goal is that it will provide improved outcomes for the patient — so smaller incisions, less pain, faster recovery, faster return to work or faster return to their day-to-day life," says Dr. Nguyen.

Robotic kidney surgery doesn't replace the surgeon. Instead, it gives surgeons advanced tools to operate, as Dr. Nitin Katariya, a Mayo Clinic transplant surgeon, explains.

"It is a console that has four arms that can be placed near the bed and then a separate sort of console where you sit apart from the patient, where you can control the arms. And these arms articulate in ways you can control the camera, and you have multiple different instruments that you can switch out to navigate the anatomy and perform your operation," he says.

Dr. Nguyen adds, "One important thing to note about robotic surgery, using this platform, is that at no point in time is the robot making any movements without the surgeons maneuvering the instruments."

For Brooke, she says the experience was easier than she thought.

"Honestly, even going back to the surgery, I have to say it's definitely not as scary as it seems. And recovery was a lot easier than I had anticipated," says Brooke.

And for Joe, his gratitude for his daughter-in-law's selfless donation is hard to put into words.

"How do you thank somebody for that? I don't know. It's so humbling. That's been hard for me, in a way, but I'm grateful. And she knows how I care about her," says Joe.

Related posts:

• Mayo Clinic Minute: What to expect as a living kidney donor
• A living legacy: Donors who give hope and healing

The post (VIDEO) Robotic kidney transplant, when innovation meets family appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

When Charnel Golis-Tabag picked up her sister from the airport in her home state of Hawaii, she didn't expect to hear that her sister's kidney function had dropped below 11%. That moment changed everything. "She told me she was on the transplant list," Charnel recalls. "Two days later, I called Mayo Clinic to start the living kidney donation process."

Charnel had seen too many family members endure the exhausting cycle of dialysis — three times a week, hours at a time. "They were tired, their veins were shot, they couldn't carry their grandchildren," she says. "I didn't want that for my sister."   

The power of living donation

"Living donor kidneys are great options for people waiting for a transplant," says Dr. Carrie Jadlowiec, surgical director of Kidney Transplant at Mayo Clinic in Arizona. "They have a shorter waiting period, fewer complications, and the kidneys function longer than deceased donor kidneys."

For Charnel, knowing that her sister could live a longer, healthier life with a living kidney solidified her decision to donate. Despite her family's concerns for her own health, she was committed. "I believe we need to start with educating young Native Hawaiian people about living a healthier lifestyle," she says. "In our ohana community, we can reclaim our health," she says.  

A donor chain of hope

For Michelle Gabriel, her younger sister's diagnosis was a turning point. "We asked each other, 'Can we do this? Will I be a match? What will it cost?' There were lots of questions and no answers at first," Michelle says.

She turned to Mayo Clinic, the National Kidney Foundation and the National Donate Life Registry. "These resources are fantastic and easily available online. Beyond online, our transplant coordinators walk patients through every step of the process," explains Dr. Ty Diwan, transplant surgeon at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. "We connect with patients from anywhere in the world via the portal and virtual appointments."

Michelle wasn't a match to her sister, but that didn't stop her. She joined a paired exchange program, creating a donor chain that benefited multiple families. No longer a question but a statement, "We can do this," became the sisters' ongoing mantra. "From that moment, we were all in. I saw the bigger picture: three people received kidneys that day," says Michelle.  

A husband's promise

For Albert Harris, June 20, 2024, is a date he'll never forget — it's the day he donated his kidney to his wife, making her "officially his other half," he jokes. "When she got sick, we got sick. I understood the marital vows, in sickness and in health. She's my partner in everything, and I look forward to having her around for a very long time."

Though friends and family worried about his health, Mayo Clinic's transplant team provided the reassurance he needed. He learned he could return to his normal life within weeks and give his wife the chance at a healthier, longer life.

Watch video: Donors who give hope and healing

Bridging the gap

Nearly 60% of people on transplant waiting lists come from minority communities, while about 30% of donors are people of color. This gap makes awareness and education critical — especially during Minority Living Donor Awareness Month, which highlights the need for diverse donors to help reduce disparities in transplant access. 

"Blood types and certain HLA, or antibodies, tend to correlate with various ethnic groups," says Dr. Shennen Mao, transplant surgeon at Mayo Clinic in Florida. "It is not directly related to a particular minority group; however, organs will end up with someone of a similar background because the better matched an organ is, the more longevity that organ has."

A shared legacy of hope

For Albert, Charnel and Michelle, living kidney donation was about more than surgery; it was about love, family and community. "It wasn't just a gift to my sister," Charnel says. "It was a gift to our entire family."

"You become someone's miracle," Michelle adds. "That person is someone's parent, sibling, friend. You give hope to everyone who loves them."

In most states, signing up to be a donor after death can be done online or when registering for a driver's license or identification card. For information on living donation, view Mayo Clinic's Living Donor Toolkit, contact the recipient's care team, or a transplant center. 

Comprehensive care at Mayo Clinic

Living kidney donation is a safe, medically supported procedure, with most donors resuming their lives within weeks. Mayo Clinic provides end-to-end care, including:

• Expert evaluation and surgery from leading transplant specialists.
• Financial coordinators to assist with travel, lodging and lost wages.
• Virtual consultations and access to resources anywhere in the world.
• Support and follow-up care for living donors.

Related posts:

• Mayo Clinic Minute: Why diverse organ donors are needed
• Mayo Clinic Minute: Become an organ donor and save lives

The post A living legacy: Donors who give hope and healing appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.