Gianrico Farrugia

PHOENIX — The Mayo Clinic Board of Trustees has elected Richard Gray, M.D., as CEO of Mayo Clinic in Arizona. [...]

ROCHESTER, Minnesota — 20 de marzo de 2014 — ¿Tiene el síndrome del colon irritable una causa genética o alimenticia, de traumatismo previo o de ansiedad? A pesar de que todo lo mencionado desempeña una función en este síndrome, ahora por primera vez los científicos informan sobre un defecto genético que ocasiona un subconjunto del síndrome del colon irritable. La investigación se publicó en la revista Gastroenterología. Los científicos calculan que aproximadamente 15 a 20 por ciento del mundo occidental padece el síndrome del colon irritable. Es un trastorno común que afecta al intestino grueso. La mayoría de pacientes que padece el trastorno generalmente presenta síntomas de cólico, dolor abdominal, distensión por gases, diarrea y estreñimiento. La mayor parte de los tratamientos para el síndrome del colon irritable está dirigida contra dichos síntomas.

ROCHESTER, Minn. — A new study at Mayo Clinic is using genomic sequencing to develop customized treatments for men with castration-resistant prostate cancer, a progressive and incurable stage of prostate cancer, which no longer responds to hormone therapies that stop or slow testosterone production. "Men with castration-resistant prostate cancer have abysmal survival rates, typically living an average of two years once hormone therapies fail," says Manish Kohli, M.D., a Mayo Clinic oncologist and principal investigator of the Prostate Cancer Medically Optimized Genome-Enhanced Therapy (PROMOTE) study. Dr. Kohli says the poor prognosis for men with this cancer highlights the need for studies like PROMOTE, which seek to match new targeted drugs with the genomic characteristics of individual patients' tumors. Several new therapies have recently been approved by the FDA for use in treating castration-resistant prostate cancer, offering new hope for men with this disease. However, many questions remain over which medications to use in individual cases. In the PROMOTE study, researchers and doctors are using exome sequencing and RNA profiling to identify molecular fingerprints within prostate cancers that can be used to identify the optimal drug for the individual patient. In addition to identifying individualized treatment plans, PROMOTE will uncover new targets in the cancer genome that investigators and drug companies can use to develop new therapies. These new targets will be identified largely through mouse "avatars," which will carry the individual tumors of PROMOTE study participants. These avatar mice also will help doctors identify and test new drugs against the patients' tumors before introducing the toxic and potentially harmful agents into the patients, themselves. "The approach we are taking with PROMOTE is exactly what we are working toward across Mayo Clinic through our Center for Individualized Medicine," says Gianrico Farrugia, M.D., director of the Mayo Clinic Center for Individualized Medicine. "We're offering individualized care and tailored treatment options for our patients." Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed solid organ malignancy in the U.S with more than 238,000 new diagnoses annually and an estimated 29,720 deaths. It is the second leading cause of cancer deaths among American men, according to the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results Program of the National Cancer Institute. The PROMOTE study is a collaboration of the Mayo Clinic Center for Individualized Medicine and the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center. For more information about enrollment in PROMOTE contact 507-284-3067. The Center for Individualized Medicine discovers and integrates the latest in genomic, molecular and clinical sciences into personalized care for each Mayo Clinic patient. Visit http://mayoresearch.mayo.edu/mayo/research/center-for-individualized-medicine/ for more information.

ROCHESTER, Minn. — August 13, 2012.  Mayo Clinic's Individualizing Medicine Conference, scheduled for Oct. 1–3, will draw experts from around the world to discuss the use of genomics in patient care. Physicians and researchers in this rapidly growing field are building a new type of medicine based on the genomic and molecular interactions that make each patient unique. At Mayo Clinic, the Center for Individualized Medicine is making these discoveries and building a clinical practice that delivers genomic medicine as part of routine care.

MULTIMEDIA ALERT: Multimedia resources, including video of Dr. Farrugia, are available for download on the Mayo Clinic News Network.

Conference sessions will be accessible to journalists through the News Network. Media may register for the site here. This inaugural conference, Individualizing Medicine 2012, will be held at the Mayo Civic Center in Rochester. Presentations will range from cutting-edge diagnostics and experimental cancer treatments to the most ethical and respectful ways to manage patient genomic information. An introduction to individualized medicine will be presented for those unfamiliar with the field. "The technologies of genome sequencing have made tremendous strides over the past few years. The time needed to sequence and interpret whole genomes is no longer the seemingly insurmountable barrier it once was due to the use of these tools in the everyday care of our patients," says Gianrico Farrugia, M.D., director of Mayo Clinic's Center for Individualized Medicine, which is holding the event. "Right now, we are building genomics technologies into our laboratories and electronic medical records," Dr. Farrugia says. "This conference will be a place for both doctors and scientists to develop real-world strategies for incorporating genomics into the clinical practice." Conference highlights include:

• Oct. 1, 4:15 p.m. CDT: A poster session featuring more than 60 leading studies in individualized medicine will be presented.
• Oct. 2, 7 p.m. CDT: A free and open-to-the-public media panel discussion will engage leading science reporters with researchers and individualized medicine practitioners for a candid discussion of what patients want to know and what physicians are able to share. Ira Flatow, host of "Science Friday" on National Public Radio, will moderate the discussion "Great Expectations: Making Informed Decisions in Individualized Medicine." Ron Winslow, deputy medical editor of "The Wall Street Journal"; Erika Check Hayden, a senior reporter for "Nature"; and Susan Wolf, the McKnight Presidential Professor of Law, Medicine and Public Policy, and the Faegre Baker Daniels Professor of Law at the University of Minnesota, will participate in the panel.
• Ceci Connolly, managing director of the Health Research Institute at Price Waterhouse Coopers, will open the conference and facilitate the sessions Monday and Tuesday morning. Flatow will facilitate the conference on Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday.
• Video vignettes that present realistic situations in the practice of personalized medicine will appear throughout the conference and will help to keep discussion focused on the patient. An overview video is now available on the conference website.