Our friend, the veteran mountaineer Conrad Anker, is the author of the latest National Geographic  book on Mount Everest, covering the earliest days of attempted assaults on the peak to the latest climbs including the expedition that included Mayo Clinic’s research team. One of the chapters in The Call of Everest is penned by the head of that scientific team, Bruce Johnson, Ph.D., the Mayo physiologist who has spent a career studying human responses to extreme conditions. 

I think the chapter title captures the spirit and the guts of Bruce’s team, as well as Mayo’s willingness to go anywhere to find answers that may help patients:

“Why does a Scientist Transport Hundreds of Pounds of Equipment on the Backs of Yaks and Porters to set up a Research Laboratory on Mt. Everest?” ( I think it would be a great Jeopardy question.) In addition to some photographs of our team at work taking readings from the climbers who were attempting to summit last year (and succeeded), the chapter also contains several excellent scientific graphics by Mayo’s crack medical illustrators Bob Morreale and Joanna King.

The book’s publication comes almost exactly a year after the expedition’s end and on the verge of the scientific publication of the huge amount of data and findings the team brought  back. The first presentations of findings have begun at scientific conferences… and the first handful of papers will be submitted to journals over the next few days. Stay tuned — the team says there was enough data from the Everest expedition to produce research articles for several years.

Edward Loftus Jr., M.D., a gastroenterologist at Mayo Clinic specializing in the care and evaluation of patients with IBD, discusses the implications of recent article published in Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics that found a group of patients with IBS to have higher CDAI scores than patients with Crohn’s disease.

Specifically, Dr. Loftus mentions:

- Because signs of Crohn’s disease are neither sensitive nor specific, clinicians can’t rely on symptoms alone to make treatment decisions.

- It is important to support the CDAI score with endoscopic measures, CRP levels, or measure of inflammation in the stool.

For more information on IBD, visit: mayoclinic.org/IBD

Gianrico Farrugia, M.D., at center of the panel at the Edison Awards

That was the message of Gianrico Farrugia, M.D., director of the Mayo Clinic Center for Individualized Medicine, speaking as featured panelist at the 2013 Meet the Innovators Forum at the Chicago Cultural Center. The April 25th event was part of the Edison Awards program dedicated to recognizing, honoring and fostering innovation and innovators to create a positive impact in the world.

Personalization for patients

“Today the promise of individualized medicine has become a reality,” said Dr. Farrugia to the forum. “We have gone from talking about it to making it a part of patient care.” To illustrate the power of personalized or individualized medicine, Dr. Farrugia introduced the forum to four patients being treated through the Individualized Medicine Clinic at Mayo.

First, Dr. Farrugia introduced a young patient who had been treated for depression unsuccessfully and who had suffered extensive side effects until he arrived at Mayo. In a video, the patient’s mother said that Mayo seemed like their last resort after 16 years of difficulties with medications. Within two months, Mayo deciphered his needs through an individualized medicine approach, which recognizes that the same medications can have varying results and cause different side effects in different people, she said. Through power of pharmacogenomics, physicians tailored his medications and dosages to achieve the best results, making a significant difference for this patient.

Dr. Farrugia’s second example was a patient with an advanced tumor of the bile duct. Using genomics to identify protein fusion, physicians discovered that the tumor could be successfully targeted for shrinkage. This is an example of the fact that tumors must be controlled and killed differently in different people, Dr. Farrugia said.

Next, Dr. Farrugia described a “diagnostic odyssey” involving a family where three generations suffered from kidney disease — a grandfather, father and young son. The disease was identifiable, but the cause had not been isolated. Through Mayo’s individualized medicine program, the three generations underwent gene sequencing to determine how to prevent future children from having the gene mutation.

Finally, Dr. Farrugia described a patient who suffered from intestinal problems for years until it was figured out at Mayo that certain medications were causing the problems. This, again, he said was another case that was explained through individualized medicine.

Other panelists presenting at the forum included:  Bruce Japsen, Columnist/Blogger, Forbes – Moderator; Hakon Hakonarson, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Pediatrics, The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine; Leroy E. Hood, M.D., Ph.D., Founder & President, Institute for Systems Biology; and Scott P. McBride, Shareholder, McAndrews Held & Malloy

Dr. Farrugia was part of a Mayo delegation attending the program where Mayo was recognized with 2013 Edison Awards nominations for two separate innovations. Mayo was nominated and was among the award finalists for Mayo Clinic Patient App and the Asthma Connected Care App in the Innovative Services/Health Management category. The Mayo Clinic Patient App received the gold award and the Asthma Connected Care App received the silver award in their category.

(our thanks to Mayo colleague John Murphy for this report)

Tatsuhiro Shindo and Ralph Inforzato visiting the Minnesota pavilion at BIO 2013

I have met people from Ireland, Brazil, Japan, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, and Hong Kong. And that was just this afternoon. I hate to single out one, but by rank I can. Tatsuhiro Shindo is CED – Chief Executive Director of the Japan Trade Organization. Shindo-san is based in Chicago and attended the Minnesota reception and then showed up at the pavilion to continue the conversation. Along with Ralph Inforzato, Director of Business Development, Shindo-san was making as many contacts as possible. We had a nice chat about genomics and regenerative medicine. He spoke well of Minnesota, which we are always happy to hear. He now has a standing invitation to visit Minnesota…and a personal tour coming from a certain blogger from Mayo Clinic.

Edward Loftus Jr., M.D., a gastroenterologist at Mayo Clinic specializing in the care and evaluation of patients with IBD, discusses a recent study published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology that found patients with inflammatory bowel disease were at an increased risk for pneumonia.

Dr. Loftus also discusses the patient implications of the study findings.  Namely, patients with IBD should be sure to get an annual flu vaccine (not the mist, but the shot) and should also seriously consider getting the pneumonia vaccine, especially if they’re on immunosuppressive medication.

For more information on IBD, visit: mayoclinic.org/ibd

Scott Beck of Mayo Clinic at BIO 2013

CHICAGO– There was a time at the BIO conference when the term genomics was scarcely known. Today it ranks with other buzz words on the exhibit floor here in Chicago and as a topic in the hundreds of meetings that happen every day during this meeting. Individualized Medicine has also become a major topic in the Minnesota pavilion, especially this year. Many visitors have heard about Mayo Clinic’s initiative in this field or have heard about our IM Clinic or have attended our annual conference. Present at this year’s BIO 2013, is Scott Beck, administrator for Mayo’s Center for Individualized Medicine, who has been holding group and one-on-one meetings with a wide range of attendees.

Swedish delegation visits the Minnesota pavilion at BIO

Talk about a meeting of minds. I had to take a step back, literally as the Minnesota pavilion here at BIO got a little crowded. For two hours today trade and research delegates from Sweden crowded into the pavilion for formal and casual one-on-one meetings with delegates from the state. In all, 90 people were involved. The event, sponsored by LifeScience Alley and DEED, was a great example of what’s possible at these events. The Swedish representatives came from government, academic and industry organizations. All had questions and had done their homework. I have no doubt that this morning’s talks will grow the existing relationships and spark new ones. The whole thing wound up with joint lunch.

Rena Weis and her proud dad at poster presentation

CHICAGO — The next generation of scientists from Minnesota and the rest of the nation are making themselves known. The Biotechnology Institute has sponsored another international competition for high school scientists here at BIO 2013 and Minnesota’s finalist is Rena Weis from New Prague High School. She did her research on the impact of biochar (look it up) on soils and greenhouse gases. The fact that she did it all by herself, at home, without the help of a university connection, caught the eye of the judges. Also in the competition this year is Michelle Campeau, who was also present at the BIO conference. The international overall winner will be announced later today. That person will get to go to the White House.  Rena says she finds the conference very exciting and is especially thrilled as she is from, in her words “a small town in Minnesota.” We tried to explain to her that that is a plus, as many of us have learned. Minnesota, all of Minnesota, is very widely respected here and with good reason.

In Rochester, and Jacksonville and Scottsdale/Phoenix, Mayo Clinic is doing something similar. Except it’s an established clinic called the Individualized Medicine Clinic, where physicians are using similar tools to solve cancer cases and what are called “diagnostic odyssey” cases. Those are the mysteries no one has yet resolved. These are not research protocols, though Mayo is conducting plenty of those, too. This is clinical. Patients are referred or contact the office directly. Their cases are discussed and some on taken on…and the work begins. It is part of Mayo’s Center for Individualized Medicine, an innovative entity that is pushing at bringing reliable genomic-based medicine into practice. Genomic approaches are being used every day in almost every medical area at Mayo. It’s not science fiction.

So if you have looked for answers for cancer or an unknown condition that you think may be genetic and you haven’t been able to find a diagnosis or cause, contact us through this email: IndividualizedMedicine@Mayo.edu . It’s the beginning of a new approach to medicine.

Addressing "the troops" at the Minnesota pavilion-BIO 2013

Minnesota has a common border with Kentucky and is adjacent to Belgium and Spain. No, global geography hasn’t shifted — or has it? Someone said that this conference “smashes” the entire world into one room so they have to talk to each other. Actually, there’s no coercion needed. People mill around McCormick place looking for the person they emailed with last week, only then they were separated by an ocean.

Officials from Minnesota’s Department of Employment and Economic Development welcomed BIO delegation members from the state this morning, shortly before they opened the gates to the exhibit hall. After introductions, everyone knew their job — whether they’re here to point for their business or city or economic development group, everyone knows they are part of a team in this pavilion — to advance the fortunes of the state by attracting investment, businesses and potential partners. They take turns at the visitor desk, greeting people who stop by; they hand out literature – not just their own; and they capture contacts and business cards for each other if someone has slipped off for lunch or coffee. It’s a great example of teamwork, which, in itself is a testimony to Minnesota.