Jan van Duersen receives named professorship

August 19, 2009 – 11:37 am

Nicholas Wade’s excellent article on the science of aging in the Times this week made me think about the Robert and Arlene Kogod Center on Aging here at Mayo and its director, James Kirkland, M.D., Ph.D. One of the major researchers in the Center is Jan van Deursen, Ph.D., who is trying to discover  – at the cellular level — why we age the way we do. This week Dr. van Deursen was honored by the Mayo Board of Trustees with a named research professorship. He is now the Vita Valley Professor in Cellular Senescence. That’s the natural process by which cells are damaged and stop functioning, leading to the release of factors that destroy nearby cells. It’s one of the body’s ways of defending against cancer, but it also contributes to organ disfunction in old age.  Harnessing or redirecting some of these natural processes may  protect against many diseases and  people healthier, longer. 

The professorship was sponsored by The Noaber Foundation of the Netherlands. Vita Valley is its non-profit spinoff that focuses on health care innovation.

By Bob Nellis | Posted in Awards, People | Tagged , , | Leave a Comment

More and Diverse ESC Lines Needed

August 9, 2009 – 6:25 pm

As the federal government’s new policy on embryonic stem cells becomes better understood, it’s clear that the outcome may be fewer available lines in the short term, depending on how a review panel evaluates each line’s origins. Mayo’s Jennifer McCormick, Ph.D. and her colleagues Christopher Scott, Ph.D., Stanford, and Jason Owen-Smith, Ph.D., Michigan, in a comment published online today in Nature Biotechnology, argue that less is not more when it comes to medical science. In fact, their research shows that ESC “lines have been neither uniformly available, nor uniformly used, indicating far less diversity of materials than most believe.” While their last count of 21 lines in the National Stem Cell Bank may seem like a lot, they point out that only two lines – H1 and H9  — were widely used between March of 1999 and the end of 2008.

In contrast they show that the number of requests filled by the Harvard Stem Cell Institute in roughly the same period were much more balanced. Calling the use of the two NCSB lines “a startling near-monopoly,” the trio points to bureaucratic and policy reasons as contributing to that trend. They urge the new review panelists to include all lines that were derived under “reasonable ethical standards” and to emphasize lines that are best for researchers. That means a bank of diverse examples that will be valued and used, and not simply bypassed by those doing serious studies.

By Bob Nellis | Posted in Findings, People | Tagged , , , , | Leave a Comment

Two Decades of Invention at Mayo in Florida

August 4, 2009 – 3:46 pm

Mayo’s Florida campus is celebrating 20 years of research this year, including major contributions to intellectual property development — patented inventions and discoveries — ranging from transgenic mice to medical devices. Writer Matt Derechin contributes this overview:

The numbers from the first 20 years of research at our Florida campus clearly demonstrate this aspect of our research. During those two decades, Florida staff members have participated in nearly 293 inventions from Mayo Clinic. In total, these inventions have generated more than $36 million for Mayo Clinic. In addition to new animal models of diseases, new diagnostic tools and other innovations, Florida staff members have helped design new surgical equipment and an orthopedic device sold by a major manufacturer.

While collaboration is key to producing these innovations, many Florida researchers are especially proud of the contribution they make on their own to Mayo Clinic’s intellectual property inventory. Despite our relatively small size, last year staff members here contributed to more than 12 percent of the intellectual property created at Mayo.

The future also seems promising. With benefactor support, Mayo recently established the Discovery and Innovation Fund to help researchers move discoveries from the laboratory and into patient care. Staff members apply for the fund’s support, and recipients are chosen after a competitive, peer-review. Several physicians and scientists in Florida have submitted winning proposals, receiving support for projects developing new treatments for depression, female incontinence and Alzheimer’s disease.

“It’s another unbelievable aspect of the research transformation that has occurred at our campus,” says Bernadette Cusack. She should know. Not only was she one of the first members of our research team here; she is now the intellectual property liaison for the campus, where she plays a key role in helping researchers commercialize their discoveries.

By Bob Nellis | Posted in Findings, Progress Updates | Tagged , , , , | Leave a Comment

Community Celebration of Research

August 4, 2009 – 8:17 am

On Tuesday, Aug. 11, Mayo Clinic and Olmsted Medical Center will join Rochester Mayor Ardell Brede for an evening event to celebrate the many ways medical research improves the health of our community. This event will begin at 5:30 p.m. in Phillips Hall of the Seibens Building with a social hour, refreshments, and exhibits. The program lasts from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. and will include presentations from Mayo, Olmsted Medical Center, the City of Rochester, and Olmsted County Public Health Services.

“We want to show our appreciation for the help the community has given us in making medical discoveries,” says David Warner, M.D., associate director of Mayo’s Center for Translational Science Activities (CTSA). “We couldn’t do it without their help.”

 The community celebration is free and open to the public. Parking is available at no cost in Mayo ramps and surface lots.

By mzhuikov | Posted in People | Tagged , , | Leave a Comment

Community Members Help Direct Research at Mayo

August 4, 2009 – 8:09 am

At least two community members serve on each of Mayo Clinic’s five Institutional Review Boards. These community members are citizens from all walks of life who volunteer their time to help protect the rights and safety of clinical research participants by carefully reviewing each proposed research study. The community members and their immediate family members have never been employed by Mayo, and they function as the voice of the participants and patients everywhere.

Mayo Clinic would like to recognize the current community members who serve on Institutional Review Boards. All are from the Rochester area, except where noted. 

David Arlander
Judy Ballard
Anjel Chapman (Jacksonville, Fl.)
Sandy Dilley
Kyle Glynn
Margo Koleski
Charles Li
Art Maley
Linda Nelson
Michelle Shaber
Michael Sheehan
Ashleigh Rosson

By mzhuikov | Posted in People | Leave a Comment

Putting Zebrafish in the Classroom

August 3, 2009 – 1:43 pm

Although the science proficiency scores are going up in Minnesota (read story in Star Tribune), 46% proficiency doesn’t seem to be hitting the mark. In a state with so many renowned scientific institutions – 3M, Boston Scientific, IBM, Mayo Clinic, Medtronic, Seagate, University of Minnesota and more; there is a plethora of opportunities to engage real scientists, teachers and kids in a creative and educational way. So what is being done to connect the educational system with real life scientists and to bring science alive for our kids?

Mayo Clinic researcher Stephen Ekker, Ph.D., and Principal Jim Sonju of Lincoln K-8 Choice – a Rochester, Minn., public school, have developed a program that is going to add life to science education in Minnesota. With the energy and enthusiasm that these two have, and the support of their ever-growing list of collaborators, I think we can expect to see benefits well beyond Minnesota – they already have collaborators in India who plan to Skype™ in during the school year. 

Personally, I think their results are nothing short of amazing. Picture elementary school teachers, quite possibly more at home with Sesame Street™, in a cutting-edge laboratory discovering new genetic strains of zebrafish – and loving it! Imagine 14-year-old kids taking time out from their Wii™ to use their video gaming skills to dechorionate these same fish (help teeny-tiny fish out of their embryonic membranes) using precision tweezers and a high-power microscope. The excitement is palpable.

 This is just a little of what’s been going on at Mayo Clinic lately, and summer ‘Fish Camp’ is only the start (see video). The 30+ research modules and expanded curriculum that the Lincoln teachers have been developing in Dr. Ekker’s lab will be used in the classroom this year. Kids of all ages will learn that ‘everyone is a scientist’ – if you have a question and look for answers, that’s science.

Stay tune for more, this is only the beginning…and did I mention this project was launched using stimulus money? These folks are changing the paradigm, and I hope Secretary Duncan (related story) can find some other ways to engage our youth – they are the future!

Editor’s note: Elizabeth Zimmermann handles education communications for Mayo’s Center for Translational Science Activities (CTSA).

By ElizabethZ | Posted in People | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a Comment

Cocaine Update-Journal cover article

July 31, 2009 – 5:07 pm

Just learned that Yang Gao and Dr. Steve Brimijoin of Mayo have the cover article in JPET this month: Transduction of cocaine hydrolase by striatal neurons and non-neural cells after local delivery of viral vector, page 449. This is a continuation of the work that was originally funded by the Minnesota Partnership for Biotechnology and Medical Genomics in which they found an antidote to cocaine poisoning. In these new findings they report a much longer effect for their described approach – at least two months, with lesser effects for up to a year. Now the way is clear for behavioral studies to see if this can be useful in withdrawal in addition to toxicity treatment. Long-term outcome may be a cocaine vaccine.

By Bob Nellis | Posted in Findings, People, Progress Updates | Leave a Comment

The Public and Science

July 10, 2009 – 3:22 pm

We’ve lived through the “Generation Gap” and the “Missile Gap” (which wasn’t real). Now many think we are in what could be called the “Science Gap.” A spanking new study by the Pew Research Center and AAAS shows Americans understand less about current science (only about half know that stem cells differentiate into other kinds of cells) and scientists say they aren’t getting enough funding for basic science, partly because the public doesn’t understand the process of science. There are plenty of data here to pick from as fodder for your individual peeve. Mine is there: scientists blame the media for the public’s lack of understanding of science while at the same time admitting that they rarely talk to reporters. Only 3 percent of AAAS members say they give the media the time of day. How’s that for cause and effect? People still have a lot of respect for scientists and physicians and their contributions to society (70 and 69 percent, respectively), but that doesn’t mean they understand what they’re talking about. In my experience, most Mayo researchers will talk to reporters unless they are with patients or on an immediate grant deadline.  That’s heartening. What’s not is the disconnect that we are seeing in the foundational understanding of science. One respondent says it happens between elementary and junior high school. You might call it the line when science shifts from being “cool” to being the stuff of nerds. The new survey implies that society never quite recovers from that shift. Clearly scientists of all walks need to see public education and PR as a professional duty. Short of a new “sputnik” on the horizon, it’s clear we all need to build a lot of bridges. Any suggestions?

By Bob Nellis | Posted in Findings, People | Tagged , , | Comments (2)

Mayo’s Science of Health Care Delivery – on Public Radio

July 6, 2009 – 11:26 am

gajic

As a critical care physician, most of the patients Ognjen Gajic, M.D. sees are  – well, critical. And while “intensive care” is his specialty, as a researcher he is constantly trying to improve procedures, efficiency — and both the cost and quality of that care. He has launched several studies to make sure the treatments, adjustments and medications received by patients in ICU are appropriate, timely and even more effective. Some of his computer-based initiatives focus on identifying or predicting problems much earlier (in the ICU a few hours can mean a lot) and then responding with treatment as soon as possible. Through specific checklists and computer algorithims he and his team are improving outcomes for such problems as acute lung injury and infections. Minnesota Public Radio featured his study of blood transfusions.

His work showed that many patients received unneeded transfusions. As reported Lorna Benson wrote, “Before the computer system, doctors frequently made the decision on whether to give a transfusion based on a patient’s hemoglobin level, but the hemoglobin number isn’t always the best indicator of whether a transfusion is really necessary.” The result: better and more individualized care — and a savings of $60,000 in 12 weeks.  While this type of systems improvement is not new — Dr. Henry Plummer and the Mayo brothers were doing it years ago — it now has the added resources of 21st century IT. At this moment many are looking closely at Mayo because of our efficiencies in providing care and Dr. Gajic’s work is a prime example of how research helps make those efficiencies possible.

By Bob Nellis | Posted in Findings, People, Progress Updates | Tagged , , , , | Leave a Comment

Mayo Researcher’s Comment in Nature

July 2, 2009 – 1:38 pm

Much has been written about the new NIH draft guidelines for stem cell research — including a special section in Science this week and a perspective by Majumder and Cohen, ethicists from Baylor and Georgetown, respectively.  Nature recently editorialized in its piece “Stem Cell Clarity.”  In this week’s Nature Mayo Clinic bioethicist and researcher Jennifer McCormick, Ph.D., responds in an invited correspondence, We Must Reverse the Bush Legacy of Stem-cell Problems. Along with collaborators Chris Scott of Stanford and Jason Owen-Smith of Michigan, she cites their research data on usage and prevalence of the 18 lines available from the National Stem Cell Bank. The trio laments the lack of coherence and consistency under the Bush policies — specifically regarding diversity of cell types and “fragmented ethical oversight.”  They call for an official national repository “containing an adequate number of high-quality, ethically derived, diverse lines.”  Provenance of existing lines need to be carefully investigated, they urge, and they “suggest  creation of a national clearing house specifically charged with certifying provenance” in hopes of including more of what may be 700 lines existing on the planet at the moment. In full disclosure, Dr. McCormick and I sit on Mayo’s Stem Cell Review Subcommittee, and we, along with everyone else, await announcement of the final guidelines, to be announced later this month.

By Bob Nellis | Posted in People, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a Comment