Innovations
Exciting new things. Not a catch-all for all research.
January 10, 2019
Gene therapy: potential and pitfalls
Research is advancing gene therapy as a possible treatment or eventual cure for genetic diseases that bedevil modern science. Gene therapy was conceived over 20 years ago, and until recently, remained largely in the research lab. But gene therapy products are now beginning to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for clinical […]
Tags: Center for Individualized Medicine, David Deyle, gene mutation, gene therapy, Saad Kenderian
January 3, 2019
A vaccine to prevent breast cancer? It’s worth a shot
By Advancing the Science contributor 
Each fall, millions of Americans roll up their sleeves for a flu shot, grateful for the quick pinch that may save them from the misery the flu can bring. In the not-too-distant future, there may be a poke with a much bigger payout. Scientists at Mayo Clinic and elsewhere are working on vaccines that could […]
Tags: breast cancer, immunotherapy, Keith Knutson, Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, ovarian cancer
December 20, 2018
Discovery advances potential individualized treatment for mesothelioma
This article originally ran on the Center for Individualized Medicine blog on November 26, 2018 Large chromosomal rearrangements present in mesothelioma could make it possible to understand which patients are likely respond to immunotherapy, researchers at the Mayo Clinic Center for Individualized Medicine have discovered. The research is published in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology. […]
Tags: Aaron Mansfield, cancer, Center for Individualized Medicine, George Vasmatzis, mesothelioma
December 18, 2018
Study shows better outcomes for women treated for uterine fibroids with UAE
By Advancing the Science contributor
A multicenter study led by Mayo Clinic researchers shows that women who undergo uterine artery embolization (UAE) for symptomatic uterine fibroids are less likely to need a second procedure compared to women who were treated by magnetic resonance imaging-guided focused ultrasound surgery (MRgFUS). The results are published online in the American Journal of Obstetrics and […]
Tags: collaboration, gynecology, Shannon Laughlin-Tommaso, women's health
December 17, 2018
By Advancing the Science contributor
As a predoctoral student in the Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, I’ve had the opportunity to work on a project investigating the use of epidural electrical stimulation and intense physical therapy to help people with chronic paralysis regain movement following spinal cord injury. In a recent article in Nature Medicine, our team, led by Kendall […]
Tags: Jonathan Calvert, Kendall Lee, Kristin Zhao, Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, neurology, physical therapy
December 13, 2018
By Advancing the Science contributor
In 2011, Jared Ausnehmer left his local hospital carrying the weight of an oxygen tank and the worry of what might come next. At age 21, he’d already defied the odds for those born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a birth defect in which the left side of the heart is underdeveloped or nonexistent. With […]
Tags: Andre Terzic, cardiology, Center for Regenerative Medicine, clinical trials, HLHS, hypoplastic left heart syndrome
December 10, 2018
Novel data-driven approach for precision medicine
Thousands of patients’ tumors have been sequenced in the past decade, yielding a rich source of data on the changes associated with the cancer development and treatment response. However, there are no validated methods that are used in the clinic to select the best therapy. Today, Mayo Clinic researchers report an omics-guided (comprehensive) drug prioritization […]
Tags: cancer, Center for Individualized Medicine, Judy Boughey, Krishna Rani Kalari, Liewei Wang, Matthew Goetz, PANOPLY, personalized medicine, pharmacogenomics
November 29, 2018
The right diet for you… or for your gut microbes?
By Sara Tiner 
This article originally appeared on the Center for Individualized Medicine blog on Oct. 10, 2018. The right diet, obesity and gut health are topics patients, clinicians and scientists wrestle with every day. We want to eat a good diet and lose weight or avoid weight gain, so our health span matches our life span. But […]
Tags: Center for Individualized Medicine, gut health, microbiome, Purna Kashyap
November 28, 2018
Stem cells and chronic kidney disease
Millions of Americans have chronic kidney disease. Hundreds of thousands will progress to end stage kidney disease requiring either dialysis or kidney transplant. But research is underway to keep people from reaching that point. “Our goal is to take a look at how we can repair the diabetic kidney in terms of delaying the rate of […]
Tags: Center for Regenerative Medicine, kidney disease, LaTonya Hickson, medical research, nephrology, stem cells
November 8, 2018
MS or not MS? Mayo Clinic Neuroimmunology Lab answers the question
By Advancing the Science contributor
In 2017, Mayo Clinic launched a first-in-the-U.S. clinical test to help patients with some autoimmune disorders get the right diagnosis faster. The test defines a new form of inflammatory demyelinating disease, myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) autoimmunity, which is distinct from multiple sclerosis (MS), with which it is commonly confused. The test uses live cells to […]
Tags: acute flaccid myelitis, Andrew McKeon, MOG antibody, MS, multiple sclerosis, Neuroimmunology, neurology, Sean Pittock, transverse myelitis, Vanda Lennon