November 24, 2022
The future will be personalized: Accelerating microbiome research
By Advancing the Science contributor
We’re in the midst of a microbiome research epidemic, according to Purna Kashyap, M.B.B.S., co-associate director of the Microbiome Program in the Mayo Clinic Center for Individualized Medicine. “We started early and are pushing hard,” says Dr. Kashyap. “We’re one of the top accelerators in the field and are well poised to move microbiome research findings to […]
Tags: arthritis, C. diff, cancer, Center for Individualized Medicine, colitis, colorectal cancer, diabetes, endometrial cancer, Francis Farraye, gastroenterology, gut health, gynecology
September 1, 2021
Uterine microbe found to have disease-causing behavior in endometrial cancer
By Susan Murphy
A tiny microbe thriving in the uterine microbiome — a population of bacteria, viruses, yeasts/fungi in and around the uterus— could be a contributing driver of endometrial cancer, according to a new Mayo Clinic study. “We have found that a microbe that is particularly associated with endometrial cancer is capable of pathogenic behavior, and is stimulated […]
Tags: Center for Individualized Medicine, endometrial cancer, Marina Walther-Antonio, microbiome, women's health
August 4, 2021
Researchers review how sex steroids change gut, vaginal microbiome
It is well-established that the human body’s microbiome ― the bacteria in the gut ― dramatically affects health and disease. However, the role of the gut in women’s health outcomes is largely unknown. Mayo Clinic and Wellesley College researchers focused on how the interactions of steroids on gut and vaginal microbiomes influence women’s health outcomes […]
Tags: Center for Individualized Medicine, genomics, Marina Walther-Antonio, microbiome
April 30, 2020
Mayo researchers’ endometrial cancer discovery could lead to window of opportunity for prevention
By Susan Murphy
What if a doctor could alert a woman a year or more in advance that she is likely to develop endometrial cancer? Researchers at Mayo Clinic Center for Individualized Medicine have found evidence linking functional modification of certain genes to the emergence of the disease, providing a novel opportunity for intervention and prevention. The new […]
Tags: Andrea Mariani, biomarkers, cancer, Center for Individualized Medicine, endometrial cancer, epigenetics, gynecology, Marina Walther-Antonio, Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, microbiome, oncology, robotic technology
March 19, 2020
Mentorship program a ‘guiding star’ for astrobiologist-turned-microbiome-researcher
Marina Walther-Antonio, Ph.D., came to Mayo Clinic to help start the Center for Individualized Medicine’s microbiome research program. In her previous job at NASA, she had worked with mathematicians, engineers, geologists, psychologists, and even political scientists to try to detect life in outer space. Mayo recruited her to look for “aliens”—bacteria and other organisms—living in […]
Tags: Andrea Mariani, Bill Cliby, bioethics, Center for Clinical and Translational Science, Center for Individualized Medicine, cervical cancer, endometrial cancer, health disparities, health equity, Heidi Nelson, human papillomavirus, Jim Maher
January 9, 2020
In a first, researchers sequence single bacterial cells, paving path for rapid sepsis test
By Susan Murphy
For the first time, Mayo Clinic researchers are sequencing the genomic contents of single bacterial cells. The technique may pave the way for a potential lifesaving test for sepsis, a serious and sometimes deadly condition caused by the body’s response to an infection. Rather than waiting for days to identify the source of a patient’s […]
Tags: antibacterial resistance, basic science, biomedical engineering, Center for Individualized Medicine, deep space medicine, genomics, Heidi Nelson, infectious disease, Marina Walther-Antonio, Nicholas Chia, Robin Patel, sepsis
August 7, 2019
Researcher challenges her team to develop solution for DRC health crisis
By Advancing the Science contributor
Marina Walther-Antonio, Ph.D., has a full plate. An associate consultant in surgical research in the departments of Surgery and Obstetrics and Gynecology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, she studies the microbiome role in human health and disease, particularly endometrial and ovarian cancer. She also develops technology in her lab, including microbial single-cell technologies for point-of-care […]
Tags: cervical cancer, Deborah Rhodes, endometrial cancer, general internal medicine, gynecologic surgery, gynecology, Heidi Nelson, HPV, human papillomavirus, Marina Walther-Antonio, Mayo Clinic Ventures, obstetrics