Mayo Clinic

Research activites (see schedule o)research activites:mcj conducts an extensive program of medical research in facilities located on its campus. research focuses on neuroscience, neurodegenerative diseases and cancer treatment. two facilities provide nearly 200,000 square feet of space for about 350 scientific investigators and support staff including pre-doctoral and post-doctoral fellows, visiting scientists, technicians and other support personnel. some of the research accomplishments for 2013 are listed below.- an international research team, co-led by scientists from mcj, have discovered three potential susceptibility genes for development of progressive supranuclear palsy (psp), a rare neurodegenerative disease that causes symptoms similar to those of parkinson's disease but is resistant to parkinson's medications. their report was published online in nature genetics.- researchers at mcj have found that changing the shape of cancer cells stops the cells from migrating. these researchers have managed to turn cancer cells into shapes like an exaggerated starfish that sticks out in many directions which prevents the cells from moving. this, in turn, prevents the cancer cells from propelling themselves through normal tissues and organs to spread cancer throughout the body.- according to a study by researchers at mcj, use of a minimally invasive endoscopic procedure to remove superficial, early stage esophageal cancer is as effective as surgery that takes out and rebuilds the esophagus. the research, published in clinical gastroenterology and hepatology, examined national outcomes from endoscopic treatment compared to esophagectomy, surgical removal of the esophagus.- researchers at mcj indicate a combination of therapies may prove to be a promising advance for the treatment of anaplastic thyroid cancer based on results of a phase i clinical trial. anaplastic thyroid cancer is one of the deadliest of all cancers. nearly all patients diagnosed with this cancer die from it and life expectancies are measured in weeks to a few months. even though it is very rare - approximately 600 patients are diagnosed with anaplastic thyroid cancer each year in the united states - the cancer accounts for 50 percent of all deaths from all types of thyroid cancer.- mcj researchers have developed a promising method to distinguish between pancreatic cancer and chronic pancreatitis - two disorders that are difficult to tell apart. their study is the first to show that a molecular marker, obtained from pancreatic "juices," can identify almost all cases of pancreatic cancer. the findings were presented at a special seminar during digestive disease week 2013, the annual meeting of physicians and researchers who specialize in the gastrointestinal tract. - researchers at mcj have discovered a drug used to treat blood cancers may also stop the spread of invasive breast cancer. their study, published online in breast cancer research, found that in the lab and in animals, the drug decitabine turns on a gene coding for protein kinase d1 (prkd1) that halts the ability of cancer cells to separate from a tumor and spread to distant organs.- a mcj researcher received support from the center for the advancement of science in space, a nonprofit organization that promotes research aboard the international space station, to send human stem cells into space to see if they grow more rapidly than stem cells grown on earth. the researcher believes that cells grown on the international space station could help patients recover from a stroke, and that it may even be possible to generate human tissues and organs in space.

Education activities (see schedule o)education activities:mcj, in conjunction with mcf, provides various educational programs. in 2013, 78 medical students received training at the mayo sites in jacksonville. through 44 active and approved residency and fellowship programs, a total of 289 learners also received training at the mayo sites in jacksonville