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Researchers at Mayo Clinic’s campus in Florida have conducted the world’s first prospective, blinded and placebo-controlled clinical study to test the benefit of using bone marrow stem cells, a regenerative medicine therapy, to reduce arthritic pain and disability in knees. The researchers say such testing is needed because there are at least 600 stem cell clinics in the U.S. offering one form of stem cell therapy or another to an estimated 100,000-plus patients, who pay thousands of dollars, out of pocket, for the treatment, which has not undergone demanding clinical study. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZrOOxLT2mY The findings in The American Journal of Sports Medicine include an anomalous finding —patients not only had a dramatic improvement in the knee that received stem cells, but also in their other knee, which also had painful arthritis but received only a saline control injection. Each of the 25 patients enrolled in the study had two bad knees, but did not know which knee received the stem cells.

The Mayo Clinic Center for Regenerative Medicine is a co-sponsor of the 2016 World Stem Cell Summit. More than 1,200 attendees are expected at the 12th annual event in West Palm Beach, Florida. A delegation of administrators, researchers and clinical experts from Mayo Clinic will participate in featured presentations and panel discussions highlighting advances in discovery science, promising clinical trials and available therapies. Diverse topics to be covered include cardiovascular regeneration, restoring eyesight, and growing stem cells in a microgravity environment in space. Mayo Clinic experts also will be involved in panel discussions regarding education, consumer information and stem cell clinics.

Early in his ...

The Mayo Clinic Center for Regenerative Medicine, in partnership with Regenerative Medicine Minnesota, recently produced a patient-focused video called, “Healing from Within: The Promise of ...

Michael J. Yaszemski, M.D., Ph.D., Mayo Clinic orthopedic surgeon and researcher, has been elected to the National Academy of Medicine. Selection is one of the highest honors in medicine and recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service. Dr. Yaszemski is one of two Mayo Clinic physicians to be elected this year. Andrea Cheville, M.D., physical medicine and rehabilitation researcher and director of the Cancer Rehabilitation Program at Mayo Clinic also was selected. “To have colleagues from distinct practice areas recognized in the same year is an incredible honor for them individually and for Mayo Clinic as a whole,” says John Noseworthy, M.D., president and CEO, Mayo Clinic. “Such recognition underscores the commitment of our physician-scientists in advancing research to address unmet patient needs, educating the next generation of physicians and scientists, and providing unparalleled care for patients and their families.” Dr. Yaszemski has a spine surgery practice at Mayo Clinic and routinely cares for patients who have skeletal defects that require reconstruction. His clinical practice includes spinal surgery and oncologic surgery of the spine, sacrum and pelvis. “Dr. Yaszemski is known as a strong clinical collaborator and he has built a differentiated surgical practice at Mayo Clinic. His team approach to complex spine surgery often includes colleagues in neurosurgery and is exemplary in the singular focus on the needs of the patient,” says Mark W. Pagnano, M.D., chair, Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Mayo Clinic. “Dr. Yaszemski’s surgical contributions and research advances continue to make a difference, not just for patients at Mayo Clinic but for patients nationwide and patients worldwide. His surgical skills are well-recognized amongst the nation’s spine surgeons.” Dr. Yaszemski is the director of the Tissue Engineering and Biomaterials Laboratory. His research is in the development of biodegradable scaffold polymers to support bone regeneration and spinal cord regeneration using tissue engineering strategies. He is a deputy director within Mayo Clinic’s Center for Regenerative Medicine. His research focus areas include: Biodegradable polymers Bone tissue engineering Spinal cord regeneration Nerve tissue engineering Sarcoma cell and molecular biology Dr. Yaszemski's long-term research goal is to change the way that many common debilitating, life-threatening musculoskeletal conditions are treated. The use of biodegradable polymers in bone tissue engineering will be significant to patients with spine instability or spinal cord injuries.

Previously published in Mayo Clinic's research magazine, Discovery's Edge. As a science writer, I’m typically juggling a recorder, a note pad and a pen. Sometimes ...

The annual “Feel the Beat” event hosted by the Todd and Karen Wanek Family Program for Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS) will be held on ...

The Mayo Clinic Center for Regenerative Medicine will co-host the 2016 World Stem Cell Summit  December 6-9 in West Palm Beach, FL. Organized by ...

Previously published in Mayo Clinic Magazine Today, about 60,000 Americans have had their larynx removed due to disease or trauma. These people are missing out on many of life’s little pleasures because the procedure’s resultant hole left them without a voice and created an opening directly into their lungs. A simple shower is dangerous as even the slightest amount of water in the lungs can be deadly. Bad weather can be lethal. Things that used to be a mere annoyance — such as a housefly — are now life-threatening. It’s not overstating it to say that danger lurks everywhere after a laryngectomy. And just at the time you need extra support, your ability to communicate is greatly impaired. A simple interaction with a store clerk is frustrating and can deliver looks of horror and pity. As an ear, nose and throat specialist at Mayo Clinic, David Lott, M.D., has seen laryngectomies impair too many lives. “I’m tired of seeing patients over and over and knowing there’s nothing to do,” he says. Some patients become so hopeless in the face of a laryngectomy that they forgo the procedure, opting for certain death over such deeply impaired living. Dr. Lott wants to restore hope for these people. And with the latest breakthroughs in transplant and regenerative medicine, he knows how.