Earlier this week, ABC's Robin Roberts announced she is battling myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a disease of the blood and bone marrow. In patients with MDS, the bone marrow keeps trying to make more blood cells to make up for a deficit, but many of these cells die before they make it into the blood stream. The condition is often treated with chemotherapy and bone marrow transplants.
MDS can be a scary condition for patients. More than 10,000 patients are diagnosed with the condition each year and 30 percent of those cases progress into acute leukemia. The condition can occur seemingly at random with few known causes.
For reasons still unknown, Minnesota owns the country's highest incidence rate of MDS. As a result, both the University of Minnesota and the Mayo Clinic have made MDS research a priority, which spells good news for MDS patients across the country.
Together, the two institutions are taking the lead on the development of new tools to both diagnose and treat the condition.
Recently, U of M and Mayo researchers were awarded $1.35 million by the Minnesota Partnership to combat the disease. That grant comes on the heels of a five-year, $2.5 million grant awarded last year to U of M epidemiologist Julie Ross, Ph.D., and pediatric hematologist-oncologist Erica Warlick, M.D., to conduct the nation's first large scale epidemiologic study of MDS.
"There aren't many studies where we look at newly-diagnosed patients and follow them over time, so we've never truly investigated why people get MDS," said Ross. "Therefore we can't definitively say which patients will see their disease progress into leukemia. We want to take the speculation and shift it into fact, giving patients a better chance against the disease."
KSTP recently caught up with Warlick to learn more about MDS. You can watch that video here. For more on University of Minnesota research into MDS, visit cancer.umn.edu.
The ranks of obese Americans are expected to swell even further in the coming years, rising from 36% of the adult population today to 42%. Robert Jeffery, School of Public Health and Masonic Cancer Center, discusses how policymakers can help prevent increased obesity.
There are several foods, in addition to sensible eating, may indeed help drive down cholesterol levels. Joanne Slavin, Masonic Cancer Center, talks about how flaxseed can be a great way to help lower high cholesterol. 
WCCO's Good Question segment asks what are the factors that make someone obese. Allen Levine, Masonic Cancer Center, talks about how body mass index and other factors lead to the diagnosis of obesity. 
The U of M and Fairview plan on building a $1 million outpatient clinic. Peter Bitterman, Medical School, Masonic Cancer Center and University of Minnesota Physicians, and Russell Luepker, School of Public Health and Masonic Cancer Center, discuss details of the new clinic.
Women who got seed radiation as part of their breast cancer treatment were more likely to have an infection or breast pain. Todd Tuttle, Medical School, Masonic Cancer Center and University of Minnesota Physicians, discusses the advantages of Brachytherapy.
Most Americans do not get nearly enough of beans, pulses and legumes in their diets, a U.S. panel of experts found. Joanne Slavin, Masonic Cancer Center, explains that these crops are a good source of protein, fiber, and nutrients such as potassium and folate.
A new study shows that tumors found by mammograms would not have caused any problems during a woman's lifetime, but treated anyway. Douglas Yee, Medical School, Masonic Cancer Center and University of Minnesota Physicians, explains that deciding which tumors are dangerous and those that are not life-threatening is impossible. 
Zigang Dong, Masonic Cancer Center, will help lead a session focused on new approaches to cancer prevention at an upcoming national conference in Chicago. The session will touch on work in various areas, including skin, colon, breast, lung and prostate cancer.
Eating red meat is associated with a greater risk of death. Kristin Anderson, School of Public Health and Masonic Cancer Center, discusses a study that showedan association between the consumption of barbecued and grilled meat and pancreatic cancer.
Memory "killer" T cells are specialized cells that develop in response to specific infections and launch an attack if the specific pathogen returns. Kris Hogquist, Medical School and Masonic Cancer Center, discusses viruses that trigger the activation of memory T cells.
Researchers at the U of M and Mayo Clinic have received a $1.35 million grant to study a form of blood cancer. Julie Ross, Medical School and Masonic Cancer Center, explains that there isn't much known about myelodysplastic syndrome, other than it can lead to leukemia.
John Ohlfest, Medical School, Masonic Cancer Center, Stem Cell Institute and University of Minnesota Physicians, and Chris Moertel, Medical School and University of Minnesota Physicians, discuss an upcoming neuro-oncology symposium and current research here at the U of M.
Jean Forster, School of Public Health and Masonic Cancer Center, explains how three doctoral students and three post-graduates to study new ways to combat cancer-related health disparities with the money from a $2.2 million federal grant that was recently won.
Susan G. Komen Foundation has recently decided not to support embryonic stem cell research. Dan Kaufman, Medical School, Masonic Cancer Center, Stem Cell Institute and University of Minnesota Physicians, discusses how his research with these cells have killed cancerous tumors in rats.
Dieters who repeatedly lose weight and then gain it back aren't at higher risk of early death than people who don't "yo-yo diet." Simone French, School of Public Health and Masonic Cancer Center, explains that the study shows that people shouldn't be afraid to keep trying to lose weight.
A judge ruled that offering financial incentives to encourage people to donate bone marrow cells is legal. John Wagner, Medical School, Masonic Cancer Center and University of Minnesota Physicians, explains this is unlikely to create a "marketplace" like for bone marrow.
Touching on history, uses and ethics, class on stem cells is offered for the first time this spring. Jeffrey Simon, Masonic Cancer Center, and Dan Kaufman, Medical School, Stem Cell Institute and University of Minnesota Physicians, talk about why this class is important to teach.
Christopher Moertel, Medical School, Masonic Cancer Center and University of Minnesota Physicians, explains new research about a new brain cancer treatment that could work on humans.
