Goal #8: Foster the development of the emerging field of translational science

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Mayo Clinic celebrates the grand opening of the 11-floor Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Building. The building will support hiring more scientists to contribute to Mayo's unique capabilities to bring scientific discoveries to patients. It joins other Mayo Clinic research facilities where investigators discover scientific advancements that affect patient care, leading to better outcomes and improved quality of life in Minnesota and beyond.&nbsp;At Mayo Clinic, research is the engine that drives advances in medical care, and the building expands the research footprint in the Discovery Square district in downtown Rochester...&nbsp;Read the full article <a href="https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinic-opens-anna-maria-and-stephen-kellen-building-for-research/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">here</a>.

Mayo Clinic Center for Clinical and Translational Science

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Mayo Clinic Rochester

Mayo Clinic Opens Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Building for Research 

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Goal #2: Promote partnerships and collaborations

From September 20-21st, 2023, the Utah Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) held the annual Consortium of Rural States (CORES) meeting at Solitude Mountain Resort in Utah. CORES consists of eight participating institutions: the Utah CTSI, the University of New Mexico Clinical and Translational Science Center, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Translational Research Institute, the University of Kansas Frontiers Clinical and Translational Science Institute, the University of Kentucky Center for Clinical and Translational Science, Penn State Clinical and Translational Science Institute, the University of Iowa Institute for Clinical and Translational Science, and Dartmouth Synergy Clinical and Translational Science Institute. &nbsp;&nbsp;Through community engagement, conducting advancements in translational research through emerging technologies, career building and mentoring, multi-center pilot research programs and integrated education, training and career development, participating institutions hope to scientifically innovate in their local region and share their activities within the consortium to make an impact on a national level.&nbsp;&nbsp;The annual meeting included sessions on the outcomes of the CORES pilot program, best practices in tracking and evaluation, and innovations in rural community research engagement. The presenting institutions provided insight such as community consultation, data driven approaches, and enhancing research participation in rural communities. The Utah CTSI held a poster session featuring the activities of its cores, services, and education and training programs. The sessions and associated networking helped CORES identify new opportunities for collaboration in coming years.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://uploads.ccos-cc.ctsa.io/breakout_session_174852bdb0.png"></figure><figure class="image"><img src="https://uploads.ccos-cc.ctsa.io/networking_hike_d8579adc9f.png"></figure>&nbsp;Resource:<a href="https://uploads.ccos-cc.ctsa.io/Utah_Clinical_and_Translational_Science_Institute_CTSI_CORES_Booklet_9787d0ecd4.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Utah Clinical &amp; Translational Science Institute (CTSI) CORES Booklet.pdf</a>

Utah Clinical & Translational Science Institute

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University of Utah

Consortium of Rural States Collaborates on Solutions to Healthcare Challenges at Annual Meeting

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Goal #1: Advance clinical and translational science

COVID-19 has affected individuals worldwide but how does gender and sex play a role? A recent study by Dr. Amanda Vinson, nephrologist at Nova Scotia Health Authority, explores connections between hormones, gender-specific behaviors, and the severity of COVID-19 outcomes.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Within the general population, men are at a higher risk for poor outcomes after a COVID-19 diagnosis. Both sex (a biological variable) and gender (a sociocultural construct) play a role.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Male &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;Female&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://uploads.ccos-cc.ctsa.io/hormone_replacement_therapy_2023_12_20_2d6556e99b.PNG"></figure>**PPE (personal protective equipment)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Biologic sex encompasses a number of factors, including sex hormones; testosterone is a male sex hormone, estrogens and progesterone are female sex hormones. While testosterone is immune suppressing, potentially lowering the effectiveness of a male's immune response, estrogens are immune stimulating, potentially increasing the effectiveness of the immune response in females. Immune response effectiveness is a key player in an individual's ability to recover after a COVID-19 diagnosis.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Beyond biology, gender roles also come into play. At a societal level, men are more likely to be smokers and have been shown to less commonly adhere to behavioral precautions, while women often excel in following guidelines and are more prevalent in frontline healthcare roles. This unique combination of biological and sociocultural variables sets the stage for intriguing exploration of COVID-19 outcomes.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In Dr. Vinson’s earlier research, data from the National COVID Cohort Collaborative (N3C), a secure data enclave that harmonizes millions of patient records across the nation, showed females have a lower risk of major adverse renal or cardiac events (MARCE) compared with males. When considering solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients who are on immunosuppression, these sex and gender factors play less of a role in COVID-19 outcomes. In nearly 11,000 transplant recipients, there was no significant sex difference in risk of MARCE after a COVID-19 diagnosis, unlike the much higher risk in females than males shown in the general population.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The observed COVID-19 outcomes between males and females suggest that sex hormones may be involved. This raised an intriguing question about the effects of sex-specific hormone replacement therapy (HRT) (testosterone in males and estrogens in females) on COVID-19 outcomes, specifically in the general population and the SOT population.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;This study compared the outcomes of HRT use in older (&gt;=45 years) males and females both in the general (immunocompetent) and SOT (immunosuppressed) populations using data from the N3C. Of the 2 million general population patients, both males and females using HRT experienced fewer adverse outcomes following a COVID-19 diagnosis than those not using HRT. Of the 29,000 SOT patients, overall, there was very little difference in outcomes for patients using HRT versus not using HRT, regardless of sex. However, in male SOT patients, HRT use was associated with a reduction in both Acute kidney injury (AKI) and mortality after a COVID-19 diagnosis. There was no benefit with HRT use in female SOT patients for any outcome.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;These findings persisted in a number of sensitivity analyses including when looking at HRT use in the 6 months before COVID diagnosis (instead of 24 months), restricting the study to patients &gt;=55 years of age, and looking at 30 days outcomes rather than 90 days.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;As the largest study by an order of magnitude to examine sex-specific HRT in males and females with COVID-19 and the first to examine HRT use in SOT patients, this study helps develop our understanding of the role sex hormones play in protecting against adverse COVID-19 outcomes. Until now, there was a suggestion of benefit with exogenous estrogen therapy, but the role of exogenous testosterone was unclear. As the first study to demonstrate an attenuation of benefit with HRT in both males and females when immunosuppressed, Dr. Vinson’s study provides further support to the hypothesis that the benefit from HRT in male and female patients with COVID-19 is likely immune mediated. As this was an observational study, future clinical trials examining the use of HRT to mitigate adverse COVID-19 events are warranted, including in the SOT population where patients are at much higher risk than the general population, and there is observational evidence (albeit attenuated from that seen in the general population) of benefit in male patients with COVID-19 who have received testosterone supplementation.&nbsp;&nbsp;Read the full publication <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10129906/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">here</a> or view the N3Community Forum YouTube Video <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGFX8ocukqQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">here</a>.&nbsp;

Colorado Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute

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University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Hormone Replacement Therapy Reduces the Risk of Serious Complications after COVID-19 in Immunocompetent Males and Females, but not in Immunosuppressed Transplant Recipients

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Mayo Clinic Opens Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Building for Research