SUMMARY
Elena Myasoedova, M.D., Ph.D., has research and clinical practice interests in the field of inflammatory arthritis with a specific research focus on rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Dr. Myasoedova studies the epidemiology and approaches to improve outcomes of patients with RA through understanding the role of chronic inflammation, and by developing individualized treatment strategies for patients with RA. She is also interested in understanding comorbidity profiles and multimorbidity in patients with RA.
Focus areas
- Role of systemic inflammation in cognitive decline. Dr. Myasoedova leads a multidisciplinary team of clinical, translational and epidemiology researchers from Mayo Clinic in the discovery of the effect of chronic, systemic inflammation in cognitive decline and dementia in patients with RA, using the resources of the Rochester Epidemiology Project (REP) and the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging. This population-based study also tests the hypothesis that RA therapies may be protective against cognitive decline.
- Individualized prediction of response to medications in patients with RA. In collaboration with researchers from the Center for Individualized Medicine at Mayo Clinic, Dr. Myasoedova aims to develop an individualized prediction of response to methotrexate and other RA therapies using clinical and genomic data.
- Multimorbidity in RA. Many patients with RA have two or more additional chronic conditions, which is defined as multimorbidity. In collaboration with Cynthia (Cindy) Crowson, Ph.D., Dr. Myasoedova is conducting studies on the epidemiology of multimorbidity in RA and its impact on clinical outcomes. These studies leverage population-based resources of the REP.
Significance to patient care
While several research studies have demonstrated that inflammation plays an important role in the risk of dementia, the knowledge of how this risk develops, and how to reduce it, is lacking. Effective preventive and disease-modifying treatments for dementia are also lacking. Dr. Myasoedova's goal is to understand the effect of chronic systemic inflammation, and therapies used to suppress it, on the development of dementia in patients with RA, as it can highlight opportunities for prevention and treatment of dementia in RA and beyond.
There is currently not an individualized prediction tool for RA treatment. Dr. Myasoedova's goal is to develop individualized prediction of response to RA therapies by applying machine learning methods to patients' clinical and genomic data. This approach is expected to provide timely information about effective treatment options for patients with RA at the start of treatment by tailoring the right medication for the right patient at the right time.
The role of chronic inflammation in development of multimorbidity is important for patients with RA. Determining the impact of multimorbidity on patient outcomes is crucial for development of prevention and management strategies in order to improve patients' quality of life and longevity.
Professional highlights
- Recipient, Gerstner Family Career Development Award, Mayo Clinic, 2019-present
- Recipient, Phillip Hench Award for outstanding achievement as a subspecialty fellow in rheumatology, Mayo Clinic, 2019
- Recipient, Howard Polley Award, Mayo Clinic Hench Society, 2019
- Recipient, Marshall J. Schiff, M.D., Memorial Fellow Research Award, Rheumatology Research Foundation, Chicago, Illinois, 2018
- Recipient, Rheumatology Research Foundation Medical and Pediatric Resident Research Award, Rheumatology Research Foundation, San Francisco, California, 2015
- Named, Fulbright Scholar, Fulbright Association, USA-Russia, 2008-2010