Cancer Center Update

January 4, 2005

Cancer Center Update is sent to Cancer Center members and staff every Tuesday at 10 a.m. To submit an item for publication, send the information to Sandi Sherman by noon the Friday before publication.

In This Issue:

Today's Cancer Center Seminar

News

Events

Professional Education and Seminars

Grant Information & Announcements

Reminders

NEWS

TODAY’S CANCER CENTER SEMINAR

Immuno-gene therapy for thoracic malignancies: From bench to bedside and back to the bench
Daniel Sterman, M.D., Associate Professor of Medicine, Director of Interventional Pulmonology, Clinical Director, Thoracic Oncology Gene Therapy Program, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center

Host: Robert Kratzke

A peek at next week’s seminar:

Immunotherapy of malignant melanoma
Douglas Schwartzentruber, M.D., Medical Director, Surgical Oncologist, Center for Cancer Care at Goshen Health System, Goshen, Indiana

Host: Arkadiusz Dudek
Cosponsored by Chiron Biopharmaceuticals

For a complete schedule visit: http://www.cancer.umn.edu/page/aboutus/date.html

IN THE NEWS

Anne Joseph, M.D., MPH, Transdisciplinary Tobacco Use Research Center, was quoted in an article on “Quit Smoking,” which was part of the cover article on “50 Ways to Fix Your Life” in U.S. News & World Report, Dec. 27 issue.

SPECIAL SEMINAR

Thursday, January 6, 2005, 10:00 a.m., 2-101 BSBE

"Activation of the fibrinolytic system by amyloid cross-? structure: Possible implications for anti-angiogenic therapy"

Dr. Martijn Gebbink, Associate Professor of Hematology, Department of Medical Oncology, University Medical Center, Utrecht, The Netherlands.

This seminar is co-hosted by Dr. Sundaram Ramakrishnan (Pharmacology) and Dr. Kevin Mayo (Biochemistry, Molecular Biology,and Biophysics).

SESAME STREET LIVE BENEFIT FOR CLUB BUTTERFLY OF THE CHILDREN’S CANCER RESEARCH FUND

Imagine singing and dancing with all your favorite Sesame Street Live Friends. You can at a special Sesame Street Live performance to benefit Club Butterfly of the Children’s Cancer Research Fund on Saturday, January 22, 2005 at 5:30 p.m. at the Target Center in Minneapolis. Ticket packages start at $25 and are limited. Call the Children’s Cancer Research Fund office at 952-893-9355 to purchase today.

GRANT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Please call Kamala Upadhyaya at 626-5326 for assistance with your application.

AHC TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH GRANT PROGRAM

The maximal value of scientific discoveries in the health sciences is achieved when new knowledge can be utilized to improve health by preventing or reversing disease. To enhance the translation of research from the bench to the bedside, the Academic Health Center has developed a new grant program, the AHC Translational Research Grant Program. We anticipate funding at least three such grants in 2005. The overall goal is a program that would move concepts developed at this institution from basic work to clinical testing. Successful grantees would need to demonstrate an effective transfer of expertise in the direction of bench-to-bedside. However, not all steps in translation would necessarily be performed within this grant program. The underlying premise is that subsequent to this “seed” funding, any further development of the research would be funded either by the NIH; foundations; or venture capital, existing pharmaceutical or biotechnology companies.

Translational Research Grants are available to faculty members in the AHC with an N, P, I, J, or K appointment and employment through the University. The primary criteria for funding will be innovation, the quality of the research approach, the potential for future outside funding to sustain or further develop the program, and the likelihood of eventual development of a useful product. Awards will be in the amount of $200,000 or less (over two to three years). Awards will be for new projects without outside funding (projects with existing, partial funding will receive the lowest priority). Preference will be given to proposals that create a new collaboration (ie, a new pairing of co-investigators). http://www.ahc.umn.edu/research/funding/translational.

INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES FOR MOLECULAR ANALYSIS OF CANCER (SBIR/STTR)
This is a reissue of RFA-CA-05-006
Letters of Intent Receipt Dates: January 17, 2005; May 17, 2005; September 18, 2005
Application Receipt Dates: February 17, 2005; June 17, 2005; October 18, 2005

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) invites applications for research projects proposing the development of highly innovative cancer-relevant technologies. Technology encompasses methods and tools that enable research, including, but not limited to, instrumentation, techniques, and devices. Technology is distinct from resources such as databases, reagents, and tissue repositories. Applications for support of such resources will not be considered responsive to this RFA. Applications may be submitted for support as Phase I STTR (R41) or Phase I SBIR grants (R43), or Phase II STTR (2-R42) or Phase II SBIR (2-R44) grants. Applicants may not simultaneously submit identical/essentially identical applications under both this funding opportunity and the SBIR/STTR Omnibus Solicitation. Phase I/ Phase II Fast-Track applications (1-R42, 1-R44) will not be accepted. The National Cancer Institute intends to commit approximately $1,000,000 dollars in FY 2006 to fund three to five Phase I and/or Phase II applications under the SBIR/STTR set-aside funding mechanism. An applicant may submit an unlimited number of unique applications in response to this announcement.

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-CA-06-005.html

APPLICATION OF EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES FOR CANCER RESEARCH (SBIR/STTR)
This is a reissue of RFA-CA-05-007
Letters of Intent Receipt Dates: January 17, 2005; May 17, 2005; September 18, 2005
Application Receipt Dates: February 17, 2005; June 17, 2005; October 18, 2005

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) invites applications for research projects to evaluate the usefulness of emerging technologies that are ready for initial application to clinical or biological questions in cancer research. Projects should be designed to demonstrate that the technology is robust and yields reproducible measurements. Projects should also be designed to gather preliminary data to support the use of the technology in a future project(s) with a clinical or biological focus. It is expected that some refinement or adaptation of the technology may be appropriate in the initial phase of the project, but projects requiring significant technology development effort are not appropriate. In addition, applications that propose the use of commercially available technology under standard conditions, or any technology that is already commonly accepted for the proposed use, are not appropriate. Applications may be submitted for support as Phase I STTR (R41) or Phase I SBIR grants (R43), or Phase II STTR (2-R42) or Phase II SBIR (2-R44) grants, or the SBIR/STTR Fast-Track option (1-R42 or 1R44) as described in the SBIR/STTR Omnibus Solicitation. The National Cancer Institute intends to commit approximately $1,250,000 dollars in FY 2006 to fund two to four Phase I, Phase II, and/or Fast-Track applications under the SBIR/STTR set-aside funding mechanism. An applicant may submit an unlimited number of unique applications in response to this announcement.

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-CA-06-006.html

INNOVATIONS IN CANCER SAMPLE PREPARATION (SBIR/STTR)
This is a reissue of RFA-CA-05-008
Letters of Intent Receipt Dates: January 17, 2005; May 17, 2005; September 18, 2005
Application Receipt Dates: February 17, 2005; June 17, 2005; October 18, 2005

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) invites applications for research projects involving the development and significant enhancement or adaptation of sample preparation methodologies and technologies, the development of assays to assess sample quality, and studies designed to elucidate the criteria by which to judge sample quality. The outcome will be products and methods designed to optimize sample utility. Samples may originate from residual material not necessary for patient care or from cell lines, model organisms, or other sources relevant to cancer research. Applications may be submitted for support as Phase I STTR (R41) or Phase I SBIR grants (R43), or Phase II STTR (2-R42) or Phase II SBIR (2-R44) grants, or the SBIR/STTR Fast-Track option (1-R42 or 1R44) as described in the SBIR/STTR Omnibus Solicitation. The National Cancer Institute intends to commit approximately $1,250,000 dollars in FY 2006 to fund eight to twelve Phase I, Phase II, and/or Fast-Track applications under the SBIR/STTR set-aside funding mechanism. An applicant may submit an unlimited number of unique applications in response to this announcement.
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-CA-06-007.html

SOCIAL AND CULTURAL DIMENSIONS OF HEALTH
This is a reissue of PA-02-043
Application Receipt Dates: February1, 2005; June 1, 2005; October 1,2005

The ultimate goal of this program announcement is to encourage the development of health research that integrates knowledge from the biomedical and social sciences. This involves the further development of health-related social science research relevant to the missions of the NIH Institutes and Centers (ICs) and the development of multi- or inter-disciplinary research that blends the theories and approaches of the social and biomedical sciences. Within the broad spectrum of research identified in this announcement, applicants are encouraged (but are not required) to employ multiple (i.e., biological, behavioral, and/or social) levels of analysis. This funding opportunity will use the NIH Research (R01) award mechanism. As an applicant, you will be solely responsible for planning, directing, and executing the proposed project. Applications received in response to this program announcement will compete for funds in the general funding pool of the participating NIH ICs. No specific funds have been set aside for this announcement. The number and size of the awards will depend on the number of applications received, their relative scientific merit, and the general availability of funds for investigator-initiated research at the participating ICs. Because the nature and scope of the proposed research will vary from application to application, it is anticipated that the size and duration of each award will also vary. http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-05-029.html

EDUCATION AND SEMINARS

CORE CURRICULUM SEMINAR
Friday, January 7, 2005, 10:00 a.m., 450 CCRB
HIV Malignancies
Dr. Doug Rausch, Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine

For a complete schedule visit http://www.cancer.umn.edu/page/aboutus/coreseminar.html

TRANSDICIPLINARY TOBACCO USE RESEARCH CENTER SEMINAR
Friday, January 7, 2005, 12 Noon, 450 CCRB
Obesity and the Brain: Clues for Tobacco Scientists
Charles Billington, M.D., Professor of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Associate Director, Minnesota Obesity Center

For a complete schedule visit

http://www.cancer.umn.edu/page/aboutus/tturclec.html

CANCER BIOLOGY RESEARCH CLUB
Friday, January 7, 2005, 3:30 p.m., 450 CCRB
Functional analysis of hematopoietic stem cell gene expression using zebrafish: Fishing for stem cell genes
Craig Eckfeldt, Verfaillie Lab

For a complete schedule visit http://www.cancer.umn.edu/page/grant7.html

BMT CONFERENCE
Monday, January 10, 2005, 1:15 – 2:15 p.m., 450 CCRB
Mycophenolate Systemic Exposure in Nonmyeloablative HSCT: The Final Results of the Exposure Response Study
Pamala Jacobson, Pharm. D., Assistant Professor, Experimental & Clinical Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, University of Minnesota

For a complete schedule visit http://www.cancer.umn.edu/page/aboutus/bmtlect.html