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Researchers and Staff
Cancer Center Update
March 15, 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:
Professional Education and Seminars
Grant Information & Announcements
The bio-behavioral determinants of adolescent smoking progression
Janet Audrain-McGovern, Ph.D., Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania
Host: Katie Schmitz
A peek at next week’s seminar:
Cholesterol as a mediator of cell signaling in prostate cancer
Michael R. Freeman, Ph.D., David E. Retik Director of Basic Urologic Research, Children's Hospital, Associate Professor of Surgery, Harvard Medical School
Host: Carol Lange
For a complete schedule visit: http://www.cancer.umn.edu/page/aboutus/date.html
AHC DAY AT THE CAPITOL
On April 7, the Academic Health Center will host AHC Day at the Capitol to lobby for funds on behalf of the University of Minnesota. You’re encouraged to come to the State Capitol, meet with your Minnesota state legislators and tell them funding for the U is important to you.
The afternoon planned for the Capitol rotunda includes scheduled constituent meetings with legislators for AHC faculty, staff and students, cholesterol and blood pressure screenings offered by AHC students, and other activities. Shuttle buses will depart for the Capitol and return every 30 minutes at Mayo Circle.
To sign up for AHC Day at the Capitol, go to http://ga4.org/u_of_m_leg_net/events/ahcday/details.tcl
If you’d like some tools, tips and techniques to prepare you for meeting your legislator, sign up for the AHC Ambassador training session on March 28 by emailing Deborah Zorn at zorn@umn.edu. The training session will be from 12:15-1:15 p.m. in 2-520 Moos Tower.
SPECTOR RECEIVES $2.6 MILLION GRANT TO STUDY HEPATOBLASTOMA
Logan Spector, Ph.D., Assistant Professor in the Division of Epidemiology and Clinical Research, has been awarded a $2.6 million R01 grant from the National Cancer Institute to study the causes of hepatoblastoma (HB), a rare liver tumor which currently affects about 100 infants per year in the United States.
Spector’s study will be the largest and most comprehensive case-control study on HB to date. It will include 600 HB cases – 480 children of normal birth weight, 120 low birth weight children, and 120 very low birth weight children – diagnosed between 2000 and 2008 at medical centers associated with the Children’s Oncology Group. Cases will be compared to 720 control children selected from state birth registries.
The objectives of the study are to:
• Investigate the role of treatment for prematurity in the risk of HB among low birth weight children
• Examine parental occupation and maternal lifestyle during pregnancy
• Investigate polymorphisms in candidate susceptibility genes
• Describe the pattern of IGF-2 imprinting in HB cases
CANCER CENTER PEOPLE IN THE NEWS
Stephen Hecht, Ph.D., leader of the Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention Program, was recently quoted in news reports by the Pioneer Press, Minnesota Daily, MPR, KARE-11, KSTP-TV and WCCO Radio about a study he led titled “Similar Uptake of Lung Carcinogen by Smokers of Regular, Light and Ultra-light Cigarettes,” published March 8 in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention. Dorothy Hatsukami, Ph.D., Director of the Transdisciplinary Tobacco Use Research Center, also was quoted about the same study in the Minnesota Daily article.
Bruce Blazar, Ph.D., leader of the Transplant Biology and Therapy Program, was quoted in a recent article about gene therapy in the Baltimore Sun. Dr. Blazar also was one of a handful of scientists from NCI-designated cancer centers to lecturer at the Inaugural Joint American-Israeli Conference on Cancer, March 16-18, in Jerusalem.
Don Connelly, M.D., Professor of Lab Medicine and Pathology, and Michael Garwood, Ph.D., Professor of Radiology-CMRR, were recently quoted in a Rochester Post-Bulletin series of articles about the Minnesota Partnership for Biotechnology and Medical Genomics. The partnership involves four collaborative projects between the University, State of Minnesota and Mayo Clinic. Connelly is working with his Mayo colleague George Klee, M.D., Ph.D., to find a blood or tissue test to identify aggressive prostate cancers. Garwood is collaborating with Mayo’s Joseph Poduslo, Ph.D., and Clifford Jack, M.D., to develop a better way to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR CANCER U: ASK THE EXPERTS SERIES
Familial cancer, cancer myths, and genetics and cancer will be the topics discussed at the spring Cancer U: Ask The Experts series, offered as a free community service by The Masonic Cancer Center. Speakers and presentations will include:
• April 2: Patrick Gaffney, M.D., and Mary Ahrens, genetics counselor, will define familial cancer and discuss when a family may need to talk with a counselor about their risks.
• April 16: Melissa Geller, M.D., Kristin Anderson, Ph.D., and Ruth Bachman, survivor, will sort out the facts from the myths about cancer.
• May 14: David Largaespada, Ph.D., and Paul Orchard, M.D., will explain what genetics have to do with cancer.
CANCER CENTER DIRECTOR ANNOUNCES CLINICAL TRIAL SUPPORT OPPORTUNITY
John Kersey, M.D., Director of The Masonic Cancer Center at the University of Minnesota, recently announced a Request for Applications for Clinical Cancer Trial Support. “A high priority of the Masonic Cancer Center is to foster the development and conduct of therapeutic clinical trials in cancer. Previous awards using the RFA mechanism have provided support for these studies. Again this spring we will provide up to $150,000 for clinical trials with highest priority given to local investigator-initiated therapeutic trials with likelihood of national funding.”
View the RFA for this next round. The deadline receipt of applications is APRIL 1, 2005. If you have any questions please contact Elaine Bell, R.N., 612-624-1959, email bellx060@umn.edu.
SEEKING RECOGNITION AWARD NOMINATIONS
Nominations are now open for the recognition award in Administration and Outreach. Administrative and Outreach staff, as well as other staff and faculty contributing to the Masonic Cancer Center in these areas, are eligible for this award. Nominees do not need to be Cancer Center employees.
To submit a nomination on-line, go to http://www.cancer.umn.edu/page/aboutus/recogform.html. Nomination forms may be requested from Melissa Daufelt by email at cchr@ahc.umn.edu or telephone at 626-3410. The submission deadline for nominations is March 23, 2005. Please join us for the Administration and Outreach recognition event Thursday, March 31 at 3 p.m. in room 450 CCRB.
CANCER CENTER SPRING POSTER SESSION AND SYMPOSIUM
The Sixth Annual Spring Poster Session and Symposium sponsored by the Masonic Cancer Center Core Facilities will be held from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., May 19, 2005. The schedule for the event includes oral presentations from 11 a.m. to noon followed by poster session and lunch from noon to 1:30 p.m. Students, staff, post-docs and PIs are invited to participate by presenting a poster.
Online registration will open on Monday, March 21, 2005 at http://www.cancer.umn.edu/page/aboutus/postsess.html. Due to the increasing number (and size!) of posters and the limited amount of display space, we have decided to display the first 35 abstracts/posters that are submitted in the Masonic Cancer Center atrium areas. Other posters will be displayed as space permits in other areas of the Masonic Cancer Center. All abstracts will be printed in the program booklet.
For more information, call Sue Fautsch at 5-6955 or send an email to fauts001@umn.edu.
SAVE THE DATE!
The Cancer Benefit fund invites you to joint them for a wine tasting and entertainment event to benefit cancer care and research at The Masonic Cancer Center at the University of Minnesota and HealthEast Cancer Center. This year’s event, “Fiesta de Vino: A Wine Tasting Event with a South American Twist,” will be held 7 p.m. April 16, 2005 at the Radisson Plaza in Minneapolis. Enjoy wines provided by The Cellars, South American entertainment and hors d’oeuvres, a silent auction, and chance to win a trip to South America from American airlines, and more. For tickets and more information call 651-464-6049 or visit www.cancerbenefitfund.com.
CLIMB FOR THE CURE
The Children’s Cancer Research Fund will be the beneficiary of a fundraising event, Climb for the Cure, to be held April 23, 2005 from 5-10 p.m. at Vertical Endeavors in St. Paul. This will be a family-oriented, safe indoors rock climbing event for those of all ages and skill levels. Deadline for registration is April 17, 2005 and you can visit the Climb for the Cure website at www.climbcure.com or contact Cancer Center member Kathleen Conklin at 626-0445, email conkl001@umn.edu.
GRANT ANNOUNCEMENTS
Please call Kamala Upadhyaya at 626-5326 for assistance with your application.
Cancer Education (R25E) Grants Program
Application Receipt Dates: Feb 1, 2005; June 1, 2005; October 1, 2005
The Cancer Education Grant Program employs the R25 grant mechanism to provide funding for the development of innovative cancer education and research dissemination projects. R25 education grants may focus on education for a variety of target audiences: science or health care students with an interest in cancer research careers; established cancer scientists seeking short term educational updates in emerging cancer science areas such as genetics and molecular drug discovery; and health care providers in need of information on the latest developments in cancer prevention and control.
New applicants may request up to five years of support in a single grant period in order to develop an evidence based education program. The maximum support in direct costs per year for new applications is $300,000. Renewal applications may request up to 10 percent above their last year's level of funding. Applicants will be solely responsible for planning, directing, and executing the proposed project. For more information visit:
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-05-065.html
American Cancer Society Institutional Research Grant
Applications Receipt Date: May 2, 2005.
This grant is for instructors and assistant professors who have no independent national funding and are engaged in cancer-related research. Cancer-related research includes genetic mechanisms of cancer, molecular mechanisms of cancer progression and metastasis, development of novel cancer therapeutic models and translational research, cancer immunology and immunotherapy. Funding is available up to $20,000. Applications may be obtained by calling 612.626.1926 or sending e-mail to micek003@tc.unn.edu .
Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Programs
Pre-proposal Deadline: April 5, 2005
Information on these programs is available at https://cdmrp.org/files/2005/bcrp/bcrp_reftable.pdf . PIs must submit their proposals for these programs online at https://cdmrp.org/ . For details on completing the online proposal information document, go to www.ospa.umn.edu/electronictools/cdmrp.html . Because the DOD requires SPA to electronically approve proposals prior to final submission, it is imperative that PIs work closely and early in the proposal process with SPA staff ( dod@umn.edu ). As with all electronic submissions, PIs must submit a paper copy of the complete proposal and the PRF to SPA by no later than 5:00 p.m. of the day prior to the application deadline--preferably two to three days prior to the deadline.
The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation Senior Research Award
Application Due: May 2, 2005
http://www.multiplemyeloma.org/research
Application deadline: May 31, 2005.
Awards will be made on or before September 1, 2005.
Women Against Lung Cancer is an organization founded by Joan Schiller, MD ( University of Wisconsin-Madison ), Kathy Albain, MD (Loyola University Chicago), and Kathy Pisters, MD ( M.D. Anderson Cancer Center ) dedicated to advancing lung cancer research, treatment and care. Two new award programs have just been announced:
1. Women Against Lung Cancer Research Grant for the promotion of understanding sex differences in the molecular, cellular, and environmental underpinnings of lung cancer. Generously funded by a gift from Genentech, this grant is designed to provide seed money for promising novel research on sex differences in lung cancer for faculty members at any point in their careers. For 2005, one 2-year award of $100,000 will be given.
2 . Women Against Lung Cancer/The Lung Cancer Online Foundation Career Development Award for junior clinical and basic investigators involved in lung cancer etiology, prevention, and treatment. Women Against Lung Cancer and The Lung Cancer Online Foundation are co-sponsoring this program to create a critical mass of lung cancer researchers to ensure effective translation of basic and behavioral research discoveries into patient therapies to reduce lung cancer incidence, morbidity and mortality. Applicants will be judged on the merits of their career development plan, research proposal, and research environment, among other factors. For 2005, one 2-year award of $100,000 will be given. For application eligibility and instructions, please visit the Women Against Lung Cancer website at www.womenagainstlungcancer.org/grants.cfm .
To view all grants available through the Masonic Cancer Center, visit http://www.cancer.umn.edu/page/aboutus/grantopp.html
Friday, March 18, 2005
Cancelled due to University holiday.
For a complete schedule visit http://www.cancer.umn.edu/page/grant7.html
Monday, March 21, 2005, 1:15-2:15 p.m., 450 CCRB
Management of Pulmonary Hemorrhage in BMT Patients
Navneet Mahhail, MD, Fellow, Adult Blood and Marrow Transplantation, University of Minnesota
For a complete schedule visit http://www.cancer.umn.edu/page/aboutus/bmtlect.html