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Researchers and Staff
Cancer Center Update
May 10, 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
Notch signaling at the interface of lymphoid development and cancer
Warren Pear, M.D., Ph.D.,Associate Professor, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine , Institute for Medicine and Engineering , Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, University of Pennsylvania , Philadelphia
Host: Catherine Verfaillie
A peek at next week’s seminar:
Brain cancer therapies — why everything has failed so far: Where the future lies
Maria G. Castro, Ph.D., Professor of Medical and Molecular Pharmacology, UCLA Co-Director of the Gene Therapeutics Research Institute Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Hosts: David Largaespada/Andrew Freese
For a complete schedule visit: http://www.cancer.umn.edu/page/aboutus/date.html
ASIAN TOBACCO HEALTH CONFERENCE MAY 13
“ Stepping Up To the Challenges in the Southeast Asian American Community:” Defeating the harm that tobacco causes our communities
This conference at the Hubert Humphrey Institute at 301 19 th Avenue S. on Friday, May 13, 2003 will address the high smoking rate and the health disparities among the SE Asian Community of Minnesota. The Asian Pacific Tobacco Free Coalition of Minnesota (APTFCM), Association for Nonsmokers-Minnesota, the Ramsey Tobacco Coalition and the Association for the Advancement of Hmong Women are the sponsors.
For more information call Ellie Watkins, Ramsey Tobacco Coalition @ 612-275-3342, Nghi Huynh, APTFCM @ 651-224-6570 or Yanat Chhith @ 651-224-017
FINAL CANCER U: ASK THE EXPERTS SERIES TO BE HELD THIS SATURDAY
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:
• May 14: David Largaespada, Ph.D., and Paul Orchard, M.D., will explain what genetics have to do with cancer.
The program will be held from 9-11 a.m. in Room 450 at The Masonic Cancer Center. For more information and to register call 612-624-2620
CENTER FOR DRUG DESIGN TO HOLD GRANT OPENING SYMPOSIUM MAY 17
The Center for Drug Design at the University of Minnesota is hosting a grand opening celebration and mini-symposium at the McNamara Alumni Center , 200 Oak Street S.E. , on Tuesday, May 17, 2005 from 9:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The theme of the event is "Drugs and Delivery: Designs for This Millennium". Featured speakers include: Ronald Breslow, Ph.D., Columbia University ; Sidney Pestka, M.D., University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School ; and John A. Secrist III, Ph.D., Southern Research Institute. Lunch will be provided. A wine and cheese reception will take place at the Center following the symposium, and tours will also be available. This event is free and open to the public, although space is limited. Please reply to dunkl011@umn.edu by May 13 to guarantee a seat. More information is available at www.cdd.umn.edu .
SIXTH ANNUAL CANCER CENTER POSTER SESSION AND SYMPOSIUM TO TAKE PLACE ON MAY 19, 2005
The 6 th Annual Cancer Center Cores Spring Poster Session and Symposium will take place on Thursday, May 19, 2005. Oral presentations will be from 11:00 – 12:00 in 450 CCRB. View posters, meet the authors and enjoy lunch from 12:00 – 1:30 on all floors of the Masonic Cancer Research Building .
Please join with us as we learn about and celebrate the exciting research that is happening in the Masonic Cancer Center!
CANCER CENTER MEMBERS PRESENT THEIR RESEARCH AT ASCO ANNUAL MEETING
The following Cancer Center members will present abstracts and lectures at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), May 13-17, 2005 in Orlando, Florida:
Nancy Baxter, M.D., Ph.D., Oral Presentation: Radiation after lumpectomy for DCIS to reduce the risk of invasive breast cancer: A population-based study.
Mary Brosky, D.M.D., General Poster Session: Oral health in patients with head and neck cancer: a review of current management.
Arkaduisz Dudek, M.D., Ph.D., Poster Discussion: Immune response activation by a Toll-like receptor 7 agonist: Results of a phase 1 study.
Ann Mertens, Ph.D., General Poster Session: Late cause-specific mortality in long-term survivors of childhood and adolescent cancer: An update from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study (CSSS).
Julie Ross, Ph.D., Discussant for a series of abstracts on Late Effects in Childhood Cancer Survivors.
Les Robison, Ph.D., Oral presentations on the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study: An update on the late effects of treatment in two Cancer Survivorship: Long-Term Complications of Treatment Education sessions.
CHILDREN'S CANCER RESEARCH FUND — TIME TO FLY
June 25, 2005
Harriet Island, Downtown St. Paul
Registration begins @ 6:30AM; Events begin at 8AM
See:www.ccrftimetofly.com for race details, registration, and to pledge.
GRANT ANNOUNCEMENTS
Please call Kamala Upadhyaya at 626-5326 for assistance with your application.
COS FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
Community of Science® (COS) is an up-to-date database of announcements for grants, fellowships, awards and more from around the world. Access to this database is limited by membership and therefore the following URLs will only work from a University of MN computer. If you are unable to access a computer that is on the University server please contact Roxy McCann via email doni0007@umn.edu , include the title of the funding opportunity that you are interested in and the COS URL associated with it.
ACS RESEARCH SCHOLAR GRANTS IN PSYCHOSOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL RESEARCH
Sponsor: American Cancer Society (ACS) Extramural Grants Program
Deadline: October 15, 2005
Research Scholar Grants in Psychosocial and Behavioral Research support investigator-initiated research projects in psychosocial, behavioral research, including epidemiologic approaches to psychosocial and behavioral research. The main focus of the program is to be on beginning investigators. Independent investigators at any stage in their career are eligible to apply. However, senior investigators are strongly encouraged to include as co-investigator a faculty member at an early stage of his or her career. These grants offer funding of up to $200,000 plus 20 percent indirect costs per year for four years.
http://fundingopps.cos.com/cgi-bin/getRec?id=50731
CANCER CONTROL CAREER DEVELOPMENT AWARDS FOR PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIANS (CCCDA)
Sponsor: American Cancer Society (ACS) Health Professional Training Program
Deadline: October 15, 2005
This program is intended to encourage and assist in the development of promising individuals who will pursue academic careers in primary care specialties. Through the Cancer Control Career Development Awards for Primary Care Physicians (CCCDA), the American Cancer Society (ACS) seeks to support primary care physicians in supervised programs that will develop the candidate's clinical and teaching expertise and his or her capacity to perform independent research in cancer control. The sponsoring institution must provide a commitment for a regular full-time faculty appointment or equivalent for the candidate and must be prepared to support the clinical, teaching, and research activities of the candidate in a comprehensive primary care setting. This support may include facilities; resources; equipment; training programs; seminars; an organized cancer program that will provide continued support to the candidate for participation in cancer prevention, detection, epidemiology, and cancer patient follow up; or a relationship with another institution or cancer center. The institution must also identify an established investigator to serve as a sponsor/mentor to supervise and guide the candidate in their program. Candidates must have the M.D., D.O., or equivalent degree, and have completed residency in an appropriate primary care specialty. Candidates with established careers and substantial research funding should not apply. Awards are made for three years with progressive stipends of $50,000, $55,000, and $60,000 per year.
http://fundingopps.cos.com/cgi-bin/getRec?id=9463
RESEARCH SCHOLAR GRANTS IN CANCER CONTROL — PSYCHOSOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL RESEARCH
Sponsor: American Cancer Society (ACS) Extramural Grants Program Targeted Grants
Deadline: October 15, 2005
The American Cancer Society (ACS) has identified a critical need for research on prevalence, early detection, prevention, and treatment of cancer in poor and underserved populations. Despite the steady overall decline in cancer incidence and mortality rates, some Americans continue to suffer disproportionately from its effects. The incidence of many cancers in some poor and underserved populations is higher than in the general population, and morbidity and mortality are often greater. Lack of access to care and cultural practices often further contribute to this disparity. Proposals submitted in response to this RFA may address a variety of behavioral, epidemiological, policy, health delivery, clinical, and basic science issues. Research Scholar Grants in Cancer Control: Psychosocial and Behavioral Research support investigator-initiated research projects in psychosocial and behavioral research, including epidemiologic approaches to psychosocial and behavioral awards. Awards are made for up to five years with a budget of $400,000 per year (direct costs), plus 20 percent allowable indirect costs. Once awarded, these grants may be renewed once via competitive renewal.
http://fundingopps.cos.com/cgi-bin/getRec?id=69018
SUSAN G. KOMEN BREAST CANCER FOUNDATION CAREER DEVELOPMENT AWARD
Sponsor: Gynecologic Cancer Foundation (GCF)
Deadline: October 29, 2005
The Gynecologic Cancer Foundation (GCF)/Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Career Development Award is intended for junior faculty at the assistant professor level, who are conducting cancer research at an academic institution. This award promotes important transitional support for direct research expenses as researchers move from the ranks of young investigator to faculty senior status. Principal investigators who apply for this grant must be a full, candidate, or associate member of the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists (SGO). $50,000 per year for two years will be awarded.
http://fundingopps.cos.com/cgi-bin/getRec?id=88002
PROSTATE CANCER FOUNDATION RESEARCH AWARDS
Sponsor: Prostate Cancer Foundation
Deadline: December 3, 2005
The Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) favors research applications focused on translational and clinical programs with potential for near term benefit for patients with recurrent prostate cancer. However, the PCF will continue to fund outstanding and novel basic science that it believes is the cornerstone in the discovery of a cure for prostate cancer. The funding is not intended to substitute for monies obtained from traditional sources (i.e. grants from governmental agencies or industrially sponsored research) but to complement and sometimes precede funding from those sources. By placing seed money into novel areas or high risk and high impact projects, the PCF hopes that sufficient preliminary data can be obtained for the investigators to obtain follow-on funding from other organizations. The awards are typically for a period of one year and range from $25,000 to $100,000. However, a limited number of two-year awards and awards for greater funding may be available if clearly justified in the proposal.
http://fundingopps.cos.com/cgi-bin/getRec?id=9649
NEW INVESTIGATOR RESEARCH GRANTS
Sponsor: Leukemia Research Foundation, Inc.
Deadline: February 10, 2006
The Leukemia Research Foundation supports research on leukemia and related subjects. These New Investigator Research grants should be clearly identified as one year of pilot funding for new projects and should not be used for bridge funding of established laboratory investigators who are between larger grants. The foundation intends that its support should enable an investigator to initiate and develop a project sufficiently to obtain continuing funding from national agencies.
Eligibility for research grants is restricted to investigators who are within five years of the end of their training or of their first independent faculty appointment at the time of the proposed starting date of the new investigator research grant award. Years as a resident physician, fellow physician, or post-doctoral fellow are considered to be training years. The foundation will give preference in the review process to investigators who have not had previous support from the Leukemia Research Foundation. The maximum grant award for one year is $75,000.The application for a second year of grant support may be for continuation funding for the current project or can be for an entirely separate project. An individual investigator will not receive more than two years of funding.
http://fundingopps.cos.com/cgi-bin/getRec?id=65400
BRAIN CANCER RESEARCH — 21ST CENTURY RESEARCH AWARDS
Sponsor: McDonnell Foundation, James S. 21st Century Science Initiative Brain Cancer Research
Deadline: March 7, 2006
21st Century Research Awards are designed to support research projects with a high probability of generating new knowledge and insights. Projects submitted for funding consideration should be at an early, even preliminary stage of development that intend to break new ground or to challenge commonly-held assumptions. Projects submitted should be sufficiently novel, cross-disciplinary, or heterodox that they would not be strong candidates for federal funding. 21st Century Research Awards provide adequate, flexible funding over a sufficient time period to allow investigators to pursue and develop innovative directions to their research programs. Proposals from junior faculty and from individuals with strong neuroscience, genetics, molecular pathology, and tumor immunology backgrounds, interested in pursuing novel research on brain cancer, are encouraged. A maximum of $450,000 total costs can be requested and the funds can be expended over a minimum of three years or a maximum of six years.
http://fundingopps.cos.com/cgi-bin/getRec?id=1663
To view all grants available through the Masonic Cancer Center, visit http://www.cancer.umn.edu/page/aboutus/grant/grantopp.html
CANCER PROGRESSION AND METASTASIS PROGRAM MEETING
Wednesday, May 11, 2005, 12 Noon, 450 CCRB
Telomerase inhibition abrogates osseous androgen independent prostate
metastasis growth in vivo: Molecular combination therapy is paradigm for a cure
Kenneth S. Koeneman, MD, Dougherty Endowed Chair in Urologic Oncology, Director, Center for Prostate Cancer, Department. of Urology, University of Minnesota
For a complete schedule visit http://www.cancer.umn.edu/page/aboutus/cellbiol.html
CARCINOGENESIS AND CHEMOPREVENTION PROGRAM MEETING
Thursday, May 12, 2005, 4:15pm, 450 Ccrb
Genetics and Pancreatic Cancer: New Insights
Gloria M. Petersen, Ph.D., Professor of Epidemiology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine
For a complete schedule visit http://www.cancer.umn.edu/page/aboutus/carcinogen.html
TRANSDISCIPLINARY TOBACCO USE RESEARCH CENTER SEMINAR
Friday, May 13, 2005, 12 Noon, 450 CCRB
Tobacco Addiction: More Than Just Nicotine
Jed Rose, Ph.D., Director, Center for Nicotine and Smoking Cessation Research, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina
For a complete schedule visit http://www.cancer.umn.edu/page/aboutus/tturclec.html
Monday, May 16, 2005, 1:15-2:15 p.m., 450 CCRB
Toll-like Receptor Targeted Immunotherapy of Human B-cell Leukemias
Wei Chen, M.D., Ph.D. , Associate Professor, Pediatrics, Pediatric Hematology/Oncology and Blood and Marrow Transplantation, University of Minnesota
For a complete schedule visit http://www.cancer.umn.edu/page/aboutus/bmtlect.html
ENGEBRETSON SYMPOSIUM ON DRUG DISCOVERY AND DEVELOPMENT IN CANCER TO BE HELD JUNE 9
The 2005 Engebretson Symposium on Drug Discovery and Development In Cancer Experimental Therapeutics will be held on June 9, 2005. The symposium is free but advanced registration is required and space is limited. A registration form is available at http://www.cancer.umn.edu/page/docs/Eng_Reg.pdf . The agenda is also available for download at http://www.cancer.umn.edu/page/docs/Eng_Agenda.pdf .
MARSHALL FIELDS GLAMORAMA TO BENEFIT CHILDREN'S CANCER RESEARCH FUND
Friday, August 5, 2005, 7:30 p.m., Historic State Theatre
For ticket information contact Mary Schultze @ 6.2961 or schul032@umn.edu .
STEM CELL WORKSHOP TO BE HELD JULY 23
Cancer Center members will be among the presenters at the Stem Cell Workshop sponsored by the Society for Cryobiology, Biomedical Engineering Institute and Department of Mechanical Engineering
The goals of the workshop are to:
• Review the present understanding of stem cell biology, plasticity as well as clinical and preclinical applications of stem cells.
• Contrast and compare adult stem cells with hematopoietic and embryonic.
• Provide background on processing of stem cells for human therapeutic applications.
• Review the current understanding of stem cell preservation.
• Summarize the opportunities and challenges for stem cell-based therapies.
Information and registration materials can be found at http://www.me.umn.edu/events/cryo2005/stemcell.html .