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Researchers and Staff
Cancer Center Update
June 20, 2006
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
Cancer Center members participate in PBS program A Lion in the House
Anne Mertens, Ph.D., and Dan Mulrooney, M.D., will be featured in a local segment of a national PBS program about childhood cancer, A Lion in the House. This independently produced documentary follows the cancer journeys of five young people, their families, and professional caregivers over a six-year period. It describes their struggles and triumphs, and raises some complex questions and issues.
The national airing of A Lion in the House will be 8-10 p.m., June 21 and 22 on Twin Cities Public Television (TPT) Channel 2, repeating 7-9 p.m., June 26 and 27 on TPT Channel 17. The local segment, "A Lion in the House: Minnesotans Connect,” will air 9-9:30 p.m., June 26 on TPT Channel 17. Dr. Mulrooney will be one of five panel members taking questions from the audience and providing a local perspective on childhood cancer. He will address questions about cancer survivorship and the importance of long-term follow-up. The audience will include families of survivors and members of the planning committee that coordinated the local segment. Dr. Mertens is on the planning committee and will be in the audience.
For more information about this documentary, visit http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/lioninthehouse/index.htm
Seeking Recognition Award Nominations
We are currently accepting nominations for the Masonic Cancer Center 's recognition award honoring outstanding contributors in Population Sciences. Cancer Prevention & Etiology, Carcinogenesis & Chemoprevention and Biostatistics 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.
EVENTS
Special Seminar
Thursday, June 22, 2006, 11 a.m., 450 CCRB
Methylation-Associated Gene Silencing is a Gradual Process
Mitch Turker, Ph.D., Senior Scientist, Center for Research on Occupational and Environmental Toxicology and Professor, Molecular and Medical Genetics
Oregon Health and Science University , Portland , Oregon
Sponsored by Dean Deborah Powell, Medical School
Fourth Annual International Conference on Transposon and Animal Biotechnology, June 22-23, 2006
The Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center for Transposon Research will host the Fourth Annual International Conference on Transposition and Animal Biotechnology June 22-23, 2006 at the McNamara Alumni Center on the University of Minnesota 's Minneapolis campus. The goal of the conference is to serve as a key forum for information exchange and development of transposon tools for genetic applications from functional genomics to molecular medicine. Topics to be discussed include basic transposon biology, transposon applications in an array of model organisms from fish to mammals large and small, somatic cell usage from gene trapping to gene therapy, and novel approaches implementing nanotechnological tools for delivering and detecting transposon-based gene transfer.
The deadline to register for the conference is Friday, June 16. More information including registration details can be found at the Beckman Center's Web site.
Children's Cancer Research Fund 4th Annual Time to Fly Walk/Run June 24
Help win the race against childhood cancer by participating in the Time to Fly Walk/Run on Harriet Island . The fourth annual event benefiting Children's Cancer Research Fund features something for everyone: competitive runners, recreational runners and walkers, and kids of all ages. Events include a 5K walk, 10K and 5K runs, and 1K and 2K Kids' Fun Runs. Both the 10K and 5K events are certified courses. Proceeds support childhood cancer research at the University of Minnesota .
Visit the Children's Cancer Research Fund web site to learn more about the event and how you can help support Children's Cancer Research Fund as part of the new Team Challenge.
GRANT INFORMATION AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
SPA reports lessons from the June 1 NIH/Grants.gov deadline
The June 1 NIH grant application deadline was the first major deadline using Grants.gov. Sponsored Projects Administration (SPA) received 155 proposals for June 1 deadlines (125 were NIH proposals, of which 33 were submitted through Grants.gov). Of the Grants.gov proposals, 29 were submitted by the 24-hour SPA deadline (May 31), and four were submitted late (June 1—less than eight hours for SPA to process).
Twelve of the Grants.gov proposals were returned by the NIH eRA Commons with errors. Two applications were revised twice and one had six revisions. Because of the time needed to resubmit these proposals, the final submissions missed the deadline.
For all Grants.gov applications, principal investigators (PIs) and SPA must fix errors before the deadline or the funding agency may reject the proposal. (SPA cannot fix all errors, and PIs must be available during the review process as errors arise.) For information about common electronic submission errors, go to http://www.ospa.umn.edu/GrantGov/June1deadline.html .
Electronic submission errors take SPA staff time away from processing other proposals. As SPA and federal agencies get acclimated to the new system, SPA urges PIs to submit proposals to SPA as early as possible, to ensure adequate time to review all grant applications.
NIH ANNOUNCEMENTS
Alliance of Glycobiologists for Detection of Cancer and Cancer Risk (U01)
Development of Advanced Genomic Characterization Technologies (R21)
The NCI Transition Career Development Award (K22)
Small Grants for Behavioral Research in Cancer Control (R03)
Support Children's Cancer Research Fund by visiting the Water Park of America and save on admission
Anyone using a Water Park of America Coupon will save $2 on admission per guest to the park through September 1st. Each visitor using the coupon available online (pdf) will also help generate $0.50 for Children's Cancer Research Fund, benefiting childhood cancer research at the University of Minnesota , and WAMSO, benefiting the Minnesota Orchestra.