Cancer Center Update

July 5, 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:

Today's Cancer Center Seminar

News

Events

Professional Education and Seminars

Grant Information & Announcements

Reminders

NEWS

Cancer Center announces recipients of Brainstorm and Translational Breast Cancer awards

Congratulations to the following Cancer Center members who are recipients of Brainstorm and Translational Breast Cancer Awards. The Masonic Cancer Center 's Internal Grants Program offers seed grants to members with the goal of fostering the development of novel research ideas that focus on a problem in cancer. In turn, the Masonic Cancer Center expects that internal funding will lead to nationally peer reviewed funding. This year's awardees, each receiving $25,000, are:

Brainstorm Awards

Kevin Mayo, Ph.D., Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, and Peter Dahlberg, M.D., Ph.D., Surgery — "Disruption of cap-dependent translation in cancer cells using eIF4G topomimetics"
Ameeta Kelekar, Ph.D., Lab Medicine and Pathology, and Kylie Walters, Ph.D., Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics — "Role of phosphorylation in regulating function and localization of the Bcl-2 family protein, Noxa"
Pamala Jacobson, Pharm.D., Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, and William Oetting, Ph.D., Medicine — "Pharmacogenetics of the immunosuppressant, mycophenolate mofetil, in cancer patients undergoing hematopoieticl cell transplantation"
Reuben Harris, Ph.D., Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, and David Largaespada, Ph.D., Genetics, Cell Biology, and Development — "Uncontrolled L1 retrotranspotion and carcinogenesis"
Robert Fecik, Ph.D., Medicinal Chemistry, and Rory Remmel, Ph.D., College of Pharmacy — "Estrogenic regulators for the chemoprevention of prostate cancer"
John Ohlfest, Ph.D., Neurosurgery and Wei Chen, M.D., Ph.D., Pediatrics — "Immunotherapy for targeted killing of brain tumor stem cells"

Translational Breast Cancer Research Awards

Jeffrey Simon, Ph.D., Genetics, Cell Biology, and Development, and Carol Lange , Ph.D., Medicine — "Role of EZH2 Histone Methyltransverase in breast cancer"
Susanta K. Hui, Ph.D., Therapeutic Radiology — "A feasibility study of novel 41Ca marker to assess bone loss for breast cancer patients treated with aromatase inhibitor"
Shunan Li, Ph.D., Medicine — "Translational control of breast cancer genesis"

Celebrate the contributions of Cancer Center member Doretta Stark as she retires

Congratulations to Cancer Center member Doretta Stark who will be retiring in July. Stark joined the University of Minnesota Hospital and Clinic Social Work Department in 1976. Since then she has served as a social worker in areas related to cancer and end of life care, most recently as clinical manager in the Social Work Department and clinical social worker of the Palliative Care Consult Service at the University of Minnesota Medical Center . The Social Work Department will host a reception in her honor Wednesday, July 12, 2006, 2-4 p.m., at the Bridges cafeteria upper level on the eighth floor of the University campus hospital.

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.

Submit a nomination on-line.

EVENTS

Special BMT Conference

Monday, July 17, 2006, 1:15 p.m., 450 CCRB

Chronic GVHD in children: Risk factors, evolving therapies, assessment tools

David A. Jacobsohn, M.D., Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Northwestern University School of Medicine, Stem Cell Transplant Program, Children's Memorial Hospital

Dr. Jacobsohn is a Pediatric BMT clinical scholar candidate.

Sponsored by K. Scott Baker, M.D., Associate Professor, Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplantation Program

Cancer Center Special Seminar

July 25, 2006, 12-1 p.m., 450 CCRB

Genomic Approaches to hematologic malignancies

Benjamin Ebert, M.D., Ph.D., Instructor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Dana Farber Cancer Institute

Dr. Ebert is a Hematology, Oncology and Transplantation Division faculty candidate.

GRANT INFORMATION AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy 2006 Young Investigator Award

Deadline: September 13, 2006

The Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy (ACGT) currently is accepting grant applications the 2006 Young Investigator Award. The overall objectives of this grant are to advance gene therapy into the causes, treatment and prevention of all types of cancer by promoting development of novel and innovative studies by young investigators. The emphasis of this initiative is to promote basic, and pre-clinical research approaches utilizing cells and genes as medicine. ACGT will direct its grants into areas of gene therapy research that have demonstrated great promise. The six main areas of research ACGT will support are:

Tumor-Specific Replicating Viruses and Bacteria
Anti-angiogenesis
Immune-mediated Gene Therapy and Cancer Vaccines
Oncogenes/Suppressor Oncogenes/Apoptosis
Tumor Targeting and Vector Development
Other Cancer Gene Therapy Research

Awards will be up to $500,000 allocated over three years (inclusive of 10% indirect costs). Candidates for a Young Investigator Award must hold an MD, MPH, PhD, or equivalent degree, and be a tenure track assistant professor within five years of their initial appointment to this rank at the time of award activation. The investigator must be conducting original research as an independent faculty member with dedicated laboratory space from the department chair. ACGT has no citizenship restrictions, and research supported by the award must be conducted at medical schools and research centers located in the United States .

A request for applications, describing research objectives, application procedures, review considerations and award criteria can be found at the ACGT Web site at http://www.acgtfoundation.org. Go to ACGT Updates on the right of the home page, click "Request for Applications 2006 Young Investigator Award Research Grant," which will bring you to the RFA with information for access to proposalCENTRAL where you will register and login for the application with instructions. For additional information, please contact Margaret C. Cianci, Executive Director, or Grace Pedersen, Foundation Administrator ACGT, 96 Cummings Point Road , Stamford , CT 06902; e-mail mgpedersen@acgtfoundation.org.

Friends for an Earlier Breast Cancer Test Medical Research Grant

Applications are requested for pilot projects that focus on new methods to improve detection of early breast cancer. Proposals should represent a new approach to the area of interest. Application deadline is December 1, 2006.

http://www.earlier.org/research.aspx

NIH Grant Announcements

Community Clinical Oncology Program (U10)
Application Receipt Date(s): August 28, 2006

Minority-Based Community Clinical Oncology Program (U10)
Application Receipt Date(s): August 28, 2006

REMINDERS

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.