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Cancer Center Update
August 29, 2006
In This Issue:
- Hecht inducted into AHC Academy for Excellence
- U's Hormel Institute head and Cancer Center member Zigang Dong named McKnight Presidential Professor in Cancer Prevention
- Bolan awarded grant to study use of MRS for monitoring chemo treatment response in metastatic liver cancer
- Mark your calendar to attend President's Cancer Panel meeting on September 11
- Cancer Center members in the news
- Stop by the Cancer Center booth at the State Fair
- Program on women's cancers a success
Grant Information and Announcements
- Functional Links between the Immune System, Brain Function and Behavior (R21)
- Institutional Clinical and Translational Science Award (U54)
- 3rd Annual Women's Health Research Conference
- 15th Annual University of Minnesota Symposium in Developmental Biology
- Current Issues in Clinical Research Conference to be held October 4-5 at the Minneapolis Convention Center
- Support Children's Cancer Research Fund by visiting the Water Park of America and save on admission
- Support the Children's Cancer Research Fund when you shop
- Children's Cancer Research Fund 2006 Dawn of a Dream Benefit - "Journey to the Ends of the Earth" - tickets are now on sale
News
Hecht inducted into AHC Academy for Excellence
Stephen Hecht, Ph.D., Wallin Chair of Cancer Prevention at the Cancer Center, leader of the Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention Program, and co-director of the Transdisciplinary Tobacco Use Research Center (TTURC), has been inducted into the Academy for Excellence in Health Research 2006. Dr. Hecht’s research focuses on tobacco carcinogens and cancer prevention. His research in risk assessment and chemoprevention has contributed greatly to the advancement of cancer research and treatment. For more information about Dr. Hecht and his research, see his profile at the Cancer Center Web site. The Academy for Excellence was established in 2003 to recognize the highest achievement of research within the University of Minnesota Academic Health Center. Congratulations to Dr. Hecht.
U's Hormel Institute head and Cancer Center member Zigang Dong named McKnight Presidential Professor in Cancer Prevention
Congratulations to Zigang Dong, Ph.D, Dr.Ph., who has been named the McKnight Presidential Professor in Cancer Prevention at the University of Minnesota. Dong is a professor of cellular and molecular biology and the executive director of the University's renowned Hormel Institute in Austin, Minn. He is also a member of the Cancer Center's Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention Program. Dong's research focuses on molecular mechanisms of cancer development and the actions of chemopreventive agents in cancer prevention. Read more about his work and the McKnight Presidential Professorships at the UMN News Web site.
Bolan awarded grant to study use of MRS for monitoring chemo treatment response in metastatic liver cancer
Patrick Bolan, Ph.D., assistant professor and researcher with the Department of Radiology's Center for Magnetic Resonance Research and the Cancer Center, has been awarded a Research Scholar Grant by the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) for 2006-2008. This two-year, $150,000 career development grant will support a project to develop and test methods for monitoring chemotherapy response in metastatic liver cancer using magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). Bolan was one of five radiology researchers in the United States to receive the award this year. RSNA is the professional society for radiology physicians and researchers throughout North America. To read more visit the Cancer Center web site.
Mark your calendar to attend President's Cancer Panel meeting on September 11
Karen Parker from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) visited the Cancer Center last Wednesday to finalize details for the President's Cancer Panel meeting on September 11. The all-day, fact-finding meeting will be hosted by the University of Minnesota Cancer Center in room 450 of the Cancer Center Research Building. This meeting is open to the public and you do not need to register to attend. The Panel will hear testimony from invited participants and the public on how obesity, physical activity, and nutrition impact cancer risk.
The Panel will explore both current research and existing knowledge gaps in these areas, as well as programs relevant to healthy lifestyles and cancer risk reduction.
Cancer Center member Robert Jeffery, Ph.D., who directs the University's Obesity Prevention Center, will be among a dozen experts from across the country invited to give testimony before the Panel. Cancer Center Director John Kersey, M.D., will give the welcome.
Visit the Cancer Center Web site to download the agenda for the meeting. Please share this information with your colleagues throughout the Cancer Center and University. Arrangements are being made to accommodate any attendance overflow.
LaSalle Leffall, Jr., M.D., professor of surgery at Howard University College of Medicine in Washington D.C., chairs the Panel. Other members attending include: Margaret Kripke, Ph.D., executive vice president and chief academic officer, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center; and Lance Armstrong, founder, Lance Armstrong Foundation. Also coming is Abby Sandler, Ph.D., from NCI and executive secretary for the Panel. For more information about the Panel, vist the NCI Web site.
Cancer Center members in the news
Linda Burns, M.D., was quoted in the Delaware News about her recently published study on high-dose therapy and allogeneic stem cell transplant can produce long-term survival in mantle cell lymphoma.
Dorothy Hatsukami, Ph.D., wrote an article in Minnesota Health Care News about nicotine vaccine research to help people stop the use of cigarettes. She also was interviewed last week by the Chicago Tribune for an article on nicotine vaccine.
Stop by the Cancer Center booth at the State Fair
Cancer Center faculty, staff, and friends will be at the Minnesota State Fair from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Thursday, August 31, to provide information about cancer. The Cancer Center booth, located in the University of Minnesota Building on Dan Patch Avenue, will be staffed by Sharon Donnelly, Gina Kennedy, Carrie McCann, Betsy Ralston, Katie Mellskog, Anne Michelle Bakritzes, Ruth Bachman, Tony Safo, Justin Seningen, and Sandra Rivera, who is the Cancer Center's events coordinator and arranged for the activities and staff. Visitors to the booth will be able to see cancer tissue samples, take a cancer quiz, and learn about the Center for Prostate Cancer.
Program on women's cancers a success
More than 40 women attended a Cancer U program on how cancer affects women of color and what they can do to reduce their risks. The program was held August 19 at the Center for Families in North Minneapolis. Physicians presenting information included Rahel Ghebre, M.D., gynecological cancer; Levi Downs, M.D., cervical cancer; Doug Yee, M.D., breast cancer; and Sharon Dykes, M.D., colorectal cancer. Marva Bohen, outreach director, coordinated the program. More information, including presentations and photos from the event, are available at the Cancer Center Web site.
Grant Information and Announcements
Functional Links between the Immune System, Brain Function and Behavior (R21)
Institutional Clinical and Translational Science Award (U54)
Reminders
3rd Annual Women's Health Research Conference
The 3rd Annual Women's Health Research Conference's focus this year is "Hot Topics in Women's Health." The conference will include a poster session on research related to gender specific research and women's health. The conference is free and lunch is provided with pre-registration. Conference information, registration and abstract submissions can be found online at the Deborah E. Powell Center for Women's Health Web site.
15th Annual University of Minnesota Symposium in Developmental Biology
Gene networks in development: Lessons from C. elegans and beyond
September 26-27, 2006, Coffman Memorial Union, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis Campus.
Information about poster submissions, registration, and program can be found at the Developmental Biology Center Web site.
Current Issues in Clinical Research Conference to be held October 4-5 at the Minneapolis Convention Center
The University of Minnesota Academic Health Center and Mayo Clinical Trial Services are jointly sponsoring a major conference on clinical research. "Current Issues in Clinical Research: Latest Trends in Clinical Research" will take place October 4-5, 2006 at the Minneapolis Convention Center. This conference will focus on emerging trends and provide a comprehensive review of clinical research performance. The program will include information on evolving strategies of pharmacovigilance, current issues in genomics and proteomics, principles of good clinical practice, and the mechanics of teamwork in clinical research. An outstanding, nationally prominent faculty has been assembled. This program is designed for clinical research professionals, including principal investigators, study coordinators, nurses, and other research personnel involved in managing and coordinating clinical research.
The regular registration fee for this conference is $550, which includes tuition, comprehensive conference syllabus, continental breakfasts, lunches, and break refreshments. University of Minnesota faculty, research staff, and AHC students and trainees may attend for the highly discounted registration fee of $25. Please indicate that you are from the U of M when you register. More information and the registration form.
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 1. Each visitor using the coupon available online will also help generate 50 cents for Children's Cancer Research Fund, benefiting childhood cancer research at the University of Minnesota, and WAMSO, benefiting the Minnesota Orchestra.
Support the Children's Cancer Research Fund when you shop
Just shop online at your favorite stores, or explore the many other affiliates available, and a percentage of each purchase will be donated to the Children's Cancer Research Fund. Start shopping at the Children's Cancer Research Fund "Shop CCRF" Web site.
Children's Cancer Research Fund 2006 Dawn of a Dream Benefit - "Journey to the Ends of the Earth" - tickets are now on sale
In 1980, after losing their daughter to leukemia, Diana and Norm Hageboeck and their friends organized the first Dawn of a Dream benefit concert, raising $50,000. Today, Dawn of a Dream is one of the largest gala events in the Twin Cities. This year's event, on Saturday, November 4, 2006 will feature a few surprises along with the traditional silent and live auctions, dinner, and live entertainment by Los Lobos. Don't miss your chance to attend the event and support Children's Cancer Research Fund! For more information and to reserve your Journey to the Ends of the Earth tickets now visit the Children's Cancer Research Fund Web site.