Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota

 

Cancer Center Update is sent to Cancer Center members and staff every Tuesday at 10 a.m. Please submit items to Sandi Sherman, sherm019@umn.edu, by noon the previous Friday.

In This Issue

Today's Cancer Center Seminar

News

Events

Professional Education and Events

Grant Information and Announcements

NIH Notices

NIH Grant Announcements

Reminders

Today's Cancer Center Seminar

GI cancer chemoprevention: Separating the wheat from the chaff
Paul J. Limburg, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Medicine, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic Cancer Center

Host: Stephen Hecht, Ph.D.

A peek at next week's seminar:
There is no seminar next week due to the holiday break. The next seminar is as follows:
Tuesday, January 9, 2007
Think outside the (homeo)box, the root of ALL Evi1 lies in the stem
Ashish Kumar, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology, Oncology, Blood and Marrow Transplantation, University of Minnesota

For a complete schedule visit the Masonic Cancer Center Web site Seminar Series listing.

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News

Smoke Free Minnesota Day at the Capitol set for January 30

Many health organizations and businesses from throughout Minnesota are working together to make 2007 the year the Minnesota Legislature passes a statewide smoking ban. Tuesday, Jan. 30, has been designated Smoke Free Minnesota Day at the Capitol to kick off this campaign. People from throughout Minnesota will converge on the Capitol to meet with their legislators and staff to advocate for a statewide smoking ban. School of Public Health Dean John Finnegan, Ph.D., is leading the Academic Health Center's efforts to register faculty and students to participate. Several Cancer Center members are involved in briefing legislative staff and media about tobacco and smoking issues as part of this effort. To learn more about Smoke Free Minnesota Day, visit www.smokefreeminnesota.com. Those who can participate are encouraged to register by early January. For more information and to register visit the School of Public Health Web site.

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Members in the news

Daniel Mulrooney, M.D., was quoted in a number of media reports about the study he led on "Twenty years of follow-up among survivors of childhood and young adult acute myeloid leukemia (AML)" and presented at the annual ASH meeting last week. Some of the media reports included Science Daily, MedPage Daily, Atlanta Journal Constitution; The Ledger, Lakeland, Fla.; Forbes; American-Statesman, Austin, Tex.; Washington Post; WCCO Radio; WebMD, and TV reports in New York, Pennsylvania, Arizona, North Carolina, and Indiana.

Mulrooney is also profiled in the December issue of Accelerate, the monthly newsletter of the Academic Health Center's Office of Clinical Research. He is a scholar in CAPS, Career Advancement Program for Clinical Research Scholars, an NIH-funded K12 program which provides support for 75% protected time for research. The newsletter reports that Mulrooney "hopes to study and increase understanding of the effects of cancer therapy on the vascular system, thus leading to improved preventive measures and early intervention for these patients."

Dorothy Hatsukami, Ph.D., was quoted in various news reports about her study on compensatory smoking (Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, December issue), including United Press International, Science Daily, Cancer Research UK, and Medical Breakthroughs. She also was quoted in a Minnesota Daily article about a new chewing tobacco product.

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New program manager for Cancer Center's Clinical Trials Office

Welcome to Charleen Pagel Jue, who will join the Masonic Cancer Center on January 2, 2007 as the Program Manager for the Masonic Cancer Center's Clinical Trials Office. Pagel Jue has been involved in clinical trials for 15 years. In her most recent position she was the Senior Director of Clinical Operations, Clinical Development with MGI Pharma.

Cancer Center seminar room has updated equipment

The equipment in the Masonic Cancer Center seminar room in 450 has recently been updated. There are now two new LCD projectors with new controls built into the podium. State-of-the-art video/audio equipment also now makes it possible to video conference with a remote site. It is also possible to use Breeze to have live Web meetings, or for recording audio, video, and presentation content. Training sessions are in the works and will be announced once the dates are finalized. Contact Josh Fehrmann (jaf@umn.edu)for any additional information.

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New Members

Edgar A. Arriaga, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry
Program area of interest: Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention
Area of scientific interest: Subcellular localization of anti-cancer agents and its relevance to mechanism of action, cytotoxicity and drug resistance, with particular emphasis on topoisomerase inhibitors.

Sarah A. Cooley, M.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology, Oncology and Transplantation
Program area of interest: Transplant Biology and Therapy
Clinical focus: Hematologic malignancies, breast cancer
Area of scientific interest: The role of NK cells and other immunotherapies in the treatment of hematologic malignancies and breast cancer.

Keli L. Hippen, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology, Oncology and Transplantation Program areas of interest: Transplant Biology and Therapy, Immunology Area of scientific interest: Understanding the mechanisms that control human regulatory T-cell proliferation and function in order to utilize them at the time of bone marrow transplantation to prevent or reduce the development of Graft Versus Host Disease, a frequent and severe complication of bone marrow transplants.

Kathryn L. Schwertfeger, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathology
Program area of interest: Cancer Progression and Metastasis
Area of scientific interest: Interactions between breast cancer cells and infiltrating macrophages and how these interactions promote breast cancer initiation and progression.

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Events

Population Sciences faculty town meeting

Thursday, January 18, 2007, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., 450 CCRB

The purpose of the first Population Sciences faculty town meeting is to foster collaborations among individuals and provide updates on Cancer Center activities. The agenda will include an update from Cancer Center Administration, Clinical Sciences, and Basic Sciences and Core Facilities. In addition, Steve Hecht, Ph.D., Dorothy Hatsukami, Ph.D., and DeAnn Lazovich, Ph.D., will provide updates on the Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention and Prevention and Etiology Programs. Parking tickets will be validated and lunch will be provided at the beginning of the meeting. For more information contact Ginny Oie at 612-626-2902.

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American Cancer Society to host conference on health care disparities April 18-20, 2007

In 2005, the American Cancer Society hosted a seminal conference exploring models and interventions to eliminate cancer disparities among the underserved populations in this nation. It proved to be an unprecedented platform for thoughtful discussion and resolution toward addressing the situation.

The next such conference will take place April 18-20, 2007 in New Orleans at the New Orleans Marriott. Again, the conference will engage researchers (health, psychosocial and policy), physicians, nurses, social workers, public health leaders, community groups, advocates, policy makers, and individuals concerned with the disproportionate impact of cancer in their communities. Community-based organizations and their constituents are especially encouraged to attend to share their local knowledge, expertise and barriers to services in their communities.

Conference and hotel registration is open from December 18, 2006 to March 16, 2007. For more information visit the American Cancer Society Web site.

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Cancer Association of Psychosocial Oncology conference May 9-11, 2007

The Canadian Association of Psychosocial Oncology (CAPO) invites clinicians, researchers, educators, advocates and volunteers to participate in its 22nd annual conference in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The theme of the conference is communication, collaboration and creativity. For more information visit the CAPO web site.

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Professional Education and Seminars

Genetic Mechanisms of Cancer Program meeting


Thursday, December 21, 2006, 4-5 p.m., 3-110 Moos Tower
Targeting aberrant translational control in lung cancer
Robert Kratzke, M.D., Associate Professor, Department of Medicine

For a complete schedule visit the Web site.

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Grant Information and Announcements

NIH notices

NIH Fiscal Policy for Grant Awards—FY 2007

NIH grant opportunities

Early Clinical Trials of New Anti-Cancer Agents with Phase 1 Emphasis (U01)
 Application Receipt Date: March 26, 2007

Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards for Individual Predoctoral Fellowships (F31) to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research

Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards (NRSA) for Individual Postdoctoral Fellows (F32)

Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards (NRSA) for Individual Senior Fellows (F33)

Testing Tobacco Products Promoted to Reduce Harm (R01)

Diet, Epigenetic Events, and Cancer Prevention (R01)

Studies of Energy Balance and Cancer in Humans (R01)

Correlative Studies with Specimens from Multi-Site Trials (R01)

In Utero Exposure to Bioactive Food Components and Mammary Cancer Risk (R01)

Protein Biomarkers of Infection-Associated Cancers (R01)

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Reminders

Holiday ornaments benefit Children's Cancer Research Fund

This year, Children's Cancer Research Fund (CCRF) ornaments are available in Target stores and online. Ten percent of the purchase price will be contributed to CCRF. To order online visit www.target.com.

Barnes and Noble Holiday Book Drive to benefit Care Partners at University of Minnesota Amplatz Children's Hospital

The Barnes and Noble stores in Burnsville, Apple Valley, Maplewood, and downtown Minneapolis have chosen the Care Partners Book Cart program as the recipient of their Holiday Book Drive. Customers will be encouraged to purchase books to be donated to the program in which volunteers wheel a cart stocked with new books to the pediatric units every week. Each child is given a book to keep, which the volunteer offers to read aloud. The Care Partners program is funded in part by the Children's Cancer Research Fund, and provides its services at University of Minnesota Amplatz Children's Hospital. For more information visit the Web site.

Help in the fight against childhood cancer with Children's Cancer Research Fund note cards

Mary Schultze is taking orders for the Butterfly note cards (12/pkg @ $15/pkg) to benefit the Children's Cancer Research Fund. There are four different butterflies, each one designed by a child currently undergoing cancer treatment. Mary can be reached at schul032@umn.edu, 612-626-2961.

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 www.shopccrf.com.

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