Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota

University of Minnesota Masonic Cancer Center Logo

Masonic Cancer Center of the University of Minnesota

Print this page. Mail this link to a friend.

Cancer Center Update

January 2, 2007

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 - no seminar today

News

Events

Professional Education and Events

Grant Information and Announcements

Today's Cancer Center Seminar

There is no Cancer Center Seminar scheduled for January 2, 2007.

A peek at next week's seminar:
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.

Back to top

News

Members in the news

Joel Slaton, M.D., was quoted in a Star Tribune article about testicular cancer.

Todd Tuttle, M.D., was featured in KARE-TV news reports about the drop in breast cancer rates.

Dorothy Hatsukami, Ph.D., was quoted about her recent study on compensatory smoking published in Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention in articles in U.S. News and World Report and Reuters Health.

Selwyn Vickers, M.D., chair of the Department of Surgery and Cancer Center member, is featured in the Minnesota Medical Foundation's Medical Bulletin. Read more.

Back to top

Researchers discover an inherited mutation in a DNA replication gene that may increase breast cancer risk

Naoko Shima, Ph.D., assistant professor and member of the Masonic Cancer Center's Genetic Mechanisms of Cancer Program, is first author on a paper published in the December 27, 2006 issue of Nature Genetics, reporting on the discovery that an inherited mutation in a DNA replication gene may increase breast cancer risk. Read more.

Back to top

U of M researchers report carcinogens from cigarette smoke found in toenails

Irina Stepanov, Ph.D., a research associate at the Masonic Cancer Center, led the research team on a study published in the December issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention reporting that a chemical derived from a cancer-causing agent in tobacco products can be found in the toenails of smokers as well as nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke. Stepanov sees using toenails as another method for determining the negative effects of secondhand smoke in nonsmokers. Read more.

Back to top

Ohlfest receives grant from NIH

John Ohlfest, Ph.D., member of the Masonic Cancer Center's Genetic Mechanisms of Cancer Program and an assistant professor in the Department of Neurosurgery, received a $159,000 Small Business Technology Transfer grant from the NIH and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke for his project entitled "Brain tumor stem cell-targeted gene therapy." Ohlfest explains, "Recently, it has been discovered that only a fraction of the bulk tumor mass is capable of tumor renewal, leading to disease progression and death. These so-called tumor-initiating cells, or brain tumor stem cells, are now a rational target for therapy including gene therapy. The goal of this grant is to only genetically modify these brain tumor stem cells with an immunostimulatory vector, so that the anti-tumor immune response that results is more specific for killing them."

Back to top

New service: weekly Histopathology Shared Resource consultations on Tuesdays

Starting January 2, Dr. Ilze Matise, veterinary pathologist for the Masonic Cancer Center's Histopathology Shared Resource, will be available for consultations and review of microscopic lesions and immunohistochemical stain results every Tuesday morning 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. in CCRB 654. No appointment is necessary; just stop by with your materials – slides, result tables and files, images, etc. A double-headed microscope will be available in Dr. Kersey’s lab for microscopic slide reviews.

Back to top

New Members

Eric Jensen, M.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology
Program area of interest: Translational Research
Clinical focus: Hepatobiliary and pancreatic cancer
Area of scientific interest: Hepatobiliary and pancreatic cancer surgery

Jennifer A. Linde, Ph.D.
 Assistant Professor, Division of Epidemiology and Community Health
Program area of interest: Prevention and Etiology
Area of scientific interest: Weight control behaviors and intervention development

David Potter, M.D., Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology, Oncology and Transplantation
Program area of interest: Breast Cancer Research
Clinical focus: breast cancer
Area of scientific interest: Understanding the role of cytochrome P450 epoxygenases and Hsp90 in breast cancer progression; the role of calpain proteases in cancer cell growth and cell death.

Mark T. Reding, M.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology, Oncology and Transplantation
Program area of interest: Immunology
Clinical focus: clinical focus: Hemostasis and thrombosis; Hematologic malignancies
Area of scientific interest: Immunologic aspects of gene therapy

Back to top

Downloading and/or sharing of copyrighted materials

Carol Carrier, vice-president for human resources and Steve Cawley, vice-president and chief information officer of the University of Minnesota, sent a message to University faculty and supervisory staff regarding University and federal policy on the use of copyrighted materials. Illegal downloading or sharing of copyrighted materials on University equipment is unacceptable and may be subject to disciplinary actions. The following resources are available to help faculty and staff understand the complexities of copyright law.

If you would like more information on this issue, including peer-to-peer (P2P) sharing, please visit the Office of Information Technology Web site.

Back to top

Events

School of Dentistry Special Clinical Grand Rounds

Thursday, January 4, 2007, 6-8 p.m., 2-470 PWB
Nelson Rhodus, D.M.D., M.P.H., Director of the Division of Oral Medicine, Diagnosis and Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, will focus his clinical case presentations on: 1) oral cancer—early detection and prevention, and 2) managing the dental patient with Sjögren’s Syndrome.

For more information and to register contact 612-625-1418 or 800-685-1418 or visit room 6-439 Moos HS Tower – registration forms are located outside the office in the reception area Registration is also available online.

Back to top

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.

Back to top

Professional Education and Seminars

Transdisciplinary Tobacco Use Research Center Lecture

Friday, January 5, 2007, 12-1 p.m., 450 CCRB
Networking for global tobacco reduction
Harry Lando, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Epidemiology. University of Minnesota

For a complete schedule visit the Web site.

TTURC Course

Friday, January 5, 2007, 1:15 p.m.-2:15 p.m., 450 CCRB
Combination pharmacotherapy for smoking cessation
Mark Mooney, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota

For a complete schedule visit the Web site.

BMT Conference

Monday, January 8, 2006, 1:15 p.m.-2:15 p.m., 450 CCRB
Non-myeloablative sibling donor transplants
Marcie Tomblyn, M.D., Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology and Transplantation, University of Minnesota

For a complete schedule visit the Web site.

Back to top

Grant Information and Announcements

NIH grant opportunities

Diet-Induced Changes in Inflammation as Determinants of Colon Cancer (R01)
 Stem Cells and Cancer (R01)
 Characterization, Behavior and Plasticity of Pluripotent Stem Cells (R01)
 Decision Making in Cancer: Single-Event Decisions (R01)
Research on the Economics of Diet, Activity, and Energy Balance (R01)
Exfoliated Cells, Bioactive Food Components, and Cancer (R01)
Cancer Surveillance Using Health Claims-Based Data (R01)
 Memory T Lymphocytes in Cancer Immunology (R01)
Immunoregulation of Gastrointestinal Carcinogenesis (R01)
Molecular Approaches to Diet and Pancreatic Cancer Prevention (R01)
 Etiology, Prevention, and Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma (R01)
Understanding the Effects of Emerging Cellular, Molecular, and Genomic Technologies on Cancer Health Care Delivery(R01)
Interactions Between Stem and Progenitor Cells and the Microenvironment in Vivo (R01)
Understanding and Preventing Brain Tumor Dispersal (R01)
Nanoscience and Nanotechnology in Biology and Medicine (R01)
 Nanoscience and Nanotechnology in Biology and Medicine (R21)

Back to top