Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota

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Masonic Cancer Center of the University of Minnesota

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Cancer Center Update

February 20, 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

News

Education and Events

Cancer Center Program Meetings

Grant Information and Announcements

Today's Cancer Center Seminar

Tuesday, February 20, 2007, 12-1 p.m., 450 CCRB
Licensed to cause chaos: Mcm4 and breast cancer
Naoko Shima, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, University of Minnesota

A peek at next week's seminar:
Tuesday, February 27, 2007, 12-1 p.m., 450 CCRB
Oncogenes and tumor supressors — the good, the bad and the downright ugly
Gerard Evan, Ph.D., FRS Gerson and Barbara Bass Bakar Distinguished Professor of Cancer Research, Cancer Research Institute and Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, UCSF Comprehensive Cancer Center

Host: Perry Hackett, Ph.D.

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

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News

Members in the news

Daniel Mulrooney, M.D., was quoted in January 2007 Clinical Cancer Letter article reporting on two studies presented at the American Society of Hematology annual meeting in December. Mulrooney's comments focused on his research on childhood cancer survival and the need for long-term follow-up to screen for late effects of cancer therapy. Mulrooney will also be featured along with a cancer survivor in a KSTP-TV news story scheduled to air on February 23.

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Cancer Center receives $50,000 grant from Hope Chest for Breast Cancer

The Masonic Cancer Center recently received a $50,000 grant from Twin Cities-based Hope Chest for Breast Cancer to provide financial assistance to underserved women diagnosed with breast cancer. The grant will be used to provide assistance with basic living expenses that lower-income women undergoing treatment for breast cancer may have difficulty handling, such as costs for groceries, utilities, rent, medications, and day care. Susan Pappas-Varco, R.N., coordinator for the breast cancer program at University of Minnesota Medical Center, will manage the financial assistance grant. More information.

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Simon receives Idea Development Award from Department of Defense-Army Breast Cancer Research Program

Jeffrey Simon, Ph.D., has received a new grant from the Department of Defense Congressionally-Directed Medical Research Program in Breast Cancer to investigate the mechanisms of cancer gene silencing in breast cancer. The study, "Histone methylation and epigenetic silencing in breast cancer," is funded for three years with an award total of $300,000. Carol Lange, Ph.D., member of the Masonic Cancer Center's Breast Cancer Program, is co-PI.

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Education and Events

Cancer Biology Journal Club

Wednesday, February 32, 2007, 12-1 p.m., 5-122 MCB
Wednesday, February 21, 2007, 12-1 p.m., 5-122 MCWynette Dietz, Pennell lab, will present the journal article "A perivascular niche for brain tumor stem cells," Calabrese C, et al., Cancer Cell 2007;11:69-82.

The Cancer Biology Journal Club is held every Wednesday. A complete schedule is available at the MICaB Web site. For more information contact: Sonja Johnson (john4368@umn.edu) or Rachel Bergerson (sapl0005@umn.edu).

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Pediatric Cancer and Blood Diseases Conference

Wednesday, February 21, 2007, 4 p.m., 450 CCRB
Metastatic Ependymoma
Kris Ann Schultz, M.D., Fellow, Pediatric Hem/Onc/BMT

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Special Seminar

Friday, February 23, 2007, 1 p.m-2 p.m., 5-125 Moos Tower
The molecular mechanism of antibody class switching in B cells
Ali A. Zarrin, Ph.D., Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Genetics Department, Children’s Hospital, Harvard University

Dr. Zarrin is a faculty candidate in Molecular Oncology, Department of Pediatrics. For further information, contact Arlys at 626-2961.

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Cancer and the Human Body exhibit

Saturday, February 24, 1-4 p.m., Science Museum of Minnesota, St. Paul
The Masonic Cancer Center's seventh annual Cancer and the Human Body event at the Science Museum of Minnesota will include hands-on exhibits where visitors of all ages can learn about cancer and the research being done to understand the disease. Visitors will learn how zebrafish help researchers understand angiogenesis; what normal cells look like compared to cancer cells; what cancer looks like in the body; and the importance of sun safety in preventing skin cancer. Read more.

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Stem Cell Conference

Monday, February 26, 2007, Coffman Memorial Union
"Creating Stem Cells by Research Cloning: Scientific, Ethical, Legal & Policy Challenges" will explore the issues raised by somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), the options open to universities, and how policy should progress. The conference is sponsored by the University's Consortium on Law and Values in Health, Environment & the Life Sciences, Joint Degree Program in Law, Health, & the Life Sciences, Academic Health Center, and Stem Cell Institute.

Visit the Life Science Consortium Web site or e-mail mlawvalue@umn.edu for more information and to register.

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Open house to celebrate new Cancer Center space and welcome faculty

Wednesday, March 14, 2-3:30 p.m., Moos Tower
Mark your calendar for an open house to celebrate our new Cancer Center space and welcome the faculty housed in Moos Tower. Coffee and cake will be served. More information to follow.

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University Forum on Research and Professional Ethics

Wednesday, March 21, 2007, 4 p.m.5:30 p.m., Walter F. Mondale Hall, Room 25
The OVPR announces a new periodic series, University Forum on Research and Professional Ethics. The inaugural event will be held March 21, 2007, and will feature a presentation by J. Michael Oakes, Ph.D. titled "From Leviathan to Peer Review: Social Science and IRBs." For more information, go to the OVPR Web site.

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This event has been designated by the Office of the Vice President for Research to satisfy the Awareness/Discussion component of the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) continuing education requirement. (See "Required Training in the Responsible Conduct of Research Awareness/Discussion" announcement below.)

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Cancer Center Program Meetings

Genetic Mechanisms of Cancer Program meting

Thursday, February 22, 2007, 4-5 p.m., 3-110 Moos Tower
Chemoprotection of mouse marrow transplant recipients by lentiviral transduction of dihydrofolate reductase
Jennifer Gori, Microbiology, Immunology and Cancer Biology Graduate Program, University of Minnesota

For a complete schedule visit the Web site.

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Cancer Biology Research Club

Friday, February 23, 2007, 450 CCRB
No meeting due to MICaB recruiting day. There is a poster session in the atrium of Nils Hasselmo Hall.

For a complete schedule visit the Web site.

BMT Conference

Monday, February 26, 2007, 1:15-2:15 p.m., 450 CCRB
Metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular risk factors in survivors after HCT
Scott Baker, M.D., Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Pediatric Hematology/Oncology and Blood and Marrow Transplantation

BMT Faculty candidate hosted by: Daniel Weisdorf, M.D

For a complete schedule visit the Web site.

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Grant Information and Announcements

Announcement

Required Training in the Responsible Conduct of Research Awareness/Discussion

To maintain awareness and promote ongoing discussion of responsible research, scholarship and professional ethics issues, faculty and PIs are encouraged to participate in "active learning" activities related to these topics, and to share this information with their colleagues and graduate students. The Responsible Conduct of Research Awareness/Discussion component of required training for Principal Investigators will be enforced beginning in early 2007 to allow enough time for faculty and PIs to build a training activity into their schedule.

To meet this part of the continuing education requirement, faculty and PIs are required to report these activities once every three years. To help faculty members remember to report these activities as continuing education, EGMS will remind PIs at the time of proposal submission.

The Office of the Vice-President for Research has a listing on awareness/discussion events on its Web site. Information on how to add awareness/discussion activity to your training record is available. Read more.

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NIH funding opportunities

Lung Cancer and Inflammation (R01)
(RFA-CA-07-046)
Application Receipt Date(s): April 23, 2007

This Funding Opportunity Announcement, issued by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), invites research project grant applications for studies elucidating the role of the microenvironment and inflammation in lung carcinogenesis, as well as studies on the influence of these factors on the cell of origin and putative lung tumor cells. The main objective of this FOA is to stimulate research on lung cancer with a specific emphasis on the mechanisms precipitated by inflammatory changes in the lung microenvironment that are related to carcinogenesis.

Diet Composition and Energy Balance (R01)
(PA-07-218)
Application Receipt Date(s): Multiple dates, see announcement.

The goal of this funding opportunity announcement is to invite R01 applications investigating the role of diet composition in energy balance, including studies in both animals and humans. Both short and longer-term studies are encouraged, ranging from basic studies investigating the impact of micro-or macronutrient composition on appetite, metabolism, and energy expenditure through clinical studies evaluating the efficacy of diets differing in micro- or macronutrient composition, absorption, dietary variety, or energy density for weight loss or weight maintenance.

Academic-Industrial Partnerships for Development and Validation of In Vivo Imaging Systems and Methods for Cancer Investigations (R01)
(PAR-07-214)
Application Receipt Date(s): Multiple dates, see announcement.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement issued by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) will utilize the R01 award mechanism to solicit applications from research partnerships formed by academic and industrial investigators to accelerate the translation of in vivo spectroscopic and imaging systems and methods into cancer research, clinical trials, and/or clinical practice. The partners on each application will establish an inter-disciplinary, multi-institutional research team for the purpose of advancing imaging technology development toward its application in human or animal studies.

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Other funding Opportunities

American Cancer Society Institutional Research Grant
Deadline: April 16, 2007

This grant is for assistant professors who have no independent national funding and are engaged in cancer-related research. Cancer-related research includes genetic mechanisms of cancer,.molecular mechanisms of cancer progression and metastasis, development of novel cancer therapeutic models and translational research, cancer immunology and immunotherapy. Funding is available up to $30,000. Applications may be obtained by calling 612-626-1926 or sending email to micek003@umn.edu.

Pancreatic Cancer Action Network Pilot Grant Awards program
Deadline: April 2, 2007, 7 p.m.

The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN) announces the launch of the Pilot Grant Awards program. The goal of the pilot grant program is to support innovative research in pancreatic cancer. This research may be basic, translational, or clinical in nature. Particular consideration will be given to projects that are innovative, non-duplicative of other efforts and have the potential for national application. Funding is limited to 1 year, $60,000 direct. For more information visit the PanCAN Web site.

Jeffrey Rosenzweig Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research, Inc.
 Deadline: May 15, 2007

These first year awards focus on the early detection of pancreatic cancer through identification of novel or pre-existing molecules either causally involved or associated with incipient adenocarcinoma of the pancreas through genomic, proteomic or clinical screening methodologies. The application is subject to a five page limit including abstract, introduction, materials/methods, data, discussion, and translation to the clinical arena. Figures, tables, and references are not included in the five page limit. Submit applications to Jeffrey Rosenzweig Foundation, c/o Rand Rosenzweig Radley & Gordon LLP, 12th Floor, 50 Main Street, White Plains, NY 10606. Questions may be emailed to jrpancan@yahoo.com.

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