Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota

University of Minnesota Masonic Cancer Center Logo

Masonic Cancer Center of the 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

Education and Events

Cancer Center Program Meetings

Grant Information and Announcements

Today's Cancer Center Seminar

Tuesday, April 10, 2007, 12-1 p.m., 450 CCRB
Inflammation, humoral immunity and epithelial cancer development
Lisa Coussens, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Cancer Research Institute and Anatomic Pathology, University of California-San Francisco, Co-Director, Mouse Pathology Core Facility, UCSF Comprehensive Cancer Center

Host: Jim McCarthy, Ph.D.

A peek at next week's seminar:
Tuesday, April 17, 2007

No seminar scheduled due to AACR meeting.

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

Back to top

News

Members in news

Douglas Yee, M.D., Cancer Center director, talked about clinical trials on the April 3 Jack Rice Show on WCCO Radio. Yee discussed how new drugs go into clinical trials, how people get access to trials, and what types of people generally seek out new or experimental treatments.

Jakob Tolar, M.D., Ph.D., member of the Transplant Biology and Therapy Program, was interviewed by Reuters Health following the publication of a paper in the journal Bone Marrow Transplantation that reported the use of an antioxidant agent to improve the outcome after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for advanced cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy.

Back to top

Kudos

Congratulations to Timothy Starr, Ph.D., postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of David Largaespada, Ph.D., on being selected as one of three researchers to receive a lung cancer fellowship from the American Cancer Society and LUNGevity Foundation. The three were selected because their research represents novel approaches that may help improve the understanding of how lung cancer develops and could lead to more effective treatments. Starr's research involves the use of the Sleeping Beauty transposon to identify lung cancer genes.

Back to top

Cancer Summit extends deadline for abstract submissions to April 13

The Cancer Summit encourages researchers to submit posters/displays for presentation at the upcoming Cancer Summit on May 8, 2007. The Summit is the annual meeting of the state's cancer community. Posters that address an objective or strategy for reducing the state's cancer burden as outlined in Cancer Plan Minnesota are being sought. The deadline has been extended to April 13. For information about submission procedures and Cancer Plan objectives and strategies, go to the Minnesota Cancer Alliance Web site.

The Masonic Cancer Center will pay the Cancer Summit registration fee for members and staff. Visit the Masonic Cancer Center Web site for more details.

Back to top

Registration is open for Cancer Center Spring Poster Session and Symposium April 2

Online registration for the Eighth Annual Spring Poster Session and Symposium is now open with a final deadline of April 27, 2007. This event is sponsored by the Masonic Cancer Center Core Facilities and will be held Wednesday, May 16, 2007, 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Students, staff, postdocs and PIs are invited to participate by presenting a poster. The research presented in the poster must include the use of a Cancer Center Cores facility.

For more information, visit the Masonic Cancer Center Web site, or contact Sabine Fritz at 4-7151, fritz017@umn.edu.

Back to top

Education and Events

Cancer Biology Journal Club

Wednesday, April 11, 2007, 12-1 p.m., 5-122 MCB
Catherine St. Hill, D.V.M., Ph.D. will discuss Gout S, et al., "Death Receptor-3, a New E-Selectin Counter-Receptor that Confers Migration and Survival Advantages to Colon Carcinoma Cells by Triggering p38 and ERK MAPK Activation," Cancer Res. 2006;66:9117-9124.

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).

Back to top

Agilent training session

Wednesday, April 11, 2007, 2-4 p.m., 450 CCRB
Considerations for optimizing your GC and GC/MS analyses
Daron Decker and Fred Feyerherm, Chrom Tech, Inc.
This seminar describes, with practical examples, how one goes about setting up a GC/MS analysis method that gives optimized and faster chromatographic results. The presentation will include how to decide on injection and optimization techniques and tips for the MSD. Common problems, their causes, and diagnostic tests for troubleshooting will be presented.

Refreshments will be provided.

Back to top

Reception for Dr. Yee and Dr. Kersey

Thursday, April 12, 2007, 10:30 a.m.-noon (program at 10:45), 450 CCRB
All Cancer Center faculty and staff are invited to a reception to welcome Douglas Yee, M.D., to his new position as director of our Cancer Center, and to recognize Dr. Kersey for his 15 years of service as the founding director. Refreshments and light foods will be served. Visit the Web site to read the news release about Dr. Yee's appointment.

Back to top

Cancer U: Prostate Cancer -- Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment

Thursday, April 12, 2007, 6-8 p.m., Radisson University Hotel, 615 Washington St. SE, Minneapolis
Kenneth Koeneman, M.D., urologic surgeon and director of the Center for Prostate Cancer at the University of Minnesota, will give a presentation and answer questions about prostate cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment. The program is free, but seating is limited. Learn more and pre-register.

Back to top

Transdisciplinary Tobacco Use Research Course

Friday, April 13, 2007, 1:15 p.m.-2:15 p.m., 450 CCRB
Translating concepts and methods of smoking cessation and reduction into animal models
Mark LeSage, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Minneapolis Medical Research Foundation, University of Minnesota

For a complete schedule visit the Web site.

Back to top

Survivorship Series: 'A Focus on Fertility'

Saturday, April 14, 2007, 8 a.m.-2 p.m., McNamara Alumni Center, University of Minnesota, 200 Oak Street S.E., Minneapolis, Minnesota
In this free educational conference on childhood cancer survivorship, learn about fertility and relationships after cancer from experts in the long-term effects of cancer therapy. Learn more and register.

Back to top

Stick it to Cancer Hockey Tournament and Belgian Waffle Breakfast

Friday April 20—Sunday, April 22, 2007
The Stick it to Cancer Hockey Tournament for women's and girls' hockey teams raises funds to support breast cancer research. Organized by women and girls, this three-day tournament at the Schwan Super Rink in Blaine features more than 72 teams. Come and join them as they skate in support of family and friends whose lives are touched by breast cancer. For more information visit the Masonic Cancer Center Web site.

Back to top

Public Health Roundtable

Friday, April 27, 2007, 8:30 a.m.-noon, Cowles Auditorium, Humphrey Institute
This roundtable brings outstanding external speakers together with Minnesota colleagues and is the formal launch event for the Program in Tobacco and Human Rights at the University of Minnesota. The objectives of the roundtable include: Understanding the impact of the tobacco-related burden of disease on the developing world; exploring the emergence of human rights framings regarding international tobacco control; understanding the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control; and considering the degree of application of human rights framings and challenges to this application.

Back to top

Cancer Center Program Meetings

Cancer Progression and Metastasis Program seminar

Wednesday, April 11, 2007, 12-1 p.m., 450 CCRB
Bisphosphonate-associated osteonecrosis of jaw: What we know and don't know
Raj Gopalakrishnan, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Division of Oral Pathology, Department of Diagnostic and Biological Sciences, University of Minnesota School of Dentistry

For a complete schedule visit the Web site.

Back to top

Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention Program meeting

Thursday, April 12, 2007, 12-2 p.m., 450 CCRB
"AACR Dress Rehearsal Poster Session"

Lunch is provided.

For a complete schedule visit the Web site.

Back to top

Transdisciplinary Tobacco Use Research Center lecture

Friday, April 13, 2007, 12-1 p.m., 450 CCRB
Tobacco use patterns in the Minneapolis-St. Paul Urban Indian Community
Jean Forster, Ph.D., M.P.H., School of Public Health, University of Minnesota For the American Indian Community Tobacco Project Steering Council

For a complete schedule visit the Web site.

Back to top

Cancer Biology Research Club

Friday, April 13,2007, 3:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m., 450 CCRB
Tracking the endogenous CD4+ T cell memory response
Marion Pepper-Pew, Ph.D., Jenkins lab

For a complete schedule visit the Web site.

Back to top

BMT Conference

Monday, April 16, 2007, 1:15-2:15 p.m., 450 CCRB
Transposon-mediated T-cell therapy for leukemia: from bench to bedside
Xianzheng Zhou, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplantation, University of Minnesota

For a complete schedule visit the Web site.

Back to top

Grant Information and Announcements

AIDS International Training and Research Program (D43)

Application Receipt Date(s): multiple
The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to invite applications from eligible institutions for innovative, collaborative research training programs that would contribute to the long-term goal of building sustainable research capacity in HIV-related conditions at institutions in low- and middle-income countries.

NIH Director's New Innovator Award

Deadline: May 22
New investigators who have not yet obtained an NIH R01 or similar grant are eligible to apply for the NIH Director's New Innovator Award. Researchers must hold an independent research position at a domestic institution and have received their most recent doctoral degree or completed their medical internship and residency in 1997 or later. The application period opens on April 25 and closes on May 22.

Back to top

American Cancer Society Institutional Research Grant

Deadline: April 16, 2007
Amount: Up to $30,000
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. Applications may be obtained by contacting LeAnn Micek, 612-626-1926, micek003@umn.edu.

Back to top