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.

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In This Issue

Today's Cancer Center Seminar

News

Education and Events

Cancer Center Program Meetings

Grant Information and Announcements

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Today's Cancer Center Seminar

No seminar scheduled due to AACR meeting.

A peek at next week's seminar:
Tuesday, April 24, 2007, 12-1 p.m., 450 CCRB
Targeting the plasticity of metastatic tumor cells
Mary J.C. Hendrix, Ph.D., President and Scientific Director, Medical Research Institute Council Professor, Children's Memorial Research Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Host: Jim McCarthy, Ph.D.

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

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News

Cancer Center members and staff welcome Yee and thank Kersey at reception

About 150 Cancer Center members, staff, and supporters gathered in 450 CCRB on April 12 to welcome Douglas Yee, M.D., to his new position as Cancer Center director, and to recognize John Kersey, M.D., for his leadership as the Cancer Center's founding director. In his first speech as director, Yee emphasized the need for members and staff to work together to translate more basic and population sciences research into clinical trials, patient care, and prevention strategies. Kersey thanked colleagues and called the Cancer Center staff "an incredible group of people." Speakers at the program also included Community Advisory Board Chair Barbara Forster and Senior Vice President for Health Sciences Frank Cerra, M.D. Cerra expressed his thanks to the search committee and thanked Yee for stepping forward to take the Cancer Center to the next phase of its development. Cerra called the Cancer Center "an asset to everybody. That's a bow you should all take." He closed the program with an encouragement to Yee to call on his colleagues throughout the University for help in reaching the Cancer Center's goals.

Members in news

Research conducted in the laboratory of Shana Sturla, Ph.D., member of the Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention Program, was highlighted in a Chemistry World article titled "Chemical probe seeks out DNA damage." The article describes a novel method of detecting DNA damage that was discovered in the Sturla lab. The article quotes Henry Scowcroft of Cancer Research UK, who said, "Research like this adds to the scientist's armoury in the quest to beat cancer." Chemistry World is the news magazine of the Royal Society of Chemistry. Visit the Web site to read the full article.

Levi Downs, M.D., member of the Translational Research Program, wrote an article about the cervical cancer vaccine that appeared in the April 2007 issue of Minnesota Healthcare News.

Spring Cancer U: Ask the Experts series begins

Approximately 80 people came to the first session in the spring series of Cancer U programs April 12. The program was held at the Radisson University Hotel in Minneapolis and featured Kenneth Koeneman, M.D., urologic surgeon and director of the Center for Prostate Cancer. Koeneman gave a presentation and answered questions about prostate cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment. For information about the series and to register, visit the Web site.

Fertility and relationship issues addressed at second annual cancer survivor conference

More than 150 childhood cancer survivors and their family members attended "Survivorship Series: A Focus on Fertility" April 14 at the McNamara Alumni Center on the U of M campus. The free educational conference addressed fertility and relationship issues after completion of treatment for childhood cancer. Cancer Center member Dan Mulrooney, M.D., who directs the Long-Term Follow-Up Clinic, organized the conference and served as moderator. Cancer Center members participating in the conference included Scott Baker, M.D., whose presentation addressed childhood cancer and pregnancy; and John Kersey, M.D., who gave the welcome. The conference was a collaboration of University of Minnesota Physicians; University of Minnesota Cancer Center; University of Minnesota Children's Hospital, Fairview; University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview; Fairview Foundation; Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota; Children's Cancer Research Fund; and the National Children's Cancer Society.

New positions available at the Cancer Center

Several staff positions have recently become available at the Cancer Center. Visit the Employment Opportunities section of the Cancer Center Web site for more information.

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Education and Events

Cancer Biology Journal Club

Wednesday, April 18, 2007, 12-1 p.m., 5-122 MCB
Tucker LeBien, Ph.D., will discuss the paper by Mullighan CG, et al., "Genome-wide analysis of genetic alterations in acute lymphoblastic leukaemia." Nature 446, 2007;758-764.

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).

Cancer U: Ask the Experts: Cancer Risk Reduction Strategies

6-8 p.m., Thursday, April 19, Maple Grove Community Center
9-11 a.m., Saturday, April 21, Radisson University Hotel
The speakers and presentations at this week's Cancer U are Tim Church, Ph.D., "Understanding the Decrease in Cancer Deaths"; Mary Jarvis Ahrens, M.S., "Familial Cancer Risk"; and Rahel Ghebre, M.D., "Human Papilloma Virus, Cervical Cancer and the Cervical Cancer Vaccine." For more information and to register, visit the Web site

Distinguished Visiting Scholar Series in Health Disparities lecture

Wednesday, May 9, 2007, 12-1 p.m., 2-530 Moos Tower.
Recruitment and retention of minorities into clinical trials
Mona Fouad, M.D., M.P.H., Professor, Medicine/Division of Preventive Medicine; Director, Minority Health and Research Center, University of Alabama-Birmingham

Sandwiches and beverages will be provided for the first 50 attendees. Co-sponsored by the Program in Health Disparities Research in the Medical School, the AHC Office of Clinical Research, and the University of Minnesota Cancer Center.

Registration is open for Cancer Center Spring Poster Session and Symposium

Deadline: April 27, 2007
Online registration for the Eighth Annual Spring Poster Session and Symposium is now open. This event is sponsored by the 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 Web site, or contact Sabine Fritz, 4-7151, fritz017@umn.edu.

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Cancer Center Program Meetings

Cancer Epidemiology Interest Group

Friday, April 20, 2007, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., A110-Mayo
Osteosarcoma: Cancer at the crossroads of life
Logan G. Spector, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Division of Epidemiology/Clinical Research, Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota

Lunch is provided. To reserve a lunch, please RSVP to Logan Spector at spector@epi.umn.edu.

For a complete schedule visit the Web site.

Cancer Biology Research Club

Friday, April 20, 2007, 3:30-4:30 p.m., 450 CCRB
The life and times of ZEB-1, a transcription factor implicated in cancer progression
Michel Sanders, Ph.D, Professor, Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics

For a complete schedule visit the Web site.

BMT Conference

Monday, April 23, 2007, 1:15-2:15 p.m., 450 CCRB
Results of mycophenolate pharmacokinetic and busulfan pharmacogenetic studies
Pamala Jacobson, Pharm.D., Associate Professor, Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, University of Minnesota

For a complete schedule visit the Web site.

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Grant Information and Announcements

Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program
Deadlines: multiple deadlines

The Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program received $127.5 million in Congressional appropriations for 2007. There will be a total of nine program announcements. Seven programs are now ready to accept submissions for required pre-applications (such as Nominations, Letter of Intent, etc.)

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