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

Funding News and Opportunities

Employment Opportunities

 

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Today's Cancer Center Seminar

Tuesday, November 13, 2007, 12-1 p.m., 450 CCRB
SWI/SNF and the androgen axis: Implications for prostate cancer
Karen Knudsen, Ph.D., Associate Professor, University of Cincinnati Cancer Center

Host: Haojie Huang, Ph.D.

A peek at next week's seminar:
Tuesday, November 20, 2007, 12-1 p.m., 450 CCRB
Promoting cervical health on the Apsa'alooke reservation: A community-based participatory research project
Susanne Christopher, Ph.D., Professor, Community Health, Montana State University, Bozeman
and
Eleanor Pretty On Top, Board Member, Messengers for Health

Host: Jean Forster, Ph.D., M.P.H.

Visit the Cancer Center Seminar Series calendar for a complete schedule of lectures.

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News

Members in the news
Dorothy Hatsukami, Ph.D., co-leader of the Prevention and Etiology Program, was mentioned in an opinion column in the November 8 Rochester Post-Bulletin that discussed the recent National Conference on Tobacco or Health in Minneapolis. Read more.

Todd Tuttle, M.D., Breast Cancer Research Program member, was featured in news reports by the Minnesota News Network and KTTC-TV Rochester about his recent study showing that more women are choosing to undergo contralateral prophylactic mastectomy surgery when diagnosed with breast cancer in single breast.

Cancer Center member Tim Emory, M.D., will appear in a news report on the use of digital mammography for detection of breast cancer on KTTC-TV, Rochester, on November 15.

Selwyn Vickers, M.D., Cancer Center associate director for Translational Research and Chairman of the Department of Surgery, will appear along with Kristin Anderson, Ph.D., Prevention and Etiology Program member, to discuss pancreatic cancer on The Art Cunningham Show on Northwest Community Television's public access channel 19 November 28 at 8 p.m.

Cancer Center researchers to present at annual AACR Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research conference
Cancer Center members will present research at the American Association of Cancer Research Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research conference in Philadelphia, December 5-8. Stephen Hecht, Ph.D., leader of the Cancer Center's Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention Program, is one of the co-chairpersons of the scientific program committee that organized the conference. Hecht will lead the education session "Smokeless tobacco: A substitute for smoking?" He also will lead the "Carcinogens Cause Cancer: Recent Advances" session, in which he will present an overview of human and tobacco carcinogens. A list of other presenters is on the Web site.

Kudos
Selwyn Vickers, M.D., Cancer Center associate director for Translational Research and Jay Phillips Professor and chairman, Department of Surgery, was elected to the Board of Governors of the American College of Surgeons as a Specialty Society Governor from the Society of University Surgeons.

American Society for Hematology annual meeting in Atlanta
The American Society for Hematology (ASH) annual meeting will take place December 8-11, 2007 in Atlanta. As in past years, we anticipate participation by a number of Cancer Center members in the presentations and poster sessions. If you or someone from your laboratory is scheduled to give an oral or poster presentation at the ASH meeting, please e-mail Sandi Sherman, sherm019@umn.edu, with your name, title and/or lab affiliation, your presentation title, and the session to which you will be presenting.

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Education and Events

Center for Drug Design Seminar
Wednesday, November 14, 2007, 10:30-11:30 a.m., 2-530 Moos Tower
Of fire, bugs, and terrorists: The many faces of cyanide
Gerry Boss, M.D., Department of Medicine, University of California at San Diego

Cancer Biology Journal Club
Wednesday, November 14, 2007, 12-1 p.m. 2-120 Moos Tower
David Largaespada, Ph.D., will discuss "An elaborate pathway required for Ras-mediated epigenetic silencing," by Gazin et al., Nature 2007;449: 1073-7.

The Cancer Biology Journal Club is held every Wednesday. For more information contact Sonja Johnson (john4368@umn.edu) or Rachel Bergerson (sapl0005@umn.edu).

Special Seminar
Thursday, November 15, 2007, 2-3 p.m., 450 CCRB
Updates on the genetic and molecular epidemiology of colorectal cancer: Results from the Colon Cancer Family Registry
Jenny N. Poynter, Ph.D., postdoctoral fellow, Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Southern California

Dr. Poynter is a candidate for assistant/associate professor (tenure-track) in Pediatric Epidemiology and Clinical Research. For questions, contact Ginny Oie, 626-2902.

Institute for Therapeutics Discovery and Development Seminar Series
Friday, November 16, 2007, 3-4:30 p.m., 2-620 MoosTower
Probing chemical pathways for cancer therapy and prevention
Shana Sturla, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Medicinal Chemistry

Twin Cities Myeloma Foundation Jammin' for a Cause
Saturday, November 17, 2007, 6:30 p.m., music at 9:30 p.m., Champions Event and Banquet Facility, Elko Speedway (10 minutes south of Burnsville on I-35)
High and low stakes raffles, live auction, dinner by Famous Dave's, and Johnny Holm Band.
Tickets are $10 at the door.

All proceeds benefit Bank on a Cure, an International Myeloma Foundation research initiative led by co-chair Brian Van Ness, Ph.D., member of the Genetic Mechanisms of Cancer Program.

Cancer Center Staff and Faculty Recognition Program
Wednesday, November 28, 2007, 2 p.m., 450 CCRB
Cancer Center faculty and staff are invited to the quarterly Recognition Program. This event will focus on activities and research in Population Sciences. A recognition award will be presented to an individual or group for their outstanding contribution to the Cancer Center's mission. Refreshments will be served.

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Cancer Center Program Meetings

Cancer Epidemiology Interest Group
Friday, November 16, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., A-110 Mayo
Work and cancer, cancer and work
Nancy Nachreiner, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Division of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Minnesota

RSVP to Logan Spector at spect012@umn.edu by 4 p.m. on Wednesday, November 14, if you would like lunch and note if you require a vegetarian selection.

For a complete schedule, visit the Web site.

Cancer Biology Research Club
Friday, November 16, 2007, 3:30-4:30 p.m., 450 CCRB
Role of translational repressor 4E-BP in NNK induced lung carcinogenesis
Yong Y. Kim, graduate student, Bitterman lab

For a complete schedule, visit the Web site.

BMT Conference
Monday, November 19, 2007, 1:15-2:15 p.m., 450 CCRB
Diagnosis and management of chronic graft-versus-host disease
Paul J. Martin, M.D., Professor, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Clinical Research Division, University of Washington

Hosted by Bruce Blazar, M.D.

For a complete schedule, visit the Web site.

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Funding News and Opportunities

Predictive Multiscale Models of the Physiome in Health and Disease (R01)
(PAR-08-023)
National Cancer Institute
Application Receipt Date(s): Multiple dates, see announcement.
Funding: Variable depending on project scope—standard NIH rules apply (<$250,000/yr direct costs—modular)
The goal of this solicitation is to move the field of biomedical computational modeling forward through the development of more realistic and predictive models of health and disease. NIH recognizes the need for sophisticated, predictive, computational models of development and disease that encompass multiple biological scales. These models may be designed to uncover biological mechanisms or to make predictions about clinical outcome and may draw on a variety of data sources including relevant clinical data.

Other opportunities

Request for breast cancer detection pilot project applications
Friends for an Earlier Breast Cancer Test
Deadline: December 1, 2007
Applications are requested for pilot projects that focus on new methods to improve detection of early breast cancer with special interest in the development of new techniques in the areas of biological or immunologic methods of early detection. It is hoped that the pilot projects will provide preliminary data that leads to applications for more substantial peer-reviewed funding.
Applications are accepted form both established investigators who have funding but want to embark on a new area, as well as those less experienced.
Proposals should represent a new approach to the area of interest. Funds will not be given to enhance an ongoing area of research unless it is clear that a new line of inquiry is being explored. International proposals are welcome.

Visit the Funding News & Opportunities Web page to see listings previously published in Update.

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Employment Opportunities

Click on the requisition numbers for more information and application instructions available on the U of M Human Resources Web site.

Bioinformatics Consultant-M.S. (requisition number 151803) Please submit a complete curriculum vitae, a brief statement of research interests, and contact information for three references to Chap Le.

Bioinformatics Consultant-Ph.D. (requisition number 151804) Please submit a complete curriculum vitae, a brief statement of research interests, and contact information for three references to Chap Le.

Research Nurse Clinician (professional non-faculty, requisition number 151980) working under the supervision of Katie Mellskog.

Contract Coordinator (professional non-faculty, requisition number 151901) working in Cancer Center accounting.

Clerical/Administrative Support-Intermediate (professional non-faculty, requisition number 150635) working under the supervision of Laurel Fields.

Postdoctoral Associate (requisition number 151985) Submit curriculum vitae, letter of interest, and contact information for three references to the attention of Carol Lange.

For more information visit the Cancer Center Employment Web page.

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