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Researchers and Staff
March 11 , 2008
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
Cancer Center Program Meetings
Funding News and Opportunities
Today's Cancer Center Seminar
Tuesday, March 11, 2008, 12-1 p.m., 450 CCRB
Skin cancers: rising incidence rates, tanning lamps and sex steroids
Margaret Rita Karagas, Ph.D., Professor of Community and Family Medicine, Dartmouth Medical School
Host: Bernard Harlow, Ph.D.
A peek at next week's seminar:
Tuesday, March 18, 2008, 12-1 p.m., 450 CCRB
HMGB1 mediates endogenous TLR2 activation and brain tumor regression: implications for clinical trials
Maria G. Castro, Ph.D., Co-Director, Gene Therapeutics Research Institute, Cedars Sinai Medical Center, Professor of Medicine University of California, Los Angeles
Host: John Ohlfest, Ph.D.
Visit the Cancer Center Seminar Series calendar for a complete schedule of lectures.
News
Friday is the deadline for Cancer Center Internal Grant Programs
Applications have been requested for six internal grant opportunities through the 2008 Cancer Center Internal Grant Programs. The application process begins with a Statement of Intent due this Friday, March 14, 2008. This statement must be submitted electronically via the Masonic Cancer Center Internal Grants Web site. Please refer to this Web site for application submission details and program guidelines. The final applications are due April 18, 2008 by 4 p.m.
Members in the news
Douglas Yee, M.D., Cancer Center director, was featured in a news report by Fox/Channel 9 News about a Women's Health Initiative study that found women remain at risk for breast cancer three years after stopping hormone therapy. The study was published in last week's Journal of the American Medical Association.
David Rothenberger, M.D., Cancer Center associate director of clinical affairs, was quoted in a New York Times article about how abnormalities that are indicators of colon cancer are often overlooked. The story also ran in the San Jose Mercury News. Read the New York Times article.
Presentations at AACR annual meeting
The American Association of Cancer Research (AACR) annual meeting will be April 12-16 in San Diego. We would like Cancer Center members who have been selected to give presentations at this meeting to let us know so that this information can be listed in Update and on the Web site. Please e-mail the following information to Sandi Sherman, sherm019@umn.edu: Your name, name of your laboratory, name of your research program, title of your presentation/abstract, and whether the presentation is oral, poster, or an educational session.
NIH funded? Ready to publish? Here's what you need to know.
After April 7, the new NIH Public Access Policy will require you to submit any articles which arise from NIH Funding to NIH's PubMed Central, where they will be freely and permanently accessible to all so that they might better advance science and improve health. Before that, however, you'll need to make sure you don't sign away the necessary rights in the journal's author agreement. The University Libraries and the Sponsored Projects Administration are prepared to help. Questions about the policy can be sent to nihpublicaccess@umn.edu. They can help you ensure you have the necessary rights, guide you through the submission process, and help you understand how to cite your articles in future applications and progress reports. Visit the University Libraries Web site for more information .
New member
Amy Anne Donatelli Lassig, M.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Otolaryngology
Program areas of interest: Genetic Mechanisms of Cancer
Clinical focus: Head and neck cancer
Area of scientific interest: Outcomes research in head and neck cancer as well as genetic mechanisms of head and neck cancer, as the intersection of these studies will lead to individualized head and neck cancer cures in the future
Education and Events
Annual Safety Training
Tuesday, March 25, 9-10:30 a.m., 450 CCRB or Wednesday, March 26, 2-3:30 p.m., 450 CCRB
All Cancer Center laboratory personnel are required to attend annual safety training. Please attend one of the sessions listed above. Contact Sabine Fritz, fritz017@unn.edu, 624-7151 with questions.
Cancer Biology Journal Club
Wednesday, March 12, 2008, 12-1 p.m., 2-120 Moos Tower
Todd Knutson, MCDB&G graduate student in the Lange lab will discuss "Identification of CDK10 as an important determinant of resistance to endocrine therapy for breast cancer." Cancer Cell 2008;13:91-104.
The Cancer Biology Journal Club is held every Wednesday. For more information contact Sonja Johnson (john4368@umn.edu) or Rachel Bergerson (sapl0005@umn.edu).
Survivorship Series
March 15, 2008, 8 a.m.-3 p.m., McNamara Alumni Center, University of Minnesota
This free, educational conference will focus on questions and issues that survivors and their families may face after completion of treatment for cancer or following stem cell transplantation. Survivors, their families, and healthcare professionals will have the opportunity to learn more about medical late effects and issues such as physical function, nutrition, legal matters, work/school re-entry, loss, spirituality, and transitioning to life-long healthy living. Conference speakers from the University of Minnesota include Daniel Mulrooney, M.D., M.S.; Douglas Yee, M.D.; Joseph Neglia, M.D., M.P.H.; Navneet Majhail, M.D.; Kim Robien, R.D., Ph.D.; William Robiner, Ph.D., L.P.; Alicia Kunin-Batson, Ph.D., L.P.; Erin Holker, Ph.D., L.P.; Mary Jo Kreitzer, Ph.D., R.N.; and Bradley Benson, M.D. More information and registration.
Cancer U: Ask the Experts
March 20, April 3, and April 10, 2008
This free community education series will include sessions on prostate and breast cancer. "Prostate Cancer: What men need to know" will be offered March 20, 6-8 p.m., at Fairview Maple Grove Medical Center, and April 3, 6-8 p.m., at the Radisson University Hotel on the U of M's Minneapolis campus. Speakers Tony Makhlouf, M.D., Ph.D., (both programs) and Joe Lee, M.D., (Minneapolis program) will discuss research advances in the treatment of prostate cancer and managing sexual dysfunction after treatment. "Breast Cancer: What women should know" will be offered April 10, 6-8 p.m., at Fairview Maple Grove Medical Center. Milena Elimelakh, M.D., and Todd Tuttle, M.D., will discuss breast cancer treatment innovations. Attendance is free for each program, but seating is limited, so pre-registration is encouraged. Call 612-624-2620 or visit the Web site to learn more about the programs and to register online.
Cancer Center Spring Poster Session and Symposium
Thursday, May 15, 2008, 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Cancer Center Research Building
The Ninth Annual Spring Poster Session and Symposium sponsored by the Masonic Cancer Center Core Facilities will include oral presentations from 11 a.m. to noon followed by a poster session and lunch from noon to 1:30 p.m. Students, staff, post-docs 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.
Online registration will open on Monday, March 31, 2008 with a final deadline of April 25, 2008. For more information, call Sabine Fritz at 4-7151 or send an email to fritz017@umn.edu.
Cancer Summit 2008: Members in Motion
Tuesday, April 22, 2008, Earle Brown Heritage Center, Brooklyn Center
The Minnesota Cancer Alliance invites partners, members, and interested individuals to the fifth annual Cancer Summit. In her role as Minnesota Cancer Alliance chair for 2008, DeAnn Lazovich, M.P.H., Ph.D., Prevention and Etiology Program co-leader, will deliver the welcome and opening remarks at the conference. Keynote speaker Tina Gill, M.P.H., public health advisor for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, will discuss how to motivate members to move from a shared vision to collective action. The Summit also will feature a variety of working sessions and a cancer data update with the most recent cancer statistics for Minnesota. The Cancer Connections Expo during the Summit will showcase statewide organizations' dedication to reducing cancer in Minnesota by implementing objectives outlined in Cancer Plan Minnesota. For more information and registration instructions, visit the Masonic Cancer Center Web site. The Cancer Center will pay the Cancer Summit registration fee for members and staff.
Cancer Center Program Meetings
Cancer Biology Research Club
Friday, March 14, 2008, 3:30-4:30 p.m., 450 CCRB
The generation of CD4+ T cell memory
Marion Pepper Pew, Ph.D., Cancer Biology Training Grant postdoctoral fellow, Jenkins lab
For a complete schedule, visit the Web site.
BMT Conference
Monday, March 17, 2008, 1:15-2:15 p.m., 450 CCRB
Impact of race and ethnicity on the outcomes of hematopoietic cell transplantation
Scott Baker, M.D., M.S., Associate Professor, Pediatric H/O/BMT, Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota
For a complete schedule, visit the Web site.
Funding News and Opportunities
Cancer Center Internal Grants Program
University of Minnesota - Cancer Center
Statement of Intent due Friday, March 14, 2008 – must be submitted online
Application Receipt Date: Friday, April 18, 2008
Funding: Varies by program
Six internal grant programs are available through the Masonic Cancer Center. The goal of these programs is to foster the development of and provide support for novel research ideas that focus on a problem in cancer. In turn, the Masonic Cancer Center expects that internal funding will lead to nationally peer reviewed funding. The various internal grants programs are for Brainstorm, Cancer Population Sciences, Translational Breast Cancer Research, Translational Sarcoma Cancer Research, Transdisciplinary Tobacco Use Research Center (TTURC) and Leukemia Research. The Statement of Intent and details regarding each mechanism can be found on the Cancer Center Web site
The contact person at the Masonic Cancer Center is Aaron Schilz, Pre-Award Services Coordinator (schil226@umn.edu; 612-6243-0650).
FY08 Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Research Program (TSCRP)
Department of Defense
Concept Award
Application Receipt Date: Pre-Application - April 18, 2008; Application - May 9, 2008
Funding: $75,000 direct costs for 1 year
The Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Research Program (TSCRP) Concept Award supports (1) the exploration of an initial concept or theory that could give rise to a testable hypothesis, and/or (2) the development of novel preclinical tools needed to advance research in TSC. These tools may include, but are not limited to, animal models, antibodies, cell lines, assays, and reagents.
Idea Development Award
Application Receipt Date: Pre-Application - May 22, 2008; Application - June 12, 2008
Funding: $450,000 direct costs for up to 3 years
The Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Research Program (TSCRP) Idea Development Award supports innovative research aimed at understanding the pathogenesis of TSC and improving its diagnosis and treatment.
Clinical Research Award
Application Receipt Date: Pre-Application - May 22, 2008; Application - June 12, 2008
Funding: $300,000 direct costs for up to 3 years
The Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Research Program (TSCRP) Clinical Research Award supports TSC research projects performed by clinical researchers involved in the support of clinical care of individuals with TSC. Proposed research should have a direct link to TSC clinical outcomes.
Career Transition Award
Application Receipt Date: Pre-Application - May 22, 2008; Application - June 12, 2008
Funding: $338,000 direct costs for up to 4 years; this includes up to $69,000 per year, for up to two years, for each postdoctoral year in direct costs and up to $100,000 per year, for up to two years, for faculty-level position years in direct costs
The Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Research Program (TSCRP) Career Transition Award supports TSC researchers during the transition from postdoctoral training to an independent position. This award will cover up to two years of postdoctoral training followed by up to two years of a faculty-level position. For the purposes of this award, the postdoctoral candidate is considered the Principal Investigator (PI).
NIH Announcements:
Functional Links between the Immune System, Brain Function and Behavior
(PA-08-097) - R01
(PA-08-098) - R21
National Cancer Institute
Application Receipt Date: June 5, 2008 for R01; June 16, 2008 for R21
Funding: size and duration vary, but standard NIH modular rules apply.
This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), issued by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) solicits research grant applications to study neuroimmune molecules and mechanisms involved in regulating normal and pathological functions of the central nervous system (CNS).
Optimizing Technologies for the Preservation of Fertility (R21)
(PAR-08-105)
National Cancer Institute
Application Receipt Date: September 16, 2008
Funding: $275,000 for 2 years
The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) solicit Exploratory/Developmental (R21) grant applications that propose to develop or enhance technologies designed to increase the fertility preservation options for individuals who are or may become infertile secondary to chronic disease or disease treatment, exposure to environmental or occupational hazards, advanced reproductive age, or genetic predisposition.
Visit the Funding News & Opportunities Web page to see listings previously published in Update.
Employment Opportunities
Postdoctoral Fellow
A Postdoctoral Fellow position for a Ph.D. or M.D. is available immediately in the Division of Hematology, Oncology, Blood and Marrow Transplantation, Department of Pediatrics. Qualifications also include previous research training in immunology, cancer immunotherapy, and/or molecular biology, and excellence of research publications. The research projects are to investigate human dendritic cell subsets and their roles in regulating T cell-mediated anti-tumor immunity and immune tolerance. Please send a curriculum vitae and names of three references to Dr. Wei Chen, chenw@umn.edu.
For information about additional job opportunities visit the Masonic Cancer Center's employment Web page.