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Researchers and Staff
March 18 , 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 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.
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
Visit the Cancer Center Seminar Series calendar for a complete schedule of lectures.
News
Danny Thompson Memorial Golf Tournament donates $365,000 for leukemia research
University of Minnesota leaders including President Robert Bruininks accepted a $365,000 donation for leukemia research March 11 from the Danny Thompson Memorial Golf Tournament. Representatives from the U of M and the golf tournament met at a luncheon in the University's McNamara Alumni Center to discuss the donation and ways to increase corporate sponsorship for the annual golf tournament held in Sun Valley, Idaho. The donation will go to the Leukemia Research Fund, which distributes funds to faculty researchers who use the funding as seed money for leukemia research projects that have the potential for securing even larger grants from the federal government. Read more about the donation and the Leukemia Research Fund.
Members in the news
Cancer Center member Nancy Nachreiner, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, is featured in the Public Health Moment on the Web site of the School of Public Health, discussing her research on issues related to cancer survivors returning to work. Her study on returning to work is also featured in the winter issue of Advances, a School of Public Health publication.
Chris Moertel, M.D., Cancer Center member, was featured in a KSTP-TV news report about a 14-month-old boy who survived infant congenital glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer.
Patricia Judson, M.D., Women's Cancer Program member, was quoted in MedPage Today about study results presented at the Society of Gynecologic Oncology meeting showing that ovarian cancer patients taking statins at the time of surgical debulking had a significantly better progression-free and overall survival than other patients. The study was conducted by researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
Stephen Hecht, Ph.D., Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention Program leader, was quoted in an article in The Tehran Times about the dangers of parents smoking around their children.
Jakub Tolar, M.D., Ph.D., Transplant Biology and Therapy Program member, was quoted in a segment produced by Ivanhoe News Wire and aired on WECT-TV6 in North Carolina about research he conducted in order to cure a rare genetic skin disease epidermolysis bullosa.
Douglas Yee, M.D., Cancer Center director and co-leader of the Women's Cancer Program, and Tufia Haddad, M.D., Women's Cancer Program member, were quoted in a Reuters Health article about a presurgical trial of erlotinib (Tarceva) in patients with stage I to IIIA breast cancer that may predict which patients will respond to erlotinib treatment after tumor resection. The findings of the trial conducted by Vanderbilt University School of Medicine researchers were published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Yee and Haddad wrote an accompanying editorial. Read more.
Cancer Center members receive research funding
Robert Kratzke, M.D., Genetic Mechanisms of Cancer Program member, was among University of Minnesota researchers to receive funding in the most recent awards by the Minnesota Partnership for Biotechnology and Medical Genomics. Kratzke will collaborate with Stephen Russell, M.D., Ph.D., Mayo Clinic, to research virotherapy for mesothelioma. They will use the $867,114 grant to attempt to employ the adapted measles virus developed at Mayo as a means to target treatment for malignant mesothelioma, a deadly lung disease that has very poor survival rates.
Judith Berman, Ph.D., Genetic Mechanisms of Cancer Program, and Zhiguo Zhang, Ph.D., Mayo Clinic, received a $1.4 million grant to use high-throughput genomic screening to identify and use molecules to inhibit fungal infections, which can be fatal, especially in patients whose immune system is already weakened by another disease or condition. Scott McIvor, Ph.D., Genetic Mechanisms of Cancer Program, and Stephen Russell, M.D., Ph.D., Mayo Clinic, will use a $671,987 grant to develop a gene-delivery system for treating cardiomyopathy using Sleeping Beauty mediated transposition and in vivo selection.
Zigang Dong, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Hormel Institute in Austin and member of the Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention Program, has received a $1,698,750 grant from the National Institutes of Health for his study "The role of histone phosphorylation in arsenic-induced cell transformation and sk." The aim of the study is to facilitate the development of more effective agents with fewer side effects for chemoprevention against environmental carcinogens such as arsenic-induced cancer.
Presentations at AACR annual meeting
Several Cancer Center researchers will be presenting their research at the annual meeting of the American Association of Cancer Research April 12-16 in San Diego. If you or someone from your laboratory is giving an oral or poster presentation at AACR, and you have not been listed yet, please e-mail Sandi Sherman, sherm019@umn.edu, to be included on the list and in a future edition of Update.
Poster presentations:
Erica Langer, Ross lab, Preventions and Etiology Program, "Control response rates in an ongoing case-control study of adult myeloid leukemia in Minnesota"
Kim Robien, Woon-Puay Koh (National University of Singapore), Jian-Min Yuan, Renwei Wang, Mimi C. Yu, Prevention and Etiology Program, "Evidence supporting a direct role of smoking in hepatocellular carcinoma development: The Singapore Chinese Health Study"
Beverly Wuertz and Frank Ondrey, M.D., Ph.D., Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention Program, "PPAR gamma treatment promotes lipid accumulation, decreases cyclin D1, and reduces in vivo growth of adenoid cystic cancer"
Submitting a grant application? TPF can help
Are you planning to submit a grant application in which you will be needing tissues from the Tissue Procurement Facility (TPF)? Would you like to increase the likelihood of having your grant application funded? If so, the TPF would like to help you! TPF Director Amy Skubitz, Ph.D., will prepare a letter for you to include in your grant application. The letter will outline the various services provided by the TPF, the quantity of tissues already banked that will fit the needs of your specific research project, the cost of these services, and the frequency with which TPF procures the types of tissues that you will require. TPF will also help you to plan the budget for your grant. Contact Amy Skubitz at skubi002@umn.edu for more information. For more information about TPF services, visit the Web site.
Education and Events
Center for Drug Design Seminar
Wednesday, March 19, 2008, 10:30—11:30 a.m., 5-125 Moos Tower
Glycosyltransferase inhibitors
Suzanne Walker, Ph.D., Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University
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
No meeting due to Spring break.
The Cancer Biology Journal Club is held every Wednesday. For more information contact Sonja Johnson (john4368@umn.edu) or Rachel Bergerson (sapl0005@umn.edu).
2008 Center for Bioethics Seminar Series
Tuesday, March 25, 2008, 12:15-1:30 pm, 1-451 Moos Tower
Changing paradigms in research ethics: What's so different about predictive health studies?
Eric Meslin, Ph.D.,Director, Center for Bioethics; Associate Dean for Bioethics, Indiana University School of Medicine; Professor of Medicine, Medical & Molecular Genetics, and Philosophy
Pre-registration is preferred if you are attending for CME credit. Call 612-624-8478 to pre-register. Registration will also be available on site.
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.
Health Maintenance Organization Research Network-Cancer Research Network annual meeting
April 13-16, 2008, Hilton Hotel, Minneapolis
In 2007, the Cancer Center signed a memorandum of understanding with HealthPartners to formally explore research opportunities through the NCI-funded Cancer Research Network (CRN), of which HealthPartners is a member. The Prevention and Etiology Program has as one of its goals for the renewal period to enhance this relationship. Of particular relevance is a session planned for April 15 at 3:30 p.m., entitled "Best Practices in Community and Translational Research," which speaks directly to how to foster academic/HMO partnerships. View the program (PDF). For more information about the CRN, visit the web site (PDF). Contact DeAnn Lazovich, Ph.D., 612-626-9099, lazov001@umn.edu for any questions about the affiliation or the upcoming meeting.
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.
Important deadlines:
Today, March 18: Applications for a poster display or the Take-One Table (to provide a venue for distribution of your program materials) during the Cancer Connections Expo at the Cancer Summit are due. The application can be found at the Web site. If you have questions, please contact Shirley Henning at 952-858-8875 or 800-958-8875.March 21: MCA Spirit of Collaboration nominations are due. For the first time at the annual Cancer Summit, the Minnesota Cancer Alliance will be recognizing groups and individuals who deserve recognition for their contributions to the work of the Alliance. More than 20 Cancer Center faculty and staff have participated in Alliance committees, task forces, projects and other activities. The nomination form can be found at the Web site.
April 2: Deadline for early registration for the Cancer Summit. To have the Cancer Center pay for your registration, visit the Web site.
Cancer Center Program Meetings
Tumor Biology and Progression Program
Wednesday, March 19, 2008, 9:15-10:15 a.m., 2-650 Moos Tower
Genetic design of selectively targeted fusion proteins for treatment of carcinomas of the pancreas, breast, and colon
Daniel Vallera, Ph.D., Lion Scholar and Director, Section on Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, Department of Therapeutic Radiology, University of Minnesota Cancer Center
For a complete schedule, visit the Web site.
Cancer Epidemiology Interest Group
Thursday, March 20, 2008, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., A-110 Mayo
Epigenetic Epidemiology
Heather H. Nelson, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Division of Epidemiology and Community Health
Please RSVP to Logan Spector, spector@umn.edu by 4 p.m. on Tuesday, March 18, to reserve a lunch.
For a complete schedule, visit the Web site.
Cancer Biology Research Club
Friday, March 21, 2008
No meeting due to Spring break.
For a complete schedule, visit the Web site.
BMT Conference
(NOTE ROOM CHANGE)
Monday, March 24, 2008, 1:15-2:15 p.m., 2-520 Moos Tower
Chronic viral infections (HIV, HBV, HCV) in the setting of HCT
Marcie Tomblyn, M.D., M.S., Assistant Professor, HOT, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota
For a complete schedule, visit the Web site.
Women's Cancer Interest Group
Thursday, March 27, 2008, 10 a.m., 450 CCRB
Making the case for progesterone as a chemotherapeutic agent to treat ovarian cancer
Nate Charles, MICaB graduate student, Lange lab
Funding News and Opportunities
No items were submitted to Update this week.
Visit the Funding News & Opportunities Web page to see listings previously published in Update.
Employment Opportunities
Bioinformatics Consultant—Ph.D. (requisition number 154110)
The Biostatistics and Informatics Core is a shared resource of the Masonic Cancer Center, a comprehensive cancer center with eight research programs and a number of shared resources. The Biostatistics and Informatics Core supports a number of program projects and other NIH/NCI grants. We have openings for up to two positions that would provide bioinformatics support for various research projects in the Cancer Center, including grants and locally funded clinical studies. Interested individuals will apply to requisition number 154110 via the online Employment System. Please submit complete curriculum vitae, a brief statement of research interests, and contact information for three references.
caBIG Deployment Lead (requisition number 153577)
In conjunction with Cancer Center senior informatics, scientific, and administrative leaders, the caBIG Deployment Lead (cDL) of the Cancer Center works to provide a pathway to caBIG compatibility and gaining value for our Center by the use of caBIG resources. The cDL has a key role in integrating the biomedical informatics and database management resources and ongoing activities of the Masonic Cancer Center with caBIG resources and activities. Because of this unique position, the cDL will report to the Director of Biostatistics and Informatics Core as well as to the Masonic Cancer Center Director. Interested individuals will apply to requisition 153577 via the online Employment System. Please submit complete curriculum vitae, cover letter and letter of intent.
Clinical Research Associate II (Professional Non-Faculty, requisition 154166) working in the Clinical Trails Office.
For information about additional job opportunities visit the Masonic Cancer Center's employment Web page.