Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota

University of Minnesota Masonic Cancer Center Logo

Masonic Cancer Center of the University of Minnesota

Update is sent to Masonic Cancer Center members and staff every Tuesday morning. Please submit items to Sandi Sherman, sherm019@umn.edu, by noon the previous Friday.


In This Issue

 

Today's Seminar

News

Education and Events

Program Meetings

Funding News and Opportunities

Today's Seminar

Tuesday, November 25, 2008, 12-1 p.m., 450 MCRB
Nanotechnology for advanced diagnosis and therapy of cancer
Indrajit Roy, Ph.D., Deputy Director, Biophotonics Division, Institute for Lasers, Photonics and Biophotonics, Department of Chemistry, SUNY-Buffalo

Host: Jayanth Panyam, Ph.D.

A peek at next week's seminar:
Tuesday, December 2, 2008, 12-1 p.m., 450 MCRB
Cancer prevention by tea: Molecular mechanisms and human relevance
Chung S. Yang, Ph.D., Chair, Department of Chemical Biology, John L. Colaizzi Chair in Pharmacy, Susan Lehman Cullman Laboratory for Cancer Research, Rutgers University

Dr. Yang will give an another lecture December 2 on St. Paul campus, and will be available to meet with faculty and students. Please see the full announcement under Education and Events.

Host: Mindy Kurzer, Ph.D.

Back to top

News

Shared Resources promoted in new lecture series at Masonic Cancer Center
The first Cancer Center Shared Resources Seminar will be held Monday, December 1, 10-11 a.m., in 450 Masonic Cancer Research Building and will continue to be held at the same time and place the first Monday of every month.

The first seminar, "Manipulating the Mouse Genome: A new gene targeting service in the Mouse Genetics Laboratory," will be given by Mouse Genetics Laboratory Shared Resource co-directors David Largaespada, Ph.D., and Anindya Bagchi, Ph.D. For more information about the Cancer Center Shared Resources Seminar, contact Sabine Fritz, 612-624-7151, fritz017@umn.edu.

New on the Web: Comparative Pathology Shared Resource video
The Comparative Pathology Shared Resource at the Masonic Cancer Center is the subject of a new video that explains comparative pathology and how researchers can take advantage of the services and expertise the facility provides. Watch the video on the Comparative Pathology home page.

Member in the news

Dorothy Hatsukami, Ph.D., Masonic Cancer Center associate director of population sciences and director of the Tobacco Use Research Center, was quoted in an Associated Press article about public health officials' concerns about a new smokeless tobacco product being launched next year.

Cancer researchers to speak at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) annual meeting
The Masonic Cancer Center will be well-represented at the ASH annual meeting December 6-9 in San Francisco. The following Transplant Biology and Therapy Program members are scheduled to give oral presentations:

  • Ashish Kumar, M.D., Ph.D., "A MEIS1 Dependent Genetic Program in leukemia associated with cell cycle entry and 'stemness' " (selected Best of ASH); and "Evi1 promotes leukemogenesis by anti-apoptotic rather than differentiation-blocking effects in murine MLL-AF9 leukemia"
  • Brian McClune, D.O.: "Non-myeloablative hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in older patients with AML and MDS: Results from the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR)"
  • Sarah Cooley, M.D.: "Successful haploidentical hematopoietic cell engraftment using a non-myeloablative preparative regimen including natural killer (NK) cells"
  • Claudio Brunstein, M.S., Ph.D.: "Negative effect of KIR alloreactivity in recipients of umbilical cord blood transplantation depends on transplantation conditioning intensity"
  • Pamala Jacobson, PharmD: "Fludarabine exposure and treatment related mortality"
  • Jakub Tolar, M.D., Ph.D.: "Patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells in Hurler syndrome"
  • Bartosz Grzywacz, Ph.D.: "Identification of a myeloid pathway of NK cell development and a myeloid-NK cell precursor"
  • Marcie Tomblyn, M.D., M.S.: "Decreased infections in recipients of unrelated donor (URD) hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) from donors with an activating KIR B genotype (B/x)"
  • Frank Cichocki: "Antisense transcripts negatively regulate transcription of multiple variegated killer immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR) genes."

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.

New signs will be in place in MCRB by the end of next week
All of the new maroon interior signs are scheduled to be installed in the Masonic Cancer Research Building by the next of next week. These signs will include: the room identification sign outside the doors of conference rooms and offices (see example); the directory signs located off the visitor elevator on each floor; and the wall sign in the entry area on first floor. On the outside, a new maroon sign with the name Masonic Cancer Research Building in gold lettering will placed today (Tuesday, 11/25) on the brick wall above the window. Tomorrow or next week, the name "Masonic Cancer Research Building" will be shown on the exterior tower sign in front of MCRB at 425 East River Road.

Back to top

Education and Events

Cancer Biology Journal Club
Wednesday, November 25, 2008, 12-1 p.m., 14 LHI/KE

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

Prescription for Reform: Health Care Summit 2008
Tuesday, November 25, 2008, 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Mayo Auditorium
With a new administration in Washington, health care reform will be near the top of the agenda in 2009. U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar invites faculty and staff to attend this summit, which will focus on how to strengthen America's health care system so it delivers the best quality at the best price. Speakers include Senator Klobuchar and leaders in health care delivery and policy. The summit is free and lunch will be provided. Read more and RSVP.

C.S. Yang, expert on green tea and cancer prevention, to give 2 lectures at U of M December 2
C.S. Yang, Ph.D., the John L. Colazzi Chair in Pharmacy and chair of the Department of Chemical Biology at Rutgers University, will be at the University of Minnesota on December 2 to give two lectures. Dr. Yang is a world leader in the area of the mechanisms by which tea constituents inhibit carcinogenesis. The lectures he will present are:

  • Cancer prevention by tea: Molecular mechanisms and human relevance
    Tuesday, December 2, 2008, 12-1 p.m., 450 MCRB
  • Tea Polyphenols: Biotransformation and Biological Activities for Disease Prevention
    Tuesday, December 2, 3:30-4:30 p.m., Room 23, Food Science and Nutrition Building, St. Paul campus

Dr. Yang is available for dinner with faculty members on December 1 and 2; breakfast with graduate students on December 2; meetings with faculty at the Masonic Cancer Center on December 2, 9:30 a.m.-noon; and meetings with faculty in the Food Science and Nutrition building, 1:30-3:30 p.m. Please contact Mindy Kurzer, 612-624-9789, mkurzer@umn.edu, if you would like to meet with Dr. Yang.

Reminder: Register for the Molecular Targets for Cancer Prevention Symposium
February 4-5, 2009, NIH Natcher Conference Center, Bethesda, Maryland
The symposium, sponsored by the Center for Cancer Research and the Division of Cancer Prevention at the National Cancer Institute, will include discussion and debate on the state-of-the-science, recent advances, and opportunities for discovery using evidence from both preclinical and clinical studies. Interested investigators may register on the conference Web site.

Back to top

Program Meetings

BMT Program Conference
The BMT Program will hold practice sessions for ASH annual meeting presenters on the following dates:
Tuesday, November 25, 2008, 4-5:30 p.m., 450 MCRB

  • Non-myeloablative hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in older patients with AML and MDS: Results from the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR), Brian McClune, M.D.
  • Successful haploidentical hematopoietic cell engraftment using a non-myeloablative preparative regimen including natural killer (NK) cells, Sarah Cooley, M.D.
  • Negative effect of KIR alloreactivity in recipients of umbilical cord blood transplantation depends on transplantation conditioning intensity, Claudio Brunstein, M.D., Ph.D.
  • Fludarabine exposure and treatment related mortality, Pamala Jacobson, Pharm.D.

Monday, December 1, 2008, 1:15-2:15 p.m., 450 MCRB

  • Patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells in Hurler syndrome, Jakub Tolar, M.D., Ph.D.
  • Identification of a myeloid pathway of NK cell development and a myeloid-NK cell precursor, Bartosz Grzywacz, Ph.D.
  • Decreased infections in recipients of unrelated donor (URD) hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) from donors with an activating KIR B genotype (B/x), Marcie Tomblyn, M.D., M.S.
  • Antisense transcripts negatively regulate transcription of multiple variegated killer immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR) genes, Frank Cichocki

For a complete schedule, visit the Web site.

Cancer Outcomes and Survivorship Research Group Seminar
Monday, December 1, 2008, 12-1 p.m., Moos Tower 2-118
"An exercise intervention for cancer survivors"
Donald Dengel, Ph.D., School of Kinesiology, University of Minnesota

Please RSVP to drei0022@umn.edu by Wednesday, November 26, if you want lunch. Parking is available in Oak Street, East River Road, and Washington Avenue Ramps. Bring your parking slip to the meeting for validation.

Back to top

Funding News and Opportunities

Reminder and Clarification on NIH/AHRQ/CDC/FDA Transition to Adobe-based forms for SF424 Research and Related (R&R) Electronic Submissions through Grants.gov
(NOT-OD-09-020)
National Institutes of Health
To find out more about how this Grants.gov transition from PureEdge to Adobe forms will affect you and your upcoming NIH proposal, contact Aaron Schilz, Preaward Services Coordinator, Masonic Cancer Center, 612-624-0650, schil226@umn.edu.

2009 Neurofibromatosis Research Program (NFRP) funding opportunities
 FY09 NFRP Program Announcements for proposals in the following mechanisms are expected to be released in December 2008:

  1. Clinical Trial Award
  2. Exploration- Hypothesis Development Award
  3. Investigator-Initiated Research Award
  4. New Investigator Award
  5. Postdoctoral Traineeship Award

Tuberous Sclerosis Research Program (TSCRP) funding opportunities
FY09 TSCRP Program Announcements for the following mechanisms are expected to be released in December 2008:

  1. Career Transition Award
  2. Clinical and Translational Research Award
  3. Exploration-Hypothesis Development Award
  4. Idea Development Award

DOD Ovarian Cancer Consortium Development Award
Deadlines: Pre-application Letter of Intent: January 13, 2009; Proposal submission deadline: January 27, 2009

Other FY09 OCRP Funding Opportunities
The following OCRP Program Announcements are expected to be released in January 2009. The announcements will describe opportunities for funding by the following award mechanisms:

  1. Idea Development Award
  2. Translational Research Team Award
  3. Ovarian Academy Award

Please visit the Congressional Directed Medical Research Program Web site of the Department of Defense for more information.

Visit the Funding News & Opportunities Web page to see listings previously published in Update. Also, a list of organizations that provide funding for cancer research is provided on our Research Funding Resources page.

Back to top