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Researchers and Staff
December 2 , 2008
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
Funding News and Opportunities
Today'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
Host: Mindy Kurzer, Ph.D.
A peek at next week's seminar:
There is no seminar on December 9 due to the American Society for Hematology annual meeting.
For a complete schedule, visit the Web site.
News
Members in the news
John Ohlfest, Ph.D., Genetic Mechanisms of Cancer and Tumor Biology and Progression programs, and Liz Pluhar, D.V.M., Ph.D., Masonic Cancer Center and College of Veterinary Medicine, were featured in a follow-up news report on KARE-11 TV about Batman, the dog who underwent brain cancer surgery and an experimental vaccine therapy in August,. The story also was featured on NBC affiliate News2 in Charleston, S.C. This brain tumor research is a collaborative effort between the Masonic Cancer Center, College of Veterinary Medicine, and the Medical School. Funding from the Children's Cancer Research Fund is making much of this brain tumor research possible.
Dorothy Hatsukami, Ph.D., associate director of population sciences and director of The Center for Tobacco Research, was quoted about public health concerns surrounding smokeless tobacco products being marketed by tobacco companies on the Boston Globe Web site. An article was originally published by the Associated Press.
Advances quotes cancer researchers
The cover story of School of Public Health's quarterly publication, Advances, focuses on cancer prevention and policy and quotes several Masonic Cancer Center members who have appointments in the School of Public Health. Members quoted include Timothy Church, Ph.D., Karen Kunz, Sc.D., Jian-Min Yuan, M.D., Ph.D., Kristin Anderson, Ph.D., DeAnn Lazovich, Ph.D., Beth Virnig, Ph.D., Lisa Peterson, Ph.D., Betsy Wattenberg, Ph.D., Chap Le, Ph.D., and Xianghua Luo, Ph.D.
Inaugural Shared Resources seminar a success
Over 50 people attended the first Masonic Cancer Center Shared Resources seminar, "Manipulating the Mouse Genome: A new gene targeting service in the Mouse Genetics Laboratory," given by Mouse Genetics Laboratory Shared Resource co-directors David Largaespada, Ph.D., and Anindya Bagchi, Ph.D.; and Laura Green Bendzick, staff scientist. View a recording of the seminar. The next seminar will take place on Monday, January 5, 2009, featuring the Comparative Pathology Shared Resource. For a complete schedule, visit the Web site.
More cancer researchers to speak at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) annual meeting
The following Masonic Cancer Center members and staff are scheduled to give oral or poster presentations at the ASH annual meeting:
Oral presentations:
- Katherine Hill, Kaufman lab: In vitro and in vivo characterization of human embryonic stem cell- derived CD34+ cells that function as pericytes with endothelial cell and smooth muscle cell potential
- Xinghui Tian, Ph.D., Kaufman lab: Human embryonic stem cell-Derived CD34+ cells preferentially develop into endothelial cells when transplanted into neonatal immunodeficient mice
Poster presentations:
- Claudio Brunstein, M.D., Ph.D.: Favorable leukemia-free survival (LFS) for adults and children undergoing myeloablative umbilical cord blood (UCB) transplantation with cyclophosphamide (CY), fludarabine (FLU) and total body irradiation (TBI): A single center analysis of 194 patients
- Robert Godal, Miller lab: Blocking inhibitory KIR is insufficient for optimal killing of AML and ALL targets: additional requirements for NKG2A and LIR-1 blockade
- Xueqing Liang, M.D., Ph.D.: Toll-like receptor-7 agonist directly inhibits the growth and induces apoptosis of MLL-AF9 leukemia cells
- Margaret MacMillan, M.D.: Alternate donor HCT for Fanconi Anemia (FA): Results of a total body irradiation (TBI) dose de-escalation study
- Jakub Tolar, M.D., Ph.D.: Mesenchymal stem cells ameliorate murine progeria phenotype
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. For a complete list of presenters, visit the Web site.
Education and Events
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
C.S. Yang, Ph.D., the John L. Colazzi Chair in Pharmacy and chair of the Department of Chemical Biology at Rutgers University
Cancer Biology Journal Club
Wednesday, December 3, 2008, 12-1 p.m., 14 LHI/KE
Jen Carlson, MBCD&G graduate student, McCarthy lab, will discuss "5'-triphosphate-siRNA: turning gene silencing and Rig-I activation against melanoma," by Poeck et al., Nature Medicine 2008;14:1256-126.
The Cancer Biology Journal Club is held every Wednesday. For more information contact Sonja Johnson (john4368@umn.edu) or Rachel Bergerson (sapl0005@umn.edu).
Support Sarcoma Research at the 'U'
Wednesday, December 10 and Thursday, December 11, 2008, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., 2nd floor, Phillips-Wangensteen Building
Volunteers from Rein in Sarcoma will be in the hall across from the Outside-Inn Cafè selling merchandise to benefit Sarcoma Cancer Research at the University of Minnesota. All merchandise is donated so that 100 percent of the proceeds go to research.
Retirement Reception for Mimi Yu
Friday, December 12, 2008, 3-4:30 p.m. (brief program at 3:30), 450 MCRB
Please join the Masonic Cancer Center members and staff at a reception to thank Mimi Yu for her contributions and to wish her well as she retires from the University.
Program Meetings
Immunology Program Seminar
Wednesday, December 3, 2008, 1:30-2:30 p.m., 6-101 NHH
The role of Stat5 and early B cell differentiation factors in acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Lynn Harris, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Associate, Farrar Lab
For a complete schedule, visit the Web site.
Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention Program Seminar
Thursday, December 4, 2008, 4:15 p.m., 450 MCRB
Probing DNA damage with synthetic nucleosides: A work in progress
Shana Sturla, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Medicinal Chemistry
For a complete schedule, visit the Web site.
BMT Program Conference
No conference due to ASH meeting.
For a complete schedule, visit the Web site.
Women's Cancer Interest Group Seminar
Tuesday, December 9, 2008, 10-11 a.m., 450 MCRB
Johanna Ecklund, graduate student, Schwertfeger lab
CXCL1 promotes inflammatory-driven mammary tumorigenesis
For a complete schedule, visit the Web site.
Funding News and Opportunities
No funding opportunities were submitted this week.
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.