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Researchers and Staff
August 4, 2009
Update will have a biweekly schedule during the summer. The next publication dates are August 18 and September 1. Please submit items to Gina Kennedy, kenne069@umn.edu, by noon Friday before each publication date.
In This Issue
Funding News and Opportunities
Director's Message
Masonic Cancer Center launches revamped clinical trials Web site
Dear Colleagues:
One of the primary reasons patients and caregivers, physicians and other healthcare providers visit our Masonic Cancer Center Web site is to find information about clinical trials. I’m pleased to say that they will now find more accurate and better organized information about the more than 250 open clinical trials offered by our cancer center.
Yesterday we launched an updated version of the Masonic Cancer Center’s clinical trials Web site, and I want you to be among the first to see it and try out its features: www.cancer.umn.edu/clinicaltrials.You will find that the clinical trials information has been significantly reformatted to allow for easier searching by patients and clinicians. The information about open clinical trials is fed live from OnCore, our clinical trials management system. To provide additional assistance to visitors of our Web site, the cancer center’s information line, staffed by Rita Bouley, R.N., and Marva Bohen, R.N., with our outreach and education office, is featured prominently on each of our clinical trials pages.
I encourage principal investigators to review their clinical trials and invite others to explore the site. A recent article in the New York Times stated that low accrual of adult patients to clinical trials is a major barrier to progress in cancer research. I hope this Web tool will help you find the best trial for your patient.
You can e-mail your comments and suggestions about our revamped site to cc-oncore-help@lists.umn.edu. Any corrections about clinical trial information will be made immediately. Other suggestions about format and features will be considered in the continuous quality improvement process being used to build and maintain this Web site.
I want to also note that in the spirit of collaboration and cooperation, and to ensure accuracy and consistency of information, our new clinical trials information will be available on the Web sites of University of Minnesota Medical Center, and University of Minnesota Physicians.
My congratulations and thanks to the clinical trials Web team, which has been working for nearly a year on bringing this much needed project to fruition. Sarah Cooley, M.D., leads this team and members include Cuong Nyugen, Josh Fehrmann, and Peter Fleck from information technology; Charleen Jue, Char Smith, and Matt Larson from clinical trials office; and Mary Lawson and Gina Kennedy from communications. Great job!
Douglas Yee, M.D.
Director
News
Hormel Institute research: The way you eat may affect your risk for breast cancer
The method by which calories are restricted may be more important for cancer protection than the actual overall degree of calorie restriction, according to research from The Hormel Institute published in the current issue of Cancer Prevention Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. "Understanding how calorie restriction provides protection against the development of mammary tumors should help us identify pathways that could be targeted for chemoprevention studies," said Margot P. Cleary, Ph.D., professor at The Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota, and member of the Masonic Cancer Center’s Chemoprevention and Carcinogenesis Research Program. Read the news release.
Members in the news
- Douglas Yee, M.D., director, was a guest on KSTP-TV Twin Cities Live on July 28 to discuss breast cancer in younger women and the education awareness bill being co-sponsored by Sen. Amy Klobuchar.
- Todd Tuttle, M.D., Women's Cancer Research Program, was quoted in Oncology Nursing News about his research finding that more women diagnosed with breast cancer are choosing to have prophylactic mastectomy surgery.
Kudos
The Morris Animal Foundation awarded D.M.V./Ph.D. student Aric Frantz (Modiano lab) a pre-doctoral fellowship for his proposal “Stem Cells by In Vitro Manipulation and Chemotherapy.”
Shared Resources Announcement
The Mouse Genetics Laboratory Shared Resource would like to alert users to the availability of vectors, ES cells, mice, embryos, and sperm generated by the KOMP Repository. The KOMP Repository is the official archive and distribution center for the Knockout Mouse Project (KOMP), a major 5-year trans-NIH initiative designed to generate null alleles in C57BL/6 embryonic stem (ES) cells for most genes not already available as knockout mice. Nearly 8,500 genes are targeted for deletion, most in a conditional-ready format. More information can be found at www.komp.org.
Mouse Genetics Laboratory Shared Resource co-directors David Largaespada, Ph.D., and Anindya Bagchi, Ph.D., will hold weekly consultation meetings on Mondays at 2 p.m. If you are interested in meeting about an upcoming project, please contact Laura Bendzick (612-626-3743, green711@umn.edu) and let her know you are coming.
Education and Events
Ice Cream Social
Wednesday, August 5, 2009, 2 p.m., near 2-180/cancer center labs, 2nd floor, Moos Tower
The Masonic Cancer Center's August Ice Cream Social will be sponsored by the Sachdev and Schwertfeger labs. A serving of ice cream with fixings is $1.
State-of-the-Science Conference on Ductal Carcinoma In Situ
September 22-24, 2009, National Institutes of Health campus, Bethesda, Md.
The National Cancer Institute and the NIH Office of Medical Applications of Research will convene a state-of-the-science conference on ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). The conference is free and open to the public but advance registration is recommended. Visit http://consensus.nih.gov/2009/dcis.htm for more information and to register.
Norma K.C. Ramsay, M.D., Distinguished Visiting Professor Lectureship
Wednesday, September 23, 2009, 12:15-1:30 p.m., Moos Tower 2-650
Carolyn A. Felix, M.D., Professor of Pediatrics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, and Attending Physician, Division of Oncology, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, will present “A New Drug for Infant Leukemia and the Cell Death Mechanism that it Activates.” The fourth annual Norma K.C. Ramsay, M.D., Distinguished Visiting Professor Lectureship, taking place at Pediatric Grand Rounds, is sponsored by the Children's Cancer Research Fund.
Developmental Biology Symposium: Development and Cancer: Good Cells Gone Bad
Tuesday, September 29, 2009, 8:45 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Coffman Memorial Union
The Developmental Biology Center is partnering with the Masonic Cancer Center to present "Development and Cancer: Good Cells Gone Bad." The program will include a full slate of distinguished speakers and a poster session. A banquet is scheduled for Tuesday evening, September 29, 5:30 p.m. at the Weisman Art Museum on the Minneapolis campus. For more information and to register online, visit the Developmental Biology Center Web site. Contact Amelie Hyams (hyams003@umn.edu, 612-624-4981) with questions.
Attention graduate students: The first 25 graduate students (who are presenting posters) to register for the Developmental Biology Symposium will attend the talks and the banquet for free. You must register online to take advantage of this option.
Visit the Upcoming Events Web page for more event listings. Visit the Professional Education Web page for more conference and special lecture listings.
Funding News and Opportunities
Brain Tumor Program Travel Awards for Society of Neuro Oncology Annual Meeting
The Brain Tumor Program is pleased to offer five $1,000 travel awards for graduate students or postdocs who will be going to the Society of Neuro Oncology Annual Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana, October 22-24, 2009. To qualify, you must have a poster or oral presentation accepted at the meeting. These funds are to go towards any combination of flight, hotel and meals. Please submit your abstract to Amy Gaug at gaugx002@umn.edu by August 17, 2009.
Have You Tried RePORTER? New Tool Provides Insight into NIH Research Funding and Results
Comprehensive information on NIH-funded grants and contracts is now available online through the NIH Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tool Expenditures and Reports (RePORTER). RePORTER allows users to locate and view NIH awards using their own search criteria. RePORTER, however, gives users access to budget information, as well as research results and products, including patents and publications. Data from 1985 through to the present--including the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) of 2009--are available and search-able according to user interest.
- Check out a map and state-by-state listing of NIH grants funded by ARRA
- Recovery Act-Funded Supplements Providing Summer Research Experiences
- NIH Recovery Act Solicitations and Cumulative FY 2009 Grant Funding
NIH:
Diet, Epigenetic Events, and Cancer Prevention (R01)
(PA-09-234)
National Cancer Institute
Application Receipt Date(s): Next Cycle - October 5, 2009
Funding: Standard R01 limits apply
Diet, Epigenetic Events, and Cancer Prevention (R21)
(PA-09-235)
National Cancer Institute
Application Receipt Date(s): Next Cycle - October 16, 2009
Funding: $275,000 over 2 years
Exfoliated Cells and Circulating DNA in Cancer Detection and Diagnosis (R21)
(PA-09-238)
National Cancer Institute
Application Receipt Date(s): Next Cycle - October 16, 2009
Funding: $275,000 over 2 years
Early Detection Research Network: Clinical Validation Centers (U01)
(RFA-CA-09-018)
National Cancer Institute
Application Receipt Date(s): October 29, 2009
Funding: $600,000/year for 5 years
The Early Detection Research Network: Biomarker Reference Laboratories (U24)
(RFA-CA-09-019)
National Cancer Institute
Application Receipt Date(s): October 29, 2009
Funding: $300,000/year for 5 years
Early Detection Research Network: Data Management and Coordinating Center and Statistics and Biomarker Resource Center (U24)
(RFA-CA-09-020)
National Cancer Institute
Application Receipt Date(s): October 29, 2009
Funding: DMCC - $1.3 mil./year for 5 years; SBRC - $300,000/year for 5 years
DOD:
Lung Cancer Research Program - Concept Award
Department of Defense
Application Receipt Date(s): Letter of Intent - August 20, 2009; Full Application - September 3, 2009
Funding: $75,000 for one year
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.
Employment Opportunities
Postdoctoral Positions in Molecular Modeling at the Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota
Three postdoctoral positions are available starting August 15, 2009 at The Hormel Institute, an independent research branch of the University of Minnesota, located in Austin, Minn. The successful candidates will work in the newly constituted Molecular Modeling laboratory portion of the Cellular and Molecular Biology group at The Hormel Institute. The Institute has an IBM Blue Gene supercomputer and is collaborating with IBM to enhance the computational chemistry effort. These positions will primarily involve simulations using molecular systems that are relevant in fundamental cancer research. The successful candidate will use a variety of computational methods, and he or she will work closely with experimentalists to study these systems. We look for individuals with experience in Homology Modeling, Docking, Virtual Screening, Classical Molecular Dynamics simulations, 3D/2D-QSAR, or QM/MM calculations. Proteins structure and interaction forces analysis and communication with experimentalists are part of the duties of this position. A Ph.D. in chemistry, pharmacy, biology or related fields is required. Good programming and knowledge of scripting languages are required in addition to strong written and oral communications skills. Experience programming and with High-Performance computers is a plus. Please apply online at http://www1.umn.edu/ohr/employment/index.html and also, please send your curriculum vitae to ambode@hi.umn.edu.
For information about additional opportunities visit the Employment Opportunities Web page.