Masonic Cancer Center of the University of Minnesota

Update will have a biweekly schedule during the summer. Upcoming publication dates are: July 7 and 21, and August 4 and 18. Please submit items to Gina Kennedy, kenne069@umn.edu, by noon Friday before each publication date.

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In This Issue

Today's Seminar

Shared Resources Spotlight: Tissue Procurement Facility

News

Education and Events

Program Meetings

Funding News and Opportunities

 

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Today's Seminar

Tuesday, June 23, 2009, 12-1 p.m., 450 MCRB
Transcription and chromatin: Nuclear receptors in action
Trevor K. Archer, Ph.D., Principal Investigator and Chief, Laboratory of Molecular Carcinogenesis, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institute of Health

Host: Carol Lange, Ph.D.

A peek at the next seminar:
June 30, 2009, 12-1 p.m., 450 MCRB
Molecular targeted therapies in cancer: Therapeutic focus and personalized approach
Cem Elbi, M.D., Ph.D., Senior Research Scientist, Merck Research Laboratories, Boston

Host: Carol Lange, Ph.D.

For a complete schedule and to watch recorded seminars, visit the Web site.

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Shared Resources Spotlight: Tissue Procurement Facility

The Masonic Cancer Center's Tissue Procurement Facility (TPF) Shared Resource prospectively obtains tissue removed during surgery, while safeguarding all aspects of patient care. Skilled technologists work with surgeons, pathologists, and researchers to maximize the scientific value of the acquired tissue without compromising diagnostic processing. Visit the Tissue Procurement Facility Web site for more information about TPF services and why the facility offers several advantages over other national tissue repositories.

Faculty and staff also are invited to attend the following Shared Resources Seminar about TPF:

Services to be offered by the Tissue Procurement Facility as part of the Academic Health Center's BioNet
Monday, July 6, 10-11 a.m., 450 MCRB
Amy Skubitz, Ph.D., Director, Tissue Procurement Facility Shared Resource

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News

Thanks to Sandi Sherman for Update, Web site work
The Masonic Cancer Center communications team wants to thank Sandi Sherman for her excellent work as Update editor and for all the help she has provided in building and maintaining the Web site. Sandi now will be supporting the activities of the Masonic Cancer Center Science Council, as well as the work of several of the cancer center's research programs. 

Faculty mentors needed for Masonic Cancer Center Health Disparities Summer Internship; please respond by Wednesday, June 24
The Masonic Cancer Center in collaboration with the Medical School's Program in Health Disparities Research has very recently received funding for the Masonic Cancer Center Health Disparities Summer Internship. The purpose of this program is to provide summer cancer research and education experiences that will benefit minority and underserved communities in Minnesota. Faculty members are asked to please consider serving as a mentor. Please respond to phdr@umn.edu with your interest in being a mentor by the end of business day on Wednesday, June 24.

Program details: For the summers of 2009 and 2010, 10 undergraduate students from Minnesota's minority or other under-represented groups will complete an internship program that will include seminars on clinical and translational research, and career development in the health professions. Interns will be incoming undergraduate sophomores or juniors from any college or university in Minnesota. The interns will work 40 hours per week from June 29 to August 21, 2009, and will be paid by the Masonic Cancer Center. They will have workspace in 717 Delaware and will use their own laptops. Each mentor will receive $500 from the program for supplies (i.e. tissue culture reagents, plastic ware, computing time, biochemical reagents, protocol supplies) to support the intern's research projects. The process of matching interns with mentors will begin on Monday, June 29; subsequent meetings between the interns and their potential mentees will be scheduled during the week of June 29. 

Members in the news

• An article in the Natchez (Miss.) Democrat referred to research by Dorothy Hatsukami, Ph.D., associate director of cancer control and prevention, and Stephen Hecht, Ph.D., leader of the Chemoprevention and Carcinogenesis Research Program, that found smokeless tobacco users had an equal or greater amount of cancer-causing chemicals in their urine samples than cigarette smokers.
• Kristen Anderson, Ph.D., Prevention and Etiology Research Program, was mentioned in articles in the Vancouver Sun and Green Valley (Ariz.) News about her research finding that consuming red meat that is burned or charred may increase risk of developing pancreatic cancer.

New cancer resources available on Minnesota Cancer Alliance Web site
The Minnesota Cancer Alliance is a coalition of health organizations, community groups, and volunteers that evolved from collaborative efforts to create Cancer Plan Minnesota, the state's first cancer plan. New resources available on the Minnesota Cancer Alliance Web site are:

• Minnesota Cancer Facts and Figures 2009 includes recent Minnesota cancer data. The American Cancer Society, the Minnesota Cancer Surveillance System, and the Minnesota Cancer Alliance combined efforts to produce this publication. 
• Cancer Plan Minnesota Progress Report 2009 describes the Minnesota Cancer Alliance's progress toward implementing strategies outlined in Cancer Plan Minnesota.

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Education and Events

Time to Fly® Walk/Run
Saturday, June 27, 2009, Harriet Island Regional Park, St. Paul
In addition to 10K and 5K runs, a 5K walk, and 1K kids' fun run, Time to Fly will include a family entertainment area, live music, and food. All Time to Fly proceeds benefit the Children's Cancer Research Fund, which supports Masonic Cancer Center research and training related to the prevention, treatment, and cure of childhood cancer. Visit www.CCRFTimeToFly.com or call 952-224-8497 for more information.

Living with Lynch Syndrome: An Update for Families with HNPCC
Saturday, June 27, 2009, 10 a.m. -3 p.m., Mayo Clinic, Rochester
This half-day educational program will offer a variety of topics focusing on Lynch syndrome—also known as Hereditary Non-Polyposis Colorectal Cancer (HNPCC)—from the biological basis of the condition and psychological impact of a diagnosis to practical health care tips. Anna Leininger, M.S., C.G.C., Minnesota Colorectal Cancer Initiative coordinator and consultant to the Masonic Cancer Center's William C. Bernstein MD Familial Cancer Registry, will be one of the presenters at the program. For more information or to register, download the brochure, call 507-284-2241, or e-mail canceredprog@mayo.edu.

Shared Resources Seminar: Services to be offered by the Tissue Procurement Facility as part of the Academic Health Center's BioNet
Monday, July 6, 10-11 a.m., 450 MCRB
Amy Skubitz, Ph.D., Director, Tissue Procurement Facility Shared Resource

Melanoma Interdisciplinary Group
Tuesday, July 7, 4:30 p.m., Mayo C456
Discussion of melanoma ASCO abstracts. For more information, contact Arkadiusz Dudek, M.D., Ph.D.

Visit the Upcoming Events Web page for more event listings.
Visit the Professional Education Web page for more conference and special lecture listings.

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Program Meetings

Women's Cancer Interest Group Seminar
Thursday, June 25, 2009, 10 a.m., 450 MCRB
Insights into the natural history of anal/genital HPV infections
Levi S. Downs, Jr., M.D., M.S., Program Co-leader, Women's Cancer Research Program; Assistant Professor, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women's Health; Interim Division Director, Gynecologic Oncology

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Funding News and Opportunities

NIH:

Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards for Individual Predoctoral Fellowships (F31) to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research
(PA-09-209)
National Institutes of Health
Application Receipt Date(s): August 8, 2009
Funding: Awards support stipends, tuition & fees, institutional allowance and other training related expenses

Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards (NRSA) for Individual Postdoctoral Fellows (F32)
(PA-09-210)
National Institutes of Health
Application Receipt Date(s): August 8, 2009
Funding: Awards support stipends, tuition & fees, institutional allowance and other training related expenses

Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards (NRSA) for Individual Senior Fellows (F33)
(PA-09-211)
National Institutes of Health
Application Receipt Date(s): August 8, 2009
Funding: Awards support stipends, tuition & fees, institutional allowance and other training related expenses

Non-federal:

The Lung Cancer Research Foundation Grant
Lung Cancer Research Foundation
Application Receipt Date: June 30, 2009
Funding: $50,000

2009 Young Investigator Research Grant
National Lung Cancer Partnership
Application Receipt Date: September 8, 2009
Funding: $50,000/year for two years

Lung Cancer Discovery Award
American Lung Association/ LUNGevity Foundation
Application Receipt Date: October 21, 2009 (required letter of intent due July 8, 2009)
Funding: $100,000/year for up to two years

Research Grants for Independent Investigators
American Cancer Society
Application Receipt Date: October 15, 2009
Funding: $200,000/year for up to four years

Professorships (Clinical Research)
American Cancer Society
Application Receipt Dates: October 15, 2009 (for Clinical Research Professorships: required letter of intent due August 1, 2009)
Funding: $80,000/year for five years

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.

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