| Headlines |
Lippman Named New Director of Moores Cancer Center
| Scott M. Lippman, MD, former chair of Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, has accepted the position of director of Moores Cancer Center at the University of California, San Diego. His major fields of research are translational/molecular studies of cancer risk, molecular-targeted drug development and personalized therapy.
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Hill Day Event to Honor Bilbray, DeGette
U.S. Representatives Brian Bilbray (R-CA) and Diana DeGette (D-CO) will be honored for their support of cancer research at an evening reception on May 16, the night before AACI’s annual Capitol Hill Day, in Washington, D.C. AACI is co-hosting Hill Day on Thursday, May 17, with the American Association for Cancer Research, American Society of Clinical Oncology, Friends of Cancer Research and the Oncology Nursing Society. The event will showcase the nation’s cancer centers and how the federal investment in research sustains progress in the fight against cancer.
To register for Hill Day, please visit: www.aaci-cancer.org/hilldayreg.asp. If you have any questions or requests, please contact Jaime Anderson at the AACI office at jaime@aaci-cancer.org.
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AACI CRI Meeting Registration Continues
Registration continues for the 4th Annual Meeting of the Association of American Cancer Institutes' (AACI) Clinical Research Initiative. The meeting will be held at the InterContinental Chicago O’Hare on Thursday, July 12 and Friday, July 13.
Meeting registration, hotel information, and the program are available on the AACI website at aaci-cancer.org/cri/crimeeting/index.asp. For more information, please contact Janie Hofacker at janie@aaci-cancer.org.
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Online Registration Now Open for 2012 AACI/CCAF Meeting
The 2012 AACI/CCAF Annual Meeting will be held in Chicago, IL, October 14-16. Information on the meeting, including the program and electronic registration is available on AACI’s website at www.aaci-cancer.org/annual_meeting/index.asp.
The meeting will bring leaders of AACI cancer centers—center directors and executive-level administrators—together with top personnel of national cancer research and advocacy organizations, industry, and government health agencies to share best practices and devise solutions to common challenges.
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| News from the Centers |
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Awards & Honors
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Brain Tumor Group for Children Honors Winship Executive Director
Winship Cancer Institute
Walter J. Curran, Jr., MD, executive director of Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, has received the Brain Tumor Foundation for Children’s "Visionary Award" for 2012.
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Yang Receives AACR Career Development Award
UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center
Shih-Hsin (Eddy) Yang, MD, PhD, assistant professor in the University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Radiation Oncology and associate scientist in the experimental therapeutics program at the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center, has been awarded the AACR-Genentech BioOncology Career Development Award for Cancer Research by the American Association for Cancer Research.
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Einhorn Honored by Leading Cancer Organization
Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center
Lawrence Einhorn, MD, who revolutionized testicular cancer treatment, has been honored by the American Association for Cancer Research with the Joseph H. Burchenal Memorial Award for Outstanding Achievement in Clinical Cancer Research.
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UAB Gynecologic Oncologist Elected President of National Organization
UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center
Ronald D. Alvarez, MD, professor and director of the Division of Gynecologic Oncology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, has been elected the 44th president of the Society of Gynecologic Oncology.
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Brenner Research Named in Ten Best of 2012
The Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center
Malcolm K. Brenner, MD, PhD, and his colleagues have been recognized by the Clinical Research Forum for having one of the top 10 clinical research accomplishments published in the last two years.
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Physician-in-Chief Named for Kansas Cancer Center
University of Kansas Cancer Center
Terance T. Tsue, MD, an otolaryngology head and neck surgeon and researcher, has been named the first Physician-in-Chief for The University of Kansas Cancer Center.
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Cedars-Sinai Receives National Achievement Award for Patient Care
Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute
Cedars-Sinai’s Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute has received a Commission on Cancer 2011 Outstanding Achievement Award for providing quality care and services to cancer patients.
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Grants & Gifts
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Baylor Researchers Awarded $2 million in State Cancer Funding
The Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center
Researchers from the Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center at Baylor College of Medicine have received an additional $2 million in the most recent wave of funding announced by the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas.
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NCI Renews SPORE Grant for Lymphoma Research at City of Hope
City of Hope National Medical Center and Beckman Research Institute
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) renewed funding of City of Hope’s laboratory and translational research efforts to develop improved treatments for Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The grant extends the NCI’s recognition of City of Hope’s Specialized Program of Research Excellence for lymphoma (Lymphoma SPORE), which NCI first funded in 2004.
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Leadership Transitions
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Del Fabbro Named Program Director of Palliative Care at Massey
Massey Cancer Center
Egidio Del Fabbro, MD, has been named program director of palliative care at Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center. He joined VCU Massey from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, where he was an associate professor in the Department of Palliative Care and Rehabilitation Medicine.
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Chhabra Named Director of Finance
Duke Cancer Institute
Aman Chhabra, MSHS, has been named Director of Finance for the Duke Cancer Institute. He was previously manager of financial planning at Stanford University Medical Center.
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New Director of Surgical Oncology Announced
Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center
Timothy M. Pawlik, MD, MPH, head of the Johns Hopkins Liver Tumor Center, has been appointed the new director of surgical oncology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
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Research Highlights
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Researchers Show How Cancerous Stem Cells Manipulate Environment to Enhance Their Own Growth
City of Hope National Medical Center and Beckman Research Institute
Led by senior author Ravi Bhatia, MD, City of Hope researchers have shown how leukemia stem cells hijack the bone marrow where they live, helping them to proliferate, potentially outlast powerful therapy and return to cause cancer. The findings appear in the journal Cancer Cell.
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Clinical Trial Measures Impact of Food on Anti-Cancer Drug Effects
University of Chicago Comprehensive Cancer Center
An unusual clinical trial based at the University of Chicago Medicine is seeking to determine whether a drug approved for patients with advanced prostate cancer might be safer and just as effective if taken at a much lower dose with food instead of at the full dose on an empty stomach.
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Study Shows Kidney Cancer Patients Do Better When Whole Kidney is Not Removed
University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center
Kidney cancer patients who had only their tumor removed had better survival than patients who had their entire kidney removed, according to a new study from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.
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Protein Toxins from Castor Seeds may be a Next-Generation Cancer Therapy
University of New Mexico Cancer Center
In a new twist on an old remedy, a protein toxin derived from the hard, glossy seeds of castor plants may have a powerful high-tech application in fighting cancer, thanks to a novel drug-carrying nanoparticle, the “protocell,” created by researchers at the University of New Mexico and Sandia National Laboratories.
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Kinase Test May Yield Big Gains for Drug-Resistant Cancers
UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center
In a paper published in the journal Cell, a team from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill led by Gary Johnson, PhD, unveils the first broad-based test for activation of protein kinases “en masse”, enabling measurement of the mechanism behind drug-resistant cancer and rational prediction of successful combination therapies.
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Study Finds Nearly Half of Cancer Survivors Died from Conditions Other than Cancer
Massey Cancer Center
Although cancer recurrence may be the overriding fear for many survivors, a study from VCU Massey Cancer Center, led by Yi Ning, MD, ScD, found only 51 percent of cancer survivors died from cancer, meaning nearly half of survivors died from other conditions.
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Breakthrough Discovery Unveils “Master Switches” in Colon Cancer
Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, Case Western Reserve University
Led by Peter Scacheri, PhD, a team of researchers at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have identified a new mechanism by which colon cancer develops.
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Legal Expert Explores Risks, Rewards of Using Stem Cell Products
Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, UCLA
Stephen R. Munzer, JD, a law professor from the UCLA School of Law and a member of the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA, has developed a road map that could help guide researchers, stem-cell product manufacturers, physicians and patients through the complex maze of imagining, creating and developing stem cell products and using them to treat disease.
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One Compound Detects and Treats Malignant Tumors and Certain Cancer Stem Cells
University of Wisconsin Paul P. Carbone Comprehensive Cancer Center
More than a decade of laboratory research at the University of Wisconsin has proven that a single chemical compound may both detect and treat malignant tumors and certain cancer stem cells.
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Social Ties Impact Mixed on Encouraging Healthy Behaviors in Low-income Areas
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
In low-income, minority communities, tight-knit social connections — with family members, friends, and neighbors — can lead people to eat healthy and be physically active, but in some cases it may actually be an obstacle to a healthy lifestyle, according to new research by investigators at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Harvard School of Public Health.
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Nanostars Deliver Drug Directly to Cancer Cells
The Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center
Northwestern University scientists led by Teri W. Odom, PhD, have developed a simple but specialized nanoparticle that can deliver a drug directly to a cancer cell’s nucleus. They have also directly imaged at nanoscale dimensions how nanoparticles interact with a cancer cell’s nucleus.
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Researchers Develop First “Theranostic” Treatment for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, Case Western Reserve University
A team of researchers led by Anthony J. Berdis, PhD, at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine has developed the first “theranostic” agent for the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
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Link Found Between Injectable Contraceptive Use and Increased Risk of Breast Cancer in Young Women
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
A large-scale U.S.-based study to evaluate the link between an injectable form of progestin-only birth control and breast cancer risk in young women has found that recent use of a year or more doubles the risk. Results of the study, led by breast cancer epidemiologist Christopher I. Li, MD, PhD, of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, are published in the journal Cancer Research.
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DNA Sequencing Lays Foundation for Personalized Cancer Treatment
Siteman Cancer Center, Barnes Jewish Hospital at Washington University School of Medicine
Led by Elaine Mardis, PhD, scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis are using powerful DNA sequencing technology not only to identify mutations at the root of a patient’s tumor considered key to personalizing cancer treatment but to map the genetic evolution of disease and monitor response to treatment.
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Research Shows Milk Thistle Hits Prostate Cancer Two Ways
University of Colorado Cancer Center
A University of Colorado Cancer Center study recently published in the journal PLoS One pinpoints the compounds derived from milk thistle that best kill cancer cells directly and restrict tumors’ ability to grow the new blood vessels they need to import this massive food supply.
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Researchers Build Mouse Model to Evaluate Compounds to Protect Against Radiation Exposure
University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute
Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have developed a mouse model that will allow scientists to study radiation-induced genetic changes and cellular defense mechanisms against radiation exposure at the same time.
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Two Repressor Genes Identified As Essential For Placental Development
The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - James Cancer Hospital & Solove Research Institute
Two particular repressor genes in a family of regulatory genes are vital for controlling cell proliferation during development of the placenta, according to a study by Gustavo Leone and researchers with the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute.
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Montefiore Study Reveals High Rate of Anal Cancer in HIV-Positive Women
Comprehensive Cancer Center Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Anal cancer is on the rise among HIV-positive women, according to a Montefiore Medical Center study entitled, “High Prevalence of High Grade Anal Intraepithelial Neoplasia in HIV-Infected Women Screened for Anal Cancer,” published in the Journal of Aids.
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Researchers Identify Genetic Variations Linked to Breast Cancer Risk in African Americans
Roswell Park Cancer Institute
Research by Song Yao, PhD, and a team from Roswell Park Cancer Institute and four other institutions has shown that specific genetic variations in the vitamin D receptor and in CYP24A1 (responsible for deactivating vitamin D) are associated with an increase in breast cancer risk — particularly for ER-negative breast cancer — for African-American women.
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Montfiore Physicians Use Innovative Interventional Oncology Procedure to Treat Spine Tumors
Comprehensive Cancer Center Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Allan Brook, MD, and physicians at Montefiore Medical Center are using a new radiofrequency ablation system that delivers energy directly into a metastatic spinal tumor to heat and destroy tumor cells and provide palliative pain relief.
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New Drug Prevents Spread of Human Prostate Cancer Cells
The Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center
A new drug developed by Raymond Bergan, MD, and Northwestern Medicine scientists prevented human prostate cancer cells from spreading to other tissues without any toxic effects to normal cells or tissues. The drug turns off the "go" switch in the cancer cells and immobilizes them.
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Study Reveals How Cancer Drug Causes Diabetic-Like State
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have discovered why diabetic-like symptoms develop in some patients given rapamycin, an immune-suppressant drug that also has shown anti-cancer activity and may even slow aging.
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USC Researcher Probes Race/Ethnicity Roles in Obesity-Related Cancer Risk
USC/Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center
Minorities with cancer may be more susceptible to complications of the disease, especially when obesity comes into play, according to research by Steven Mittelman, MD, PhD.
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Early PET Response Predicts Increased Survival in Sarcoma Patients
Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, UCLA
An early Positron Emission Tomography response after the initial cycle of neoadjuvant chemotherapy can be used to predict increased survival in patients with soft tissue sarcomas, according to a study by Fritz Eilber, MD, and researchers with UCLA’s Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.
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Experts Identify Critical Genes Mutated in Stomach Cancer
Duke Cancer Institute
An international team of scientists, led by Patrick Tan, MD, PhD, and researchers from the Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School in Singapore and National Cancer Centre of Singapore, has identified hundreds of novel genes that are mutated in stomach cancer, the second-most lethal cancer worldwide.
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Researchers Discover Controlling Factor In Maintaining Healthy Tissue
Huntsman Cancer Institute
Led by Jody Rosenblatt, PhD, researchers from Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah have found that normal epithelium tissue ejects living cells to maintain a steady population and ease overcrowding. The research results appear in the journal Nature.
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Researchers Find a New Leukemia Drug and a New Approach
Huntsman Cancer Institute
A new compound shows promise in patient leukemia samples when current treatments fail, says Nikolaus Trede, MD, PhD, and researchers from Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah. Their report appears in Blood, the Journal of the American Society of Hematology.
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RPCI Researchers Establish Link Between Nanog, FAK Proteins
Roswell Park Cancer Institute
Vita Golubovskaya, PhD, and five colleagues from Roswell Park Cancer Institute have published basic research in the Journal of Biological Chemistry about two proteins that are overexpressed in tumor cells.
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New AIDS Math Could Halve Need for CD4 Tests after Antiretroviral Therapy in Resource-Poor Countries
The Wistar Institute
Led by Luis J. Montaner, DVM, DPhil, researchers at The Wistar Institute and the University of Massachusetts Amherst, with global collaborators, introduce a new “prediction-based classification” system that could potentially reduce the burden of monitoring patients on ART by experienced medical laboratories in developing nations.
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New Imaging Technique Could Speed Cancer Detection
Siteman Cancer Center, Barnes Jewish Hospital at Washington University School of Medicine
A new imaging technique has been developed by Lihong V. Wang, PhD, and a team of developers at Washington University in St. Louis. The technology, called photoacoustic tomography, may help doctors diagnose cancer earlier than is now possible and to more precisely monitor the effects of cancer treatment.
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Breast Cancer Subtypes Identified That May Lead to Optimal Targeted Therapies
USC/Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center
Led by Christina Curtis, a study, “The genomic and transcriptomic architecture of 2,000 breast tumours, reveals novel subgroups,” published in the journal Nature, has determined the molecular fingerprint of thousands of breast cancer tumors.
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Two Specific Agents Worse Than One in Treating Endocrine Resistant Breast Cancer Cells
Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown University
A new class of agents known as c-Src inhibitors is being tested in a number of different ways to treat breast cancer, but researchers at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center caution that they should not be used in combination with estrogen to treat endocrine resistant breast cancer.
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Rersearch Yields New Clues to How Brain Cancer Cells Migrate and Invade
Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center
Johns Hopkins researchers have discovered that a protein that transports sodium, potassium and chloride may hold clues to how glioblastoma, the most common and deadliest type of brain cancer, moves and invades nearby healthy brain tissue.
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Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy Optimal for Localized Prostate Cancer
UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center
A treatment for localized prostate cancer known as Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy is better than conventional conformal radiation therapy for reducing certain side effects and preventing cancer recurrence, according to a study recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Study Finds Decision Guide Reduces Uncertainty Over Breast Cancer Prevention
University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center
When women at high risk of breast cancer viewed a customized web-based decision guide about prevention options, they were more likely to make a choice about prevention and to feel comfortable with their choice, a new study by the University of Michigan finds.
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Researchers Gain Better Understanding of Radiation-Mitigator Drug
University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute
Led by Joel Greenberger, MD, Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have a better way of understanding how a drug used to protect against and mitigate irradiation damage interacts inside human cells.
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Other News
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New Visiting Scholars Program at Frederick National Laboratory
National Cancer Institute
The Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research is now accepting Expressions of Interest to its new Visiting Scholars Program (VSP). Due date is May 11, 2012. For more information about eligibility and how to apply, visit http://web.ncifcrf.gov/VisitingScholar.
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| Job Opportunities
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Executive Director of Development & External Relations
Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center
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Administrative Director of the CTO
Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University
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Chief Financial Officer
Georgia Health Sciences University Cancer Center
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Manager, Media Relations
UPMC Corporate Services
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Meeting Announcements |
AACI Clinical Research Initiative (CRI) 4th Annual Meeting
AACI Clinical Research Initiative (CRI) 4th Annual Meeting
July 12-13
InterContinental Chicago O’Hare
5300 North River Road, Rosemont, IL 60018
Meeting registration, hotel information, and the program are available on the AACI website at http://aaci-cancer.org/cri/crimeeting/index.asp
Music, The Brain, Medicine, and Wellness: A Scientific Dialogue
Welcome to the Symposium on Music, the Brain, Medicine and Wellness: A Scientific Dialogue, presenting the state of the science in: the impact of music on the developing brain, cognition, language, memory, and emotion; the use of music to promote healing in patients with serious medical conditions including cancer, neurologic diseases, and developmental disorders; and the influence of music on the well-being of individuals and their communities.
For more information visit the website here: MusicAndTheBrainSantaFe.com
August 4-6, 2012
Pre-Symposium Evening Concert: August 3, 2012
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Eldorado Hotel & Spa
Register here.
Emory’s Debates and Didactics in Hematology and Oncology Conference
Emory University’s Winship Cancer Institute and Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology will hold their annual: “Debates and Didactics in Hematology and Oncology”
The Cloister, Sea Island, Georgia
August 8 12, 2012
This four-day Continuing Medical Education symposium for physicians and nursing professionals will provide an in-depth review of the mechanisms of disease in cancer and blood disorders, as well as insights into newly developed therapies. For more information visit: winshipcancer.emory.edu/events
2012 AACI/CCAF Annual Meeting
2012 AACI/CCAF Annual Meeting
October 14-16, 2012
The Westin Chicago River North
Chicago, IL
Please find the meeting registration, hotel information, preliminary program and speakers list on the AACI website: http://www.aaci-cancer.org/annual_meeting/index.asp
Save the Date!
2013 AACI/CCAF Annual Meeting
September 29 - October 1, 2013
Washington, DC
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