VA Grant to Evaluate Whether Topical Medication Can Prevent Common Skin Cancer
Legorreta Cancer Center at Brown University
Martin A. Weinstock, MD, will lead a six-year clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness of a topical medication as a way to prevent skin cancer. The work is backed by a $34 million award from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Cooperative Studies Program.
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Reducing Cancer Disparities Gets a Boost
Duke Cancer Institute, Duke University Medical Center
Duke Cancer Institute Deputy Director Steven Patierno, PhD, is principal investigator on a newly awarded $3.5 million NCI Exploratory (P20) SPORE grant to support research toward mitigating disparities in lung cancer and in stomach cancer.
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BMS Grant Fights Cancer in Native and Rural Communities
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation have announced a $3.3 million program to address the cancer burden in rural areas and Native Nations across New York State, with an emphasis on the Western New York region.
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$2.2 Million Grant Awarded for Breast Cancer Imaging Study
Cancer Center at Illinois
Cancer Center at Illinois member, Pengfei Song, PhD, was recently awarded a $2.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense for a collaborative project with Mayo Clinic to develop ultrasound imaging technology that addresses dense breast tissue.
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Stress, Cancer Risk, Reproductive Toxicity Studied in Women Firefighters
The University of Arizona Cancer Center
A $1.5 million grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency is funding a University of Arizona Health Sciences study designed to understand the occupational risks unique to women in the fire service, including those at the Tucson Fire Department.
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Award to Better Inform HER2 Breast Cancer Treatment
Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey
George Mason University’s College of Science has announced a $1.33 million collaboration with Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and Mason’s Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine. The effort will use a new way to measure biomarkers of the HER2 protein, which is expressed on breast cancer cells.
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Family Gives $1 Million for NCI Designation
UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute
The Schueck/McCarty family has pledged $1 million to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute to support its efforts in achieving National Cancer Institute designation. Marge Schueck (center) and her children, Patrick Schueck and Jennifer Schueck McCarty, are pictured at left.
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Grant to Address Cancer Health Inequities
Yale Cancer Center, Yale School of Medicine
Biotechnology company Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, has awarded a two-year, $750,000 research grant to Yale Cancer Center and Smilow Cancer Hospital to measure, address, and create accountability around cancer health inequities.
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Pledge Honors Wife, Family
UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute
The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences has received a $1 million pledge from Larry Crain, Sr., to support the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute’s pursuit of National Cancer Institute designation. In appreciation of the gift, the Seed of Hope Garden on the cancer institute’s ground floor will be renamed for Crain’s late wife, Janett, who died in 2018 after a brief battle with cancer.
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Kim and Tim Eberlein Distinguished Professorship Established
Siteman Cancer Center
A newly created Washington University professorship honors the contributions of Timothy J. Eberlein, MD, director of Siteman Cancer Center, and his wife, Kimberley A. Eberlein (pictured at left with Dr. Eberlein), who had a distinguished career in health care administration and now holds leadership positions in arts organizations in St. Louis. The inaugural recipient is Ryan C. Fields, MD.
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Walker Returns to Roswell Park in Newly Created Executive Role
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
An experienced executive with a passion for serving cancer patients and exceptional strategic leadership skills has rejoined the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center team. Roswell Park President and CEO Candace S. Johnson, PhD, has recruited Jeff Walker, MBA, back to Western New York to fill the new role of executive vice president of operations and transformation. Walker has served many years as treasurer of AACI.
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Plimack Appointed Chair of Scientific Advisory Board for Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network
Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple Health
Elizabeth Plimack, MD, MS, chief of the Division of Genitourinary Medical Oncology at Fox Chase Cancer Center, has been appointed chair of the scientific advisory board for the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network.
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Apte Joins Huntsman as Chief Clinical Officer
Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah
Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) and University of Utah Health welcome Sachin Apte, MD, MS, MBA. He will serve as chief clinical officer of HCI and physician-in-chief of the cancer hospital. Dr. Apte joins HCI from Moffitt Cancer Center where he served as associate chief medical officer.
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Hamstra Named Chair of Department of Radiation Oncology
Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center at Baylor College of Medicine
Daniel Hamstra, MD, PhD, is joining Baylor College of Medicine as professor and chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology. He will serve as the radiation oncology lead at the Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center and radiation oncology service line chief for St. Luke’s Health – Texas Division. Dr. Hamstra joins Baylor after nine years at the University of Michigan.
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Barnes Joins Massey as Cancer Service Line VP
VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center
VCU Massey Cancer Center and VCU Health System welcome Katie Barnes, MPA, as vice president of the cancer service line, a new collaborative model designed to fulfill strategic initiatives for Massey while maintaining close alignment with VCU Health System.
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Chiang Appointed Deputy Chief Medical Officer and Chief Integration Officer at Smilow
Yale Cancer Center, Yale School of Medicine
Anne Chiang, MD, PhD, has been named deputy chief medical officer and chief integration officer at Smilow Cancer Hospital. Dr. Chiang will partner with Smilow leadership to further expand multidisciplinary cancer services across the care center network.
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2021 Brings Changes to Research Programs, Leadership
Duke Cancer Institute, Duke University Medical Center
In a recent message to faculty, Duke Cancer Institute Director Michael B. Kastan, MD, PhD, detailed institutional changes, including new program names and newly appointed leaders, including new associate directors in basic research and translational research.
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Spratt Named New Chair of Radiation Oncology
Case Comprehensive Cancer Center
Daniel E. Spratt, MD, will join the UH Seidman Cancer Center team and hold the Vincent K. Smith chair in radiation oncology, effective May 1. Dr. Spratt joins Seidman—part of the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center consortium—from the University of Michigan.
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Potential Biomarker for IBD Severity, Cancer Risk Identified
Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center
A selenium transport protein produced in the colon helps protect against colitis-associated cancer in an animal model. The findings, by Vanderbilt investigators Jennifer Pilat, Sarah Short, PhD, Christopher Williams, MD, PhD, (pictured, L-R) and colleagues, suggest that selenoprotein P may be a novel biomarker for assessing disease severity and cancer risk in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.
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Neoadjuvant Combination Immunotherapy Improves Outcomes for Early Stage Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
The first randomized Phase II clinical trial to report on single and combined neoadjuvant immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy in stage I-III non-small cell lung cancer found combination therapy produced a significant clinical benefit. Tina Cascone, MD, PhD, is lead author of the study.
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Researchers Discover How Breast Cancer Cells Hide From Immune Attack
Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center
Researchers at the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center have identified how breast cancer cells hide from immune cells to stay alive. Xinna Zhang, PhD, and colleagues found that when breast cancer cells have an increased level of a protein called MAL2 on the cell surface, the cancer cells can evade immune attacks and continue to grow.
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Focused Genetic Testing Recommended for Breast and Ovarian Cancers
Stanford Cancer Institute
Homing in on about 20 key genes known to be associated with breast or ovarian cancer is likely to provide patients and their doctors with news they can use, according to a new study from Stanford Medicine and the University of Michigan.
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Genomic Test Helps Estimate Risk of Prostate Cancer Metastasis, Death
Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University
A commercially available genomic test may help oncologists better determine which patients with recurrent prostate cancer may benefit from hormone therapy, according to new research from the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and 15 other medical centers.
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Process Ensures Follow-up of Incidental Radiology Findings
Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center
When people go to an emergency room after being injured, suspicious images may show up on scans that are unrelated to their injuries but may indicate cancer. A team at Vanderbilt University Medical Center recently established a better process for ensuring these patients receive follow-up diagnostic care, an initiative that is receiving national recognition.
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Virtual Human Intervention Allows for Colorectal Cancer Screening From Home
University of Florida Health Cancer Center
A new University of Florida Health intervention gives patients who qualify access to colorectal cancer screening information and tests from the comfort of their own homes. Two recent UF studies examine new ways to effectively reach all patients with a new communication tool using a virtual health assistant, or VHA, to deliver a colorectal cancer screening program.
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New Test Predicts Tumors Most Likely to Respond to Radiation, Chemotherapy
UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center
New research led by scientists from UC San Francisco and the Catalan Institute of Oncology in Barcelona shows that a distinctive pattern of gene activity within tumor cells is present in many cases of common cancers and could help predict who is most likely to benefit from "genotoxic" therapies. Mary Helen Barcellos-Hoff, PhD, is co-senior author of the paper.
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Chatter Between Cell Populations Drives Progression of Gastrointestinal Tumors
UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center
Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) cannot be cured by drugs alone, and targeted therapies are only modestly effective, with a high rate of drug resistance. In a recent study, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine and Moores Cancer Center identified new therapeutic targets that could lead to new treatment options for patients. Jason Sicklick, MD, is the study's senior author.
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Drug-Delivery Microcapsules Tagged With Zirconium-89 Can Be Tracked by PET Imaging
O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham
University of Alabama at Birmingham polymer and radionuclide chemists report what they believe may represent a major step forward in microcapsule drug delivery systems. The UAB microcapsules—labeled with radioactive zirconium-89—are the first example of hollow polymer capsules capable of long-term, multiday positron emission tomography, or PET, imaging in vivo.
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New Method of Counting Tumor Cells Offers Possibility of a Liquid Biopsy
Case Comprehensive Cancer Center
In a new study, researchers led by Aaron Fleischman, PhD, and Maciej Zborowski, PhD, report on a new device they’ve developed to identify and perform differential counts of circulating tumor cells, which their findings suggest may be more accurate and help to better assess cancer metastasis risk.
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Targeted RNA Nanoparticle Shows Early Promise as Treatment for Liver Cancer
The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute
A new targeted RNA nanoparticle designed to carry a chemotherapy drug along with a therapeutic oligonucleotide against chemical efflux gene might provide an effective treatment for liver cancer, according to a new study led by researchers at OSUCCC – James.
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Team Builds First Model of Progression of AML Using CRISPR
The Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai
A research team led by the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has built the first cellular model to depict the evolution of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), from its early to late stages. By using gene editing technologies to alter genes that make cells malignant, the team was able to identify potential therapeutic targets for early disease stages. Eirini Papapetrou, MD, PhD, is senior author of the study.
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Children's Mercy Joins Pediatric Early Phase Clinical Trials Network
The University of Kansas Cancer Center
Children’s Mercy has been designated a non-core member of the Pediatric Early Phase Clinical Trials Network, enhancing their ability to deliver the latest leading-edge pediatric cancer clinical trials. Children’s Mercy is recognized by the National Cancer Institute as a consortium partner of The University of Kansas Cancer Center.
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New Prostate Cancer Test Could Avoid Unnecessary Biopsies
University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center
A urine test based on University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center research could have avoided one third of unnecessary prostate cancer biopsies while failing to detect only a small number of cancers, according to a validation study that included more than 1,500 patients.
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SRC-3 is a Novel Regulator of Human Immune T Regulatory Cells
Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center at Baylor College of Medicine
A study led by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine reveals a novel role of the steroid receptor coactivator 3 (SRC-3/NCOA3), a protein crucial for steroid hormone function and a prognostic marker for aggressive human breast and other cancers.
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Technology Could Upend DNA Sequencing for Diagnosing Certain DNA Mutations
VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center
Doctors are increasingly using genetic signatures to diagnose diseases and determine the best care, but using DNA sequencing and other techniques to detect genomic rearrangements remains costly or limited in capabilities. However, a breakthrough developed by researchers at Massey Cancer Center promises to diagnose DNA rearrangement mutations at a fraction of the cost with improved accuracy.
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Validation of Novel Prognostic Index May Better Inform Burkitt Lymphoma Treatment
Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey
Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, together with RWJBarnabas Health, have announced the publication of research that has identified and validated the novel Burkitt Lymphoma International Prognostic Index in patients with this rare, high-grade B-cell lymphoma that is often studied in trials with small sample sizes.
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Genetic Tool Improves Estimation of Prostate Cancer Risk in Diverse Ethnic, Racial Groups
UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center
Building upon previous research, an international team led by scientists at University of California San Diego School of Medicine has validated a more inclusive and comprehensive genetic tool for predicting age of onset of aggressive prostate cancer.
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Blood Discoveries Advance Effort to Grow Organs, Battle Cancer
University of Virginia Cancer Center
Pioneering research into how our bodies manufacture the cells that make blood has moved us closer to regrowing tissues and organs. The findings also may let doctors grow the cells for transplantation into people to battle cancer, blood disorders, and autoimmune diseases.
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Researchers Developing New Cancer Immunotherapy Drug
University of Florida Health Cancer Center
University of Florida Health Cancer Center researchers have found a potential new way of targeting tumor-infiltrating regulatory T cells that could possibly benefit a large population of cancer patients, including those who will not respond to other immunotherapies.
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Freireich Passes Away at 93
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Emil J. Freireich, MD, a trailblazing oncologist who developed groundbreaking therapies for childhood leukemia and came to be recognized as a founding father of modern clinical cancer research, passed away peacefully at his beloved institution, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, on February 1. He was 93.
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Grant Program Fosters Cancer Prevention, Control
Stanford Cancer Institute
The Stanford Cancer Institute announces the launch of its Community Partnership Seed Grant Program. The program fosters community-driven cancer prevention and control efforts by partnering Stanford researchers, physicians, trainees, and/or staff with community partners to develop projects focused on the cancer burden of medically underserved populations.
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New State Bill Eliminates Barriers to Treatment for Stage IV Cancer Patients
The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has signed into law a new bill to ensure immediate access to treatment for Stage IV cancer patients in the state, a move that cancer physicians with OSUCCC – James cite as of critical importance for patients facing advanced cancers.
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Pandemic Brings Career Setbacks for Women in Medicine
UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center
Women in academic medicine are facing the prospect of career setbacks as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Katherine Van Loon, MD, MPH, and Bridget Keenan, MD, PHD, recently published their views on the issue and offered solutions for institutions.
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Cancer Patients and COVID-19 Vaccines
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
The initial batch of COVID-19 vaccines are now available in the U.S. following incredibly fast development and testing. Not so incredibly, there’s a lot of confusion among cancer patients, as well as their oncologists and caregivers, as to whether the vaccine is a good or bad idea for somebody dealing with cancer.
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COVID-19 Infection in Immunodeficient Patient Cured by Infusing Convalescent Plasma
O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham
A 72-year-old woman was hospitalized with severe COVID-19 disease, 33 days after the onset of symptoms. She was unable to mount her own immune defense against the SARS-CoV-2 virus because of chronic lymphocytic leukemia. But when physicians at the University of Alabama at Birmingham recommended a single intravenous infusion of convalescent blood plasma from her son-in-law—who had recovered from COVID-19 disease—she showed profound improvement within 48 hours.
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Email Fraud Reminder From AACI
Association of American Cancer Institutes
AACI recently received a fraudulent email message that incorporated AACI’s domain name. Please remain alert to possible phishing and email scams, especially if you receive unsolicited messages, attachments, and requests for replies.
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