Connect with renowned scientists and researchers at the inaugural symposium to celebrate the Ginny L. Clements Breast Cancer Research Institute. The program will feature experts from Yale University School of Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, and the University of Arizona.
AACI Update | May 2023
Headlines
City of Hope Appoints Carpten as Director
City of Hope has announced the appointment of John D. Carpten, PhD, as director of the National Cancer Institute-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, director of Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, and chief scientific officer. Dr. Carpten joins City of Hope from the University of Southern California where he was associate director of the cancer center.
Register Today for the 2023 AACI/CCAF Annual Meeting
Registration is now open for the 2023 AACI/CCAF Annual Meeting, which will take place October 1-3 at the Salamander Washington, DC. This three-day event convenes AACI cancer center members with national cancer research and advocacy groups, industry, and government health agencies to develop solutions to common challenges. Continuing Medical Education (CME) is jointly provided by the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and AACI.
Abstract Winners Announced for 15th Annual AACI CRI Meeting
The AACI Clinical Research Innovation (CRI) Steering Committee, with the assistance of peer reviewers from CRI committees, have selected three abstracts from 118 submissions for formal presentation at the 15th Annual AACI CRI Meeting. The three winning abstracts will be presented individually during a session on Tuesday, June 27.
Representatives Fitzpatrick and Wasserman Schultz to Receive Cancer Research Ally Award
Representatives Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) will be honored with the Cancer Research Ally Award during the 2023 AACI/AACR Hill Day, which will be held in person on Thursday, May 18. The representatives will provide remarks during a reception on Wednesday, May 17.
Call For Research Grant and Fellowship Proposals
The goal of the Prevent Cancer Foundation research program is to identify and fund innovative projects with the potential to make substantial contributions to cancer prevention or early detection.
Learn more and apply for a $100,000 award by 11:59 pm eastern time on July 11, 2023.
Read about awarded researchers and the impact of the research program and use our Award Database to discover previously funded researchers.
Vitalief: Cultivating the Clinical Trial Office and Beyond
Vitalief is a Functional Service Provider (FSP) offering robust solutions that help research organizations and clinical trial offices address the Healthcare Human Capital Epidemic.
Visit us at the 15th Annual AACI CRI Meeting!News from the Centers
NCCN Names UChicago as New Member Institution
The University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center
The University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center has been named the newest member institution of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN). The network now has 33 academic centers contributing subject matter experts to 61 panels that determine evidence-based recommendations for cancer care. Kunle Odunsi, MD, PhD, is director of the cancer center.
Researchers Honored at American Physiology Summit
Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center
Three faculty members and five postdoctoral fellows at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, including James Goldenring, MD, PhD, received research honors last week from the American Physiological Society during its 2023 American Physiology Summit.
Priyanka Sharma, Prateek Sharma Honored at Investiture Ceremony
The University of Kansas Cancer Center
Priyanka Sharma, MD, and Prateek Sharma, MD, of The University of Kansas Cancer Center, were formally invested with professorships on March 21, 2023. Endowed professorships recognize the cancer center’s most productive faculty and are made possible by generous donors.
Clinical Director Wins Oncology Nursing Society Award
Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple Health
Erin Longstreth-Papsun, RN, MSN, OCN, NEA-BC, clinical director of Ambulatory Satellite Clinics and Radiation Oncology Nursing at Fox Chase Cancer Center, was recently awarded the Excellence in Cancer Nursing Management Award by the Oncology Nursing Society.
Castro Inducted Into 2023 Class of AIMBE College of Fellows
University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center
Maria G. Castro, PhD, R.C. Schneider Collegiate Professor of Neurosurgery and professor of cell and developmental biology at the University of Michigan, was inducted to the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) College of Fellows.
Ford Invited to Join Advisory Board
Hollings Cancer Center, Medical University of South Carolina
Marvella Ford, PhD, was invited to join the National Minority Quality Forum's Cancer Stage Shifting Initiative's Scientific Advisory Board. The forum is a 501(c)3 nonprofit research and educational organization dedicated to ensuring high-risk racial and ethnic populations and communities receive optimal health care.
Ganz Receives AACR-American Cancer Society Award
UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center
Patricia A. Ganz, MD, has been awarded the 2023 AACR-American Cancer Society Award for Research Excellence in Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention. The award recognizes outstanding research accomplishments in cancer epidemiology, biomarkers, and prevention.
Rathmell Elected to American Academy of Arts & Sciences
Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center
Kimryn Rathmell, MD, PhD, MMHC, chair of the Department of Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, is one of four Vanderbilt University faculty members elected this year to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. Dr. Rathmell is internationally recognized for her molecular biology research in the pathogenesis of kidney cancer.
Secord Installed as New President of SGO
Duke Cancer Institute, Duke University Medical Center
Angeles Alvarez Secord, MD, MHSc, associate director of clinical research in Duke Cancer Institute's Gynecologic Cancer Disease Group, was officially installed as president of the Society of Gynecologic Oncology in March.
$3.2 Million Grant Supports Study of New Genetic Testing Approach to Reduce Racial Health Disparities
Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey
With a nearly $3.2 million National Cancer Institute grant recently awarded, investigators from the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and Georgetown University’s Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center will work to close racial disparity gaps in cancer care delivery by examining a novel approach to genetic testing and care based on community identified needs.
Researcher Awarded $3.19 Million Grant for Drug Development
UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute
Hong-yu Li, PhD, a researcher with the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, recently received a five-year, $3.19 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to work toward advancing therapeutic treatments for certain types of cancer.
Ness Awarded $2.2 Million Grant
University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center
Scott Ness, PhD, received $2.2 million in renewed funding from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research for his grant, "Mutations and Target Genes in Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma." Dr. Ness and UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center colleagues David Y. Lee, MD, PhD, and Huining Kang, PhD, will investigate functions of MYB oncogenes in salivary gland tumors and develop a clinical test to identify patients with Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma who have the worst prognosis.
UChicago-Led Team Selected for Challenge Award
The University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center
The Prostate Cancer Foundation has awarded a $1 million grant to Akash Patnaik, MD, PhD, MMSc, and his team at UChicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center. They will head a multi-institutional group to investigate whether activation of NLRP3 will sensitize advanced prostate cancer to immune checkpoint immunotherapy.
Holcombe Named Associate Dean for Cancer Programs
The University of Vermont Cancer Center
The Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont (UVM), has announced the appointment of Randall F. Holcombe, MD, MBA, as associate dean for cancer programs. Dr. Holcombe joined UVM in 2021 to serve in the dual roles of director of the UVM Cancer Center and chief of the Division of Hematology and Oncology in the Department of Medicine.
Top Cancer Experts to Head New Hospital
The Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai
Cardinale B. Smith, MD, PhD, and Ash Tewari, MBBS, MCh, have been named to lead Mount Sinai’s new Tisch Cancer Hospital, which is under development and due to open in 2027.
Co-Leader of Hematologic Malignancies Research Program Appointed
UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center
Leslie A. Crews, PhD, has been appointed as the new co-leader of the UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center's Hematologic Malignancies Program, joining current co-leader, Thomas Kipps, MD, PhD.
Siteman Names New Deputy Director Among Other Leadership Appointments
Siteman Cancer Center
Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis announces several leadership changes including Daniel C. Link, MD, as new deputy director, along with associate directors of translational research and shared resources, and a deputy associate director of shared resources.
Leadership Promotions Support Growing Cancer Network
UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute
Sanjay Maraboyina, MD, has been named clinical director of radiation oncology for the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Baptist Health Cancer network, and Santanu Samanta, MD, will be the onsite radiation oncology director at the UAMS Baptist Health Cancer Center at the Baptist Health Springhill Medical Plaza in North Little Rock.
New Leaders to Oversee Key Areas
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center announces the promotion and appointment of three leaders: Ericka Bennett, Esq., has been promoted to vice president of corporate ethics, research integrity and research subject protection; Petrina Hill-Cheatom, MEd, is chief academic officer and vice president for educational affairs; and Anthony Putrelo, PE, has been named vice president of facilities management.
Assistant Director of Diversity Appointed
The University of Arizona Cancer Center
Kelly Palmer, PhD, MHS, CCRP, has been appointed assistant director of Inclusivity, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility for the University of Arizona Cancer Center (UACC). In reference to establishing an office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, UACC Director Joann Sweasy, PhD, said that diversity is the number one priority for the cancer center.
Sicklick Appointed Co-Leader of Structural and Functional Genomics Program
UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center
Jason Sicklick, MD, FACS, has been appointed as the new co-leader of the UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center Structural and Functional Genomics Research Program, joining current co-leader, Jill Mesirov, PhD at the helm of the program.
Promising Combination Therapy for Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University
A Phase II clinical trial led by Winship Cancer Institute shows a combination of two drugs was well tolerated and benefitted 91 percent of participating patients with recurrent/metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.
Study: Vitamin D May Play a Role in Prostate Cancer Disparities
Cedars-Sinai Cancer
Vitamin D deficiency could be the reason African American men experience more aggressive prostate cancer at a younger age compared with European American men, new research from Cedars-Sinai Cancer suggests.
Benefit of Chemotherapy for Patients With Early-Stage Breast Cancer Varies by Tumor Anatomy
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
A large retrospective study conducted by physician researchers from Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center reports benefits of chemotherapy for many patients with early-stage breast cancer with rare variant histology, or tumor anatomy.
Immunotherapy Alone Produces Exceptional Response Rates in Some Melanoma Patients
The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute
Data from a national clinical trial shows that a striking 89 percent of patients with desmoplastic melanoma responded to immunotherapy (pembrolizumab) alone, suggesting that many patients could avoid the risk for toxicity from combination therapies and achieve cancer control with this approach to treatment.
Lack of Provider Training Creates Health Care Barriers for Individuals With Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities
Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson Health
Individuals with autism and intellectual or developmental disabilities face damaging consequences due to numerous barriers to care across health care settings, including lack of training in providers and flawed communication between patients and providers, according to research from Jefferson Health’s Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center and the Jefferson Center for Autism and Neurodiversity.
Researchers Identify Biomarkers of Response to Immunotherapy for Kidney Cancer
Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University
The number of immune cells in and around kidney tumors, the amount of dead cancer tissue, and mutations to a tumor suppressor gene called PBRM1 form a biomarker signature that can predict—before treatment begins—how well patients with kidney cancer will respond to immunotherapy.
Researchers Use Skin-Colonizing Bacteria to Create a Topical Cancer Therapy in Mice
Stanford Cancer Institute
Michael Fischbach, PhD, is the senior author of a study that harnessed the skin’s immune response to bacteria to create an immunotherapy—delivered by swab—that treats aggressive tumors in mice.
Metastasis-Directed Radiation Therapy Plus Hormone Therapy Improves Progression-Free Survival for Men With Advanced Prostate Cancer
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center demonstrated that adding metastasis-directed radiation therapy to intermittent hormone therapy improved progression-free survival in patients with oligometastatic prostate cancer.
Researcher Prototypes New Equipment to Improve Head and Neck Cancer Treatment
WVU Cancer Institute
West Virginia University researcher Raymond Raylman, PhD, has developed a new technology to improve the treatment of head and neck cancers. The scanner that he and his team prototyped—which combines positron emission tomography and X-ray computed tomography—showed promising results in recent preclinical testing of its performance.
Researchers Find Link Between Asthma and Cancer Risk
University of Florida Health Cancer Center
Patients with asthma are almost one-and-a-half times more likely to develop cancer than those who don’t have the respiratory disease, a new University of Florida research study has found. Researchers analyzed a large statewide database of health records and administrative claims to reach their findings.
Novel Immunotherapy Agent Safe, Shows Promise Against High-Risk Prostate Cancers
Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University
A monoclonal antibody known as enoblituzumab is safe in men with aggressive prostate cancer and may induce clinical activity against cancer throughout the body, according to a Phase II study led by investigators at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and its Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy.
New Trial Compares Open Versus Minimally Invasive Surgery for Early-Stage Cervical Cancer
The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute
Gynecologic surgeons with OSUCCC - James are leading an international clinical trial to determine whether minimally invasive surgery robotic surgery is better or worse than open surgery when performing a radical hysterectomy to treat cervical cancer.
Prior Treatments Influence Immunotherapy Response in Advanced Melanoma
UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center
Research led by UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center found that responses to PD-1 checkpoint blockade in patients with advanced melanoma depended on whether or not they had previously received another immunotherapy—CTLA-4 blockade—as well as other factors.
Depression Linked to Lower Survival Rates in Breast Cancer Patients, Study Finds
UK Markey Cancer Center
A recent UK Markey Cancer Center study reveals that having depression before or after a breast cancer diagnosis was associated with a lower likelihood of survival.
First Single Molecule Microscopic Visualization of the Full-Length Human BRCA2 Protein Binding to DNA Revealed
Yale Cancer Center, Yale School of Medicine
Using a self-built inverted microscope complete with laser optical tweezers to capture DNA, Yale Cancer Center and University of California Davis researchers for the first time created a visualization of the full-length human BRCA2 protein at the single molecule level.
Jumping Genes in Cancer Cells Open Door to New Immunotherapies
Siteman Cancer Center
Jumping genes, also called transposable elements, are short sections of DNA that have been incorporated randomly into the human genome and implicated in the development of cancer. But new research suggests that transposable elements in various cancers potentially may be used to direct novel immunotherapies to tumors that don’t typically respond to immune-based treatments.
Lorlatinib Safe, Effective for Patients With High-Risk Neuroblastoma
Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University
An international group of researchers led by Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Winship Cancer Institute, and the New Approaches to Neuroblastoma Therapy Consortium has shown that the targeted therapy lorlatinib is safe and effective in treating high-risk neuroblastoma.
Novel Immunotherapy Delivery Approach Safe and Beneficial for Some Melanoma Patients With Leptomeningeal Disease
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
A novel approach to administer intrathecal immunotherapy (directly into the spinal fluid) and intravenous immunotherapy was safe and improved survival in a subset of patients with leptomeningeal disease from metastatic melanoma, according to interim analyses of a Phase I/Ib trial led by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
Sex, Age, Mental Health and More Can Affect Perceived Barriers to Genetic Testing for Cancer
University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center
Genetic testing barriers for patients with cancer may vary based on demographics and other personal factors, a pilot project linked with a large clinical trial found. In a University of Michigan study, women, for instance, were more likely to report worries about the implications of their test results for family members and how the results could affect their health and life insurance.
Research Suggests Novel Therapies to Block Cancer Metastasis Are on the Horizon
The University of Arizona Cancer Center
An article published by University of Arizona Cancer Center researchers suggests that there may be new ways to inhibit the spread of prostate cancer. The study presents evidence that a pro-survival protein called PIM1 helps cancer cells move out of the primary site, a process known as metastasis that is responsible for the majority of cancer deaths.
Researchers Discover and Target an Unexpected 'Achilles Heel' in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson Health
Researchers at Jefferson Health's Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center have developed a novel therapeutic strategy that could revolutionize treatment of triple-negative breast cancer – and are challenging scientific beliefs in the process.
Researchers Identify Promising New Target for Treatment-Resistant Prostate Cancer
UK Markey Cancer Center
UK Markey Cancer Center researchers identified a protein that plays an important role in prostate cancer progression as well as resistance to enzalutamide, a common prostate cancer treatment.
Study: Lasting Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Cancer Care Confirmed
Duke Cancer Institute, Duke University Medical Center
Cancer patients said the COVID-19 pandemic heightened infection concerns, increased feelings of fear, and disrupted their care, according to a research questionnaire. The findings were an update of a previous analysis by researchers at Duke University and The University of Sydney detailing the impacts of living with cancer during the pandemic.
Mount Sinai Launches Institute for Regenerative Medicine
The Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai
Eirini Papapetrou, MD, PhD, is the founding director of Mount Sinai’s new Center for Advancement of Blood Cancer Therapies (CABCT), co-sponsored by Mount Sinai’s Institute for Regenerative Medicine and The Tisch Cancer Institute. The mission of the CABCT is to accelerate the development of new therapies for blood cancers and other blood diseases.
Stanford Cancer Institute Joins White House Challenge
Stanford Cancer Institute
The Biden-Harris Administration announced the White House Challenge to End Hunger and Build Healthy Communities. Stanford Cancer Institute's Lisa Goldman Rosas, PhD, MPH, and University of California San Francisco researchers, along with Instacart, have risen to the challenge to examine the impact of nutrition security interventions.
Care Options Improved for Metastatic Gastrointestinal Cancer
UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center
UCSF Health's surgical oncology team leads in using an innovative chemotherapy infusion pump, called hepatic artery infusion (HAI) pump, for patients with widely metastatic colorectal and bile duct cancers. The HAI pump delivers chemotherapy directly to the liver to treat cancer and prevent future liver metastases. UCSF is one of only a few U.S. medical centers using this pump.
Peripheral Neuropathy: When Having No Pain is a Big Problem
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
Eric Tandberg has guided himself through years of cancer treatments, including three blood stem cell transplants at Seattle’s Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. In all those years of treatment, perhaps the most unnerving experience came in January, when chemotherapy led to an eerie loss of feeling in his feet and toes, interspersed with stabbing pain at the bottom of his heel.
Fox Chase Offers Adaptive Radiation Therapy
Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple Health
Fox Chase Cancer Center has begun offering cone-beam computed tomography-based adaptive radiation therapy, a technique that allows a patient’s radiation treatment to be adjusted in real time to accommodate changes in the body such as tumor shrinkage and/or the position of the adjacent normal organs.
UF Health Launches AI Research Initiative in Radiology
University of Florida Health Cancer Center
Using artificial intelligence tools to make radiologists’ work more precise and efficient is the goal as University of Florida Health researchers embark on an academic-industry collaboration. The research alliance will be used to help develop and optimize AI-based solutions that improve quality and safety while helping radiologists work quickly and more effectively.
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Meeting Announcements
Ginny L. Clements Breast Cancer Research Institute Inaugural Symposium
May 5, 2023
2023 AACI/AACR Hill Day
May 18, 2023
Registration is open for the 2023 AACI/AACR Hill Day, Thursday, May 18, in Washington, DC.
15th Annual AACI CRI Meeting
June 26, 2023
Registration is open for the 15th Annual AACI CRI Meeting, June 26-28, 2023, at Loews Chicago O'Hare Hotel in Rosemont, IL.
For those who are unable to attend the CRI meeting in person, a virtual option is available. To register as a virtual attendee, select the "Member - Virtual Only" registration type. This will give you access to all sessions held in the main ballroom and a virtual breakout session. Virtual registration rates will remain the same. Login information will be provided closer to the meeting.
2023 Annual Conference of the Cancer Molecular Therapeutics Research Association (CMTRA)
July 23, 2023
The 2023 Cancer Molecular Therapeutics Research Association (CMTRA) Conference will be held July 23-27 at the Watkins Glen Harbor Hotel in upstate New York.
The format of the CMTRA-2023 conference allows for 150 or fewer delegates to foster and promote both formal and informal scientific interactions.
Session highlights include:
The format of the CMTRA-2023 conference allows for 150 or fewer delegates to foster and promote both formal and informal scientific interactions.
Session highlights include:
- Targeting RAS
- Autophagy and cancer
- Target identification and discovery
- Pediatric cancers
- Targeting the cell division cycle
2023 AACI/CCAF Annual Meeting
October 1, 2023
Registration is now open for the 2023 AACI/CCAF Annual Meeting, October 1-3, 2023, at the Salamander Washington DC.
For those who are unable to attend the annual meeting in person, a virtual option is available. To register as a virtual attendee, select the "Member - Virtual Only" registration type. This will give you access to all sessions held in the main ballroom and a virtual breakout session. Virtual registration rates will remain the same. Login information will be provided closer to the meeting.
16th Annual AACI CRI Meeting
June 24, 2024
The 16th Annual AACI CRI Meeting will be held June 24-26 at Loews Chicago O'Hare Hotel in Rosemont, IL.
2024 AACI/CCAF Annual Meeting
October 20, 2024
Save the date for the 2024 AACI/CCAF Annual Meeting, October 20-22, at Loews Chicago Hotel in Chicago, IL. Registration will open in May 2024.