September 1, 2008

MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR ON STEPHANIE TUBBS JONES

As I sit down to write, the hymns from the August 30 memorial service for Stephanie Tubbs Jones are still ringing in my ears. I just want to add my reflections to members of the Cancer Center and the Stem Cell Center. Stephanie was a wonderful supporter of us all, Cleveland, CWRU, our Comprehensive Cancer Center and its affiliates the Ireland Cancer Center and the Taussig Cancer Institute, and our Stem Cell Center. When I visited her on the Hill, she poured out enthusiasm for her support for NCI funding. In 2006, she offered her support during our competitive Cancer Center Core Grant renewal process and offered to "make that call" if needed. She helped us secure federal funding for the National Center for Regenerative Medicine in 2005, 2006, and 2007. In 2004, Paul DiCorleto and I talked on stem cell research when she chaired the Democratic Party Platform Committee hearing in Cleveland. When I last saw Stephanie in late June, I was leaving the National Airport as she was arriving. After her characteristic bear hug, she asked about our research, our funding, how the hospitals were doing "together," and promised her ongoing support for the NIH and our institutions. We really will miss her support and her passion for Cleveland.

Stan Gerson, Director, Case CCC

MARK YOUR CALENDARS– Spotlight in Breast Cancer Research Seminar Series

The Case Comprehensive Cancer Center is pleased to present the Spotlight in Breast Cancer Research Seminar Series. The goal of this series is to bring 3-4 outstanding breast cancer researchers per year to the Cancer Center for seminars. We will start the series with a talk by Kornelia Polyak, MD, PhD from the Dana Farber Cancer Center. Dr. Polyak is a leader in genomics of breast cancer progression as well as tumor/stromal interactions. In 2008 alone she co-authored papers in Cell, Cancer Cell, Nature Genetics, and The New England Journal of Medicine, as well as others. Her talk is scheduled for Tuesday, September 2 in the Department of Pharmacology's conference room (W331) at noon. We hope to see you there.

Another speaker in this series will be Max Wicha, an expert in breast cancer stem cells, who will be here in November. Please contact Ruth Keri if you have suggestions for additional speakers and formats for their visits, and we will work to invite them for the series.

This seminar series is just one way we are working to more fully integrate the diverse group of breast cancer/development researchers in the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center. We are also planning a mini-retreat to introduce the different types of research that is being performed here in breast and to facilitate networking between investigators. More information will follow on the date and structure of that event, and we hope you will attend and provide suggestions for addressing your individual needs.

You may also be interested to know that Mina Bissell will be giving a talk for the Greenfield Family Lecture in Pharmacology on October 30. Please click here for details.

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY– Canary Foundation/ACS Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Early Detection of Cancer for 2009

The Canary Foundation has partnered with the American Cancer Society (ACS) to create a postdoctoral fellowship program focused on studies towards development of strategies for early detection of cancer. Research should be directed at new approaches to improve clinical methods for the detection of primary tumors and/or metastases. The projects that will be funded are expected to have a direct impact on the early detection of cancer or to provide a clear conceptual or experimental foundation for the future development of methods for early detection.

Application Deadline: October 15

For details, please click here.

PATRICK MA AWARDED TRAVEL GRANT

Congratulations to Cancer Center Member Patrick Ma, MD, who was recently awarded a travel grant to attend the Chicago Multidisciplinary Symposium in Thoracic Oncology. The grant was awarded based on Dr. Ma's abstract, "Dual MET-EGFR Inhibition for Erlotinib-Resistant Lung Cancer". The Symposium is co-sponsored by ASTRO, ASCO, IASLC, and the University of Chicago.

STAND UP TO CANCER – Call for Ideas

AACR invites members of the cancer community to contribute to a groundbreaking effort to accelerate progress against cancer and directly impact patient care.

AACR is managing the blue ribbon scientific review of this innovative research program and will assure its integrity. The main objective is to identify and fund "SU2C Dream Team" translational research projects.

The number of Dream Teams to be formed will depend upon the total amount of funds raised through SU2C. Based on the scope of each Dream Team project, total support for each Team may reach up to $20 million for 3 years. The AACR is asking you to join this collaborative effort and contribute ideas to help shape the groundbreaking SU2C Dream Team translational research model. In issuing this call, AACR is not accepting research proposal for grant funding. Rather, they are inviting ideas for SU2C Dream Team translational research projects. For information, please click here.

On Friday, September 5 from 8:00 pm - 9:00 pm, ABC, CBS, and NBC will donate one hour of prime time for a simulcast, nationally televised fundraising event, uniting the nation as we "Stand Up To Cancer". As an official partner in this new and exciting initiative for cancer research, all funds raised through the event will be channeled through AACR.

Note from Dr. Gerson:

Dear Cancer Center members:

Please note this exciting initiative to think boldly about new collaborative research ideas that cut across institutions, disciplines, and diseases. I would like you to consider a concept for a proposal. While the new initiative is not asking for full proposals now, our effort to contribute ideas would position us to make a proposal based on the content we propose! Please consider an idea proposal, and send it to me for discussion with the senior leaders. If you want to also send it directly to the web site, please go ahead, but perhaps proposals would do better if vetted first!

Thanks for the great thoughts!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS & CALL FOR ABSTRACTS– ECOG Young Investigator's Symposium

November 16
Fort Lauderdale, FL

The purpose of this annual symposium is to engage promising young clinical investigators in cooperative group clinical research. Individuals who meet the criteria are invited to submit an abstract for presentation at the fall ECOG meeting, which will take place November 14-16 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The symposium will tentatively take place between 8:30-11:00 am on November 16.

Abstracts should be emailed or faxed no later than October 10. For details, please click here.

EVENTS

**All events are open to anyone interested in attending

September 1

Happy Labor Day!

September 2

Pharmacology and Case CCC Special Seminar
Kornelia Polyak, MD, PhD
Associate Professor, Medicine
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Topic: Tumor Microenvironment and Evolution
12:00 pm SOM W331

September 3

Grand Rounds
Charles Kunos, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor, Radiation Oncology
CWRU/ UH
Topic: Principles of Radiation Oncology
8:00 am Lerner B-151

September 4

Taussig Cancer Institute Core Curriculum Series
Anjali Advani, MD
Assistant Professor, Hematology & Medical Oncology
CWRU/ Cleveland Clinic
Topic: Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia
12:00 pm R3-002 Cleveland Clinic

Practice-Based Research Network Seminar
Topic: Working With Community-Based Practices
6:00 pm Cuyahoga County Coroner's Office
RSVP to pbrn@case.edu

September 5

Hematology/Oncology Fellows Seminar
Topic: TBA
8:00 am Wearn 137

Taussig Cancer Institute Grand Rounds
Mira Milas, MD
Staff, Surgery
Cleveland Clinic
Topic: What's New in Thyroid Cancer in 2008: Novel Markers and Associations With Other Malignancies
8:00 am R3/002-003 Cleveland Clinic

more

For a complete listing of LRI seminars click here.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS:

UPCOMING CANCER CENTER SYMPOSIUMS

**For more information on these symposiums, please contact Christine Rhoads.

Family-Centered Care
March 21, 2009
Holiday Inn, Independence
Details to follow

Head and Neck Conference
April 17, 2009
Holiday Inn, Independence
Details to follow

ONCOLOGY CONGRESS

September 25-28
Hilton San Francisco

The Oncology Congress engages you in productive peer-to-peer discussions about cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment options, giving you the practical knowledge, tools, and insight needed to improve care and quality of life for your patients today.

The Case CCC has partnered with the Oncology Congress to offer a discounted registration rate for Case CCC members: $395 for physicians and $195 for nurses and physician assistants. To register, please click here, and use priority code COE8.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS– NanoMedicine Summit 2008

September 25-26
Ritz Carlton
Cleveland

The 2008 Cleveland NanoMedicine Summit, is the anchor event for Nano Week in Cleveland (in its fifth year) and will be co-hosted by NorTech's Nano-Network, the Cleveland Clinic Foundation and Case Western Reserve University. This conference has been incredibly successful in the past (as evidenced by national media attention and feedback from attendees) by bringing together scientists, clinicians, business professionals, investors and others to learn, discuss and interact under the umbrella of nanomedicine.

The 2008 Summit will focus on the use of nanoparticles for diagnostics and therapeutics. Session highlights include:
–Nanoparticles for Imaging Cancer and other Diseases
–Nanoparticles for Drug Delivery
–Nanoparticle Building Blocks
–Nanoparticles for Treatment of Disease
–Biological Investigation Using Nanoparticles

Many Cancer Center members are involved in this Summit. Drs. James Basilion, Vinod Labhasetwar, and Maciej Zborowski are on the Organizing Committee, and the following members are scheduled to speak: Drs. Stanton Gerson, Clemens Burda, Agata Exner, Vinod Labhasetwar, Horst von Recum, Pam Davis, Mark Cooper, and Thomas Budd.

For more information, please click here.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS– AACR Centennial Symposium

October 27-28
Roswell Park Cancer Institute
Buffalo, NY

The AACR Centennial Symposium: The Future of Cancer Research: Science and Patient Impact will focus on the latest and future advances in cancer research, technologies, and techniques. This forward-looking centennial symposium will also be honoring the long history that the AACR has had with the Roswell Park Cancer Institute.

Advance Registration Deadline: September 15

For details, please click here.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS– 61st Annual Symposium on Cancer Research: Systems Biology of Cancer

October 30-November 1
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, TX

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center is pleased to host the 61st Annual Symposium on Cancer Research: Systems Biology of Cancer. This symposium will bring together internationally-recognized scientists from academia, industry, regulatory agencies, and patient advocates to describe and discuss state-of-the art information about how systems biology is transforming cancer research. This symposium is directed towards scientists, scientists-in-training, physicians, physicians-in-training, students, and fellows interested in integrating large molecular data sets to generate information relevant to understanding the mechanism of cancer growth and ultimately diagnosing and treating it.

For details, please click here.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS– AFAR Conference on Cancer and Aging

October 6-7
Union League Club
New York, NY

The American Federation on Aging Research (AFAR) is pleased to present Aging and Cancer: Two Sides of the Same Coin?, October 6-7 in New York. This two-day conference will explore fundamental aspects of aging and cancer processes and their interactions. Speakers will examine: genetic and epigenetic changes, environmental influences, and host factors such as oxidative stress and cell death. The evolutionary, cellular and molecular relationships among aging, tumor suppressor mechanisms and the development of cancer as well as the interactions of normal aging cells, stem cells and differences in the manifestation of cancer in young and old will also be discussed. Speakers will report on topics such as telomere biology; nuclear processes such as DNA damage, repair, replication, recombination and transcription; and relevant aspects of mitochondrial structure and function. The goal will be to elucidate genetic and epigenetic alterations that lead to aging and cancer phenotypes.

For more information, please click here.

PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation
Deadline: September 15

Pezcoller Foundation/ AACR International Award for Cancer Research
Deadline: September 15

Susan G. Komen Promise Grants
Pre-Application Deadline: September 25

ACS Ohio Division Pilot Grants
Application Deadline: September 29

Quantitative Imaging for Evaluation of Responses to Cancer Therapies (U01)
Deadline: October 5

World Cancer Research Fund International
Deadline: October 13

NCI Clinical Investigator Development Program
Application Deadline: October 15

ACS Pilot and Exploratory Projects in Palliative Care of Cancer Patients and Their Families
Application Deadline: October 15

Multidisciplinary Clinical Research Training Program Clinical Research Scholars
Application Deadline: November 4

Susan G. Komen Promise Grants
Full Application Deadline: December 4

Sallie Rosen Kaplan Fellowship
Deadline: December 15

NIH Bulletin – Notices and Funding Opportunities

Clarification of the Scope and Requirements of PAR-08-225, "Quantitative Imaging for Evaluation of Responses to Cancer Therapies (U01)"(NOT-CA-08-028)

Metals in Medicine (R01) (PA-08-251)