 MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR
Stan Gerson, MD
Director, Case CCC
Case CCC Strategic Plan
In the fall of 2012, the Cancer Center submitted a Strategic Plan 2012-2018 to the institutional leadership and gained approval for the initiatives set forth in that Plan. The Cancer Center Executive Committee will maintain a consistent strategic orientation to that laid out in the Plan, with a few changes in emphasis, that are consistent with the shifts in cancer research and in the dialogue around further deployment in cancer genomics.
SOM Priorities for the Cancer Center:
- Recruitment of outstanding faculty. Will continue, as outlined in the Strategic Plan.
- Development of an integrated clinical informatics database and storage platform for cancer investigators. Working groups are now discussing governance, IT infrastructure, data stewards, indemnification, security. This will initiate as a bilateral effort CWRU-UHCMC, but can expand to other institutions.
- Cancer Genomics. Support for integrated cross-institutional efforts in research and clinical sequencing of cancer patients and high risk populations, informatics and database expertise, clinical testing, clinical trials and platforms to optimize high quality genomic information; an introduction and proposal will be made to the Cancer Center institutional leaders Board of Governors by June 2012.
- Drug Development. The Cancer Center established the Center for Cancer Drug Development in 2011 to support investigators evaluation of lead compounds identified after drug screening. Specific needs are support for better screening assays, core use, and better access to medicinal chemistry for lead compound optimization. This needs to be linked to marker assessment technology using genomics, proteomics and imaging.
- Cancer disparity research effort. The Cancer Center recognizes a shortcoming in this area and wishes to partner with the Urban Health Initiative, and the CTSA, to promote research into population and disparity research. Program development will require seed funding, recruitment of an established leader, and community outreach efforts.
- Develop a strong training and career development for outstanding graduate students and post docs. The Cancer Center believes that we do a disservice by not emphasizing this effort and supporting it in a number of ways such as:
- Increased support for highly motivated competitive post docs ($50,000-$80,000 research supplement for 2 or 3 years for highly qualified candidates, prior to a faculty recruitment package) and outstanding junior faculty. The Cancer Center proposes that a wise investment in augmented career development packages for outstanding candidates will improve our pool of postdocs and junior faculty.
- Improved training and career development including small start up packages for early successes in career development awards.
CASE CCC IN THE NEWS
Video: Cancer Risk Following a False-Positive Mammogram?
ABC News - Apr 5, 2012
Dr. Donna Plecha says a false-positive mammogram doesn't increase cancer risk.
Support for Dose Titration of Axitinib in AXIS Trial Results
OncLive - Apr 5, 2012
... presented at the ASCO 2012 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium by lead author Brian I. Rini, MD, associate professor of Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic ...
Researchers Present New Findings for Glioblastoma at American Association for Cancer Research
Medical Xpress - Apr 4, 2012
"The breadth and depth of this innovative cancer research presented at AACR is truly outstanding," says Stan Gerson, MD, Director of the Seidman Cancer ...A study led by Jill Barnholtz-Sloan, PhD, Associate Professor at Case Comprehensive Cancer Center ...physicians to tailor individualized treatments for specific brain cancer patients," said Andrew Sloan, MD, Co-Investigator on the study ...and Dr. Mark Chance, Vice Dean for Research and Director of the Proteomics and Bioinformatics Center...
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
Cancer Center Seminar Series: The Role of Chinese Herbal Medicine as a Modulator of Chemotherapy in the Treatment of Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: Where East Meets West
Friday, April 13
12 pm
BRB 105
Please join us April 13 for the next Cancer Center Seminar Series where Dr. Edward Chu, Chief of the Division of Hematology/Oncology and Deputy Director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, will present The Role of Chinese Herbal Medicine as a Modulator of Chemotherapy in the Treatment of Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: Where East Meets West.
Over the past 25 years, Dr. Chu has been actively involved in basic, clinical and translational cancer research. He has a broad background in cancer pharmacology, cancer drug development, and clinical investigations. His main research efforts have focused on the design and development of novel agents and treatment approaches for the treatment of colorectal cancer and other gastrointestinal (GI) cancers, in addition to early Phase I and II clinical development of novel small molecules for non-GI cancers and other solid tumors. Over the past 7-8 years, he has developed a special interest in the development of Chinese herbal medicine as a novel approach to cancer treatment, and he and his colleagues have been investigating an interesting formulation called PHY906, which is the subject of his seminar.
Case GI SPORE Retreat
The Case Gastrointestinal Cancers SPORE Retreat will be held Friday, May 4 in Dively Hall on Case campus. Topics will include colon cancer, Barrett's Esophagus, cancer metastasis and prevention and cancer in minorities. Faculty, fellows and students in the Cancer Center community are encouraged to attend and learn more about exciting findings from researchers in the specialized program of research excellence.
The retreat will also feature a lunchtime poster session that starts at 12 pm. Postdoc, graduate and clinical fellows are encouraged to submit poster abstracts. Send poster abstracts to John Wang, PhD by April 16. A cash prize will be awarded for best poster.
Advance registration is required. Contact John Pounardjian with any questions.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Race for the Place
The Race for the Place, an event that benefits the Gathering Place, will be held Sunday, June 3 at Beachwood Place Mall. The Case CCC is putting together a "trainee team" for the Race but would like to judge interest before officially registering the team. Any fellow or trainee who is interested in participating should contact Lyn Haselton, Case CCC Training Program Manager, at 216.844.5375 or lyn.haselton@case.edu.
NCI CANCER BULLETIN
News
Featured Article: Targeted Drug Shows Promise in Common Form of Lymphoma
Drawbacks of Adding MRI to Mammography Plus Ultrasound May Outweigh Benefits
Ultrasound-Guided Breast-Conserving Surgery May Reduce Need for Further Surgeries
Anal HPV Infections and Precancerous Lesions Are Common in Men Who Have Sex with Men
Olaparib Delays Progression of Ovarian Cancer after Initial Treatment
Transplant Recipients at Higher Risk of Aggressive Form of Lymphoma
Some Melanoma Cells May Use the Body's Immune Response to Escape Destruction
Also in the Journals: Methylation Levels in HPV DNA May Indicate Risk for Cervical Precancer
Commentary
A Conversation with Dr. Bert Vogelstein about Whole-Genome Sequencing to Predict Cancer Risk
In Depth
U.S. Cancer Deaths Continue Steady Decline
Drugs Target Epigenetic Changes to Reprogram Cancer Cells
Featured Clinical Trial: Virus Therapy for Extensive-Stage Small Cell Lung Cancer
Updates
Legislative Update
FDA Update
Notes
| EVENTS
**All events are open to anyone interested in attending
April 9
Division of Gastroenterology and Liver Disease Seminar
Anil Mishra, PhD
Associate Professor, Pediatrics
University of Cincinnati
Topic: A Critical Role of Interleukin (IL)-15 and Invariant Natural Killer (iNK) T Cells in the Pathogenesis of Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE)
12 pm BRB 532
Pathology Research Seminar Series
Kevin Roth, MD, PhD
Professor and Chair, Neurobiology
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Topic: Lysosomotropic Therapy for Malignant Glial Neoplasm
12 pm WRB 1-413
Sequencing Data Interest Group (SDIG) Meeting
Yaomin Xu, PhD
Assistant Staff, Quantitative Health Sciences
Cleveland Clinic
Topic: Reproducible Analysis on NGS Epigenomic Data
2:30 pm WRB 1-402
April 10
Immunology Seminar Series
Fidel Zavala, MD
Professor, Molecular Microbiology and Immunology
Johns Hopkins University
Topic: Induction of Protective Memory CD8+ T Cells Against Malaria Parasites
12 pm WRB 1-413
April 11
Hematology and Oncology Division Research Conference
Lili Liu, PhD
Assistant Professor, Medicine-Hem/Onc
CWRU/UH
Topic: First Human Trial of BER Inhibitor in CLL
8 am Lerner Tower B-151
Immunology Students/Fellows Research in Progress Seminar Series
Robert Aguilar
Graduate Student, Tuohy Lab, Immunology
CWRU/Cleveland Clinic
Topic: Development of a Testicular Cancer Vaccine
AND
Anupurna Kaul
Graduate Student, Baldwin Lab, Immunology
CWRU/Cleveland Clinic
Topic: Role of CD4 T cells in Cardiac Allograft Vasculopathy
12 pm NC1-202 Cleveland Clinic
Frontiers in Molecular Medicine Symposium Series
Ann Skalka, PhD
Scientific Director, Institute for Cancer Research
WW Smith Chair in Cancer Research
Fox Chase Cancer Center
Topic: New Insights into the Structure and Function of Retroviral Integrases
4 pm WRB 1-413
Cell Death Regulation Program Meeting
Anthony Berdis, PhD
Assistant Professor, Pharmacology
CWRU
Topic DNA Damage and Repair
4:30-6 pm College Club (**please note time change)
April 12
Molecular Biology and Microbiology Seminar
Stephen Buratowski, PhD
Professor, Biological Chemistry and Pharmacology
Harvard University
Topic: Modulating Yeast Gene Expression Via Chromatin and Non-Coding Transcription
1 pm SOM W203
Case CCC Scientific Series: Stem Cells
Alex Huang, MD
Topic: Longitudinal tracking of in vivo tumor microenvironment in high definition
Jeongwu Lee, PhD
Topic: C-MET signaling in GBM stem cells and treatment resistance
Ofer Reizes, PhD
Topic: Obesity tips the scales on breast cancer: a role for the fat hormone leptin in cancer stem cells
Reception and presentations, 4-6 pm BRB 105
April 13
Taussig Cancer Institute Grand Rounds canceled
Hematology/Oncology Fellows
Ashley Rosko, MD
Fellow, Div. of Hem/Onc
CWRU/UH
Topic: TBD
8 am Wearn 137
Cancer Center Seminar Series
Edward Chu, MD
Chief, Division of Hematology/Oncology
Deputy Director, University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute
Topic: The Role of Chinese Herbal Medicine as a Modulator of Chemotherapy in the Treatment of Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: Where East Meets West
12 pm BRB 105
Cancer Center Research in Progress Seminar
Lili Liu, MD, PhD
Associate Professor, Medicine-Hem/Onc
CWRU/UH
Topic: First in Human Trial of BER Inhibitor in CLL: Introduction of BER-targeted Therapy
4 pm WRB 3-136
Case CCC Calendar
LRI Calendar
UPCOMING CANCER CENTER SYMPOSIUMS & EVENTS
Case GI Cancers SPORE Retreat
May 4 Dively Building
Details and Agenda
Registration
Breast Cancer 2012: Risk Assessment through Survivorship
May 18
Brochure
Registration
Case CCC Scientific Series: Imaging Research
May 31
Jim Basilion, PhD
Topic: Introduction
Chris Flask, PhD
Topic: Development of PARACEST-MRI Imaging Agents for In Vivo Assessment of Autophagy OR Magnetic Resonance Imaging as an Early-Stage Biomarker
Cheryl Thompson, PhD
Topic: Variation in Breast Tissue Gene Expression by Mammographic Density
Reception and presentations, 4-6 pm WRB 1-413
Ca-PRI Annual Meeting: Learning from Our Differences
June 5-7 InterContinental Hotel
Details
ADDITIONAL UPCOMING SEMINARS & EVENTS
Department of Biomedical Engineering Special Seminar
May 3
Steve Zullo, PhD
Program Director, Division of Discovery Science and Technology
National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, NIH
Topic: NIH Grant Machine Revealed, Not a Black Box Anymore
12 pm Wickenden 509
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