February 11, 2008

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY –Burroughs Wellcome Fund Career Awards at the Scientific Interface (CASI)

Career Awards at the Scientific Interface (CASI) are intended to foster the early career development of postdoctoral scientists with backgrounds in the physical/computational sciences whose work addresses biological questions and who are dedicated to pursuing a career in academic research. Applicants are expected to draw upon their training in a scientific field other than biology to propose innovative approaches to answer important questions in the biological sciences. Proposals that include experimental validation of theoretical models are particularly encouraged.

An institution (including its affiliated hospitals or research institutes) may nominate up to FOUR candidates. If the institution nominates more than two, then at least one of the candidates must be a female and at least one of the candidates must be a member of an underrepresented minority group**.

This is a multi-college funding opportunity. The SOM Proposal Selection Committee will review and rank submissions and forward to the Provost's Office. Final nominees will be selected by a review panel to be convened by Deputy Provost Lynn Singer.

• Full C.V. with funding history (please include gender and race)**,
• 1-2 page proposal with specific aims, and
• Letter of support from your Chair.

Send materials electronically to Richard.Sohn@case.edu (ONE document if feasible)

For details, please click here.

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY– DOD Breast Cancer Research Program

The Department of Defense (DOD) has released the FY08 BCRP Program Announcements. Each Program Announcement is available electronically for downloading from Grants.gov, CDMRP website, and the CDMRP eReceipt Website.

Clinical Translational Research Award
Pre-Application/Pre-proposal Deadline: March 27
2008 Proposal Deadline (invited): June 19

Era of Hope Postdoctoral Award
Pre-Application/Nomination Deadline: March 27
Proposal Deadline (invited): June 19

Era of Hope Scholar Award
Pre-Application/Nomination Deadline: March 27
Proposal Deadline (invited): June 19

HBCU/MI Partnership Training Award
Pre-Application/Pre-proposal Deadline: March 27
Proposal Deadline (invited): June 19

Idea Award
Pre-Application/Letter of Intent Deadline: April 16
Proposal Deadline: May 7

Impact Award
Pre-Application/Letter of Intent Deadline: April 16
Proposal Deadline: May 7

Innovator Award
Pre-Application/Nomination Deadline: March 27
Proposal (invited): June 19

Synergistic Idea Award
Pre-Application/Letter of Intent Deadline: April 16
Proposal Deadline: May 7

New for 2008–In order to clarify the CDMRP Program Announcements and proposal submission process, CDMRP has divided these documents into the following:

1) Program Announcement: contains all program information, scientific proposal components, and peer review criteria.

2) Application Instructions: contains instructions and detailed information on all pre-application and proposal requirements, including directions for Grants.gov submissions. This document also contains Regulatory Requirements and Award Administration information. Each Application Instruction document will only apply to the specific award mechanism listed; however this document is intended to be utilized in conjunction with the PA.

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES– 2008 Ovarian Cancer Research Program

Department of Defense FY08 Ovarian Cancer Research Program (OCRP) Program Announcements are expected to be released in February 2008. The announcements will describe opportunities for funding by the following award mechanisms:

• Idea Development Award
• Translational Research Partnership Award
• Career Development Award
• Clinical Consortium Development Award

Brief descriptions of each of these mechanisms are being released in the News Release on the CDMRP website. Requests for e-mail notification when Program Announcements are released may be sent to help@cdmrp.org.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS– AACR/ASCO Workshop

AACR/ASCO are currently accepting applications for their workshop Methods in Clinical Cancer Research, August 2-8 at Vail Marriott Mountain Resort in Vail, Colorado.

This event is described as "an intense workshop in the essentials of effective clinical trial designs of therapeutic interventions in the treatment of cancer for clinical fellow and junior faculty clinical researchers in all oncology subspecialties, including radiation and surgical oncology and radiology".

Application Deadline: March 17

For more information, click here.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS– Roswell Park Cancer Institute Lecture

Please mark your calendars for the Roswell Park Cancer Institute Inaugural Dr. Hohn Lecture on Health Policy. Guest lecturer, Irving Weissman, MD, PhD, will present Stem Cells: Regenerative Medicine, Cancer, and Politics on March 17 at 5:00 pm in the David C. Hohn Lecture Hall Research Studies Center at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, New York. Dr. Weissman is a Professor of Pathology and Developmental Biology, Director of the Institute of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, and Director of the Cancer Center at Stanford University. Dr. Weissman first isolated and identified stem cells and characterized their stages of development. In 2005, he was awarded the Linus Pauling Medal for Outstanding Contributions to Science.

The Hohn Lecture Series, featuring distinguished speakers in the field of health policy, was established in honor of David C. Hohn, MD, President Emeritus and Executive Director of Health Policy at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute, with a grant from the Roswell Park Alliance Foundation.

For directions to this event, click here.

NCI CANCER BULLETIN

Cancer Research Highlights
Oral Contraceptives Reduce Long–Term Risk of Ovarian Cancer

Sorafenib Increases Risk of High Blood Pressure

Protein in Breast Tumors Does Not Predict Chemotherapy Benefit

Survey Highlights Threat of Global Tobacco–Related Mortality

Expanding the Search for Cancer Drug Targets

Study Finds No Link Between Hormones, Prostate Cancer

Director's Update
Budget Proposal Highlights Cancer Research Progress, Priorities

NIH CENTER FOR SCIENTIFIC REVIEW NEWSLETTER

The Center for Scientific Review (CSR) has released the January 2008 issues of its newsletter Peer Review Notes. This issue covers a variety of topics that are of interest to investigators.

The first section discusses new benefits for reviewers, such as the movement of study sections to cities besides DC, and the approval of an online review system. The next section covers new input and actions for CSR and NIH, such as the result of their year–long study to improve CSR Review Groups. There is also a section in which study section chairs share insight for applicants. To view the newsletter, click here.

EVENTS

**All events are open to anyone interested in attending

February 11

Cancer Genetics/ Biology Journal Club
Runlei Du, PhD
Postdoc, Ma Lab, Division of Hem/Onc
CWRU/ UH
Topic: Signaling Networks Assembled by Oncogenic EGFR and c–Met
and
Colin Sweeney, PhD
Research Associate, Gerson Lab, Division of Hem/Onc
CWRU/ UH
Topic: Treatment of Sickle Cell Anemia Mouse Model with iPS Cells from Autologous Skin
12:00 pm WRB 2-136

CSCRM Pluripotency Meeting
12:00 pm WRB 2-505

Physiology & Biophysics Minisymposium: Phenotyping Genetically Modified Mice
Keynote Speaker: Zena Werb, PhD
Professor, Anatomy
University of California at San Francisco
Topic: Dynamic Imaging in Living Mice Reveals Effects of the Tumor Microenvironment on Leukocyte Behavior
Minisymposium begins at 1:30 pm; Keynote Speaker at 4:00 pm SOM E301
Agenda

Skeletal Research Center Seminar
Thomas Kean, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Associate, Orthopaedics
CWRU/ UH
Topic: Targeting Cells to Sites of Injury
4:00 pm 123 Millis

February 12

Cancer Biology Seminar
Jing Huang, PhD
Wistar Institute
Topic: Roles of p53 Methylation and Demethylation in Cancer
11:00 am NC1-202 Cleveland Clinic

Physiology & Biophysics Seminar
Zena Werb, PhD
Professor, Anatomy
University of California at San Francisco
Topic: Tube or Not Tube: Molecular Regulation Mammary Epithelial Morphogenesis In Vivo and in Organotypic Culture
12:00 pm SOM E531

February 13

Grand Rounds
Priya Jain, MD
Fellow, Division of Hem/Onc
CWRU/ UH
Topic: Thyroid Carcinoma
8:00 am Lerner B-151

Best of San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium
11:15 am Embassy Suites Hotel, Independence
Program

CSCRM Seminar
Jan Jensen, PhD
Director, Diabetes Research
Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine
Cleveland Clinic
Topic: GeneSpeed–GeneSpeed Beta Cell–GeneSpeed Stem Cell: Resources for Parsing Through Expression Domain Spaces
4:30 pm WRB 1413

February 14

Aging–Cancer Research seminar cancelled

Neurosciences Seminar
Debra Wood, PhD
CWRU
Topic: Metamodulation by Dopamine Alters Pattern Generating Circuit Function Via Multiple Mechanisms
12:10 pm BRB 105

Taussig Cancer Center Core Curriculum Series
Raymond Tsao, MD
Taussig Cancer Center
Cleveland Clinic
Topic: TBA
12:00 pm R3-002 Cleveland Clinic

February 15

Hematology/Oncology Fellows
Lisa Arfons, MD
Fellow, Division of Hem/Onc
CWRU/ UH
and
Ajita Narayan, MD
Fellow, Division of Hem/Onc
CWRU/ UH
Topic: Molecular Diagnostics in CML
8:00 am Wearn 137
*No CME credits

Taussig Cancer Center Grand Rounds
Brian Rini, MD
Associate Professor, Solid Tumor Oncology
CWRU/ Cleveland Clinic
Topic: A Mouse Model of Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor
8:00 am R3/002-003 Cleveland Clinic

Systems Biology Basic Science of Cancer Focus Group meeting
9:00 am Manor House

Cancer Center Seminar Series/ Blood Club
Clark Distelhorst, MD
Professor, Medicine–Hem/Onc
CWRU/ UH
Topic: Bcl–2 Protein Family: Versatile Regulators of Calcium Signaling
12:00 pm BRB 105

more

For a complete listing of LRI seminars click here.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

Prevention and Control Seminar
February 21
Siran Koroukian, PhD
Assistant Professor, Epidemiology & Biostatistics
CWRU
Topic: Trajectory of Care in Elders With Cancer
3:30 pm BOLWELL A (please note room change)

Tumor Cell Adhesion, Growth Factor Receptor Signaling, Stromal Interactions, Migration and Metastasis Basic Science Focus Group Mini Retreat
February 26
1:00 pm WRB 2-136

UPCOMING CANCER CENTER SYMPOSIUMS

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

Geriatric Oncology and Primary Care: Promoting Partnerships in Practice and Research
April 3-4
Dively Center
Course Directors: Nathan Berger, MD and Julia Rose, PhD

Update on Cervical Cancer Prevention: New Technology, New Evidence, and New Recommendations
April 18
Ritz Carlton Cleveland
Course Directors: Stephen Waggoner, MD and Kristine Zanotti, MD

Annual Update on Breast Cancer: Highlights of the National Meetings
June 13
Hilton Cleveland East, Beachwood

MARK YOUR CALENDARS– Neurosciences Seminar Rescheduled

The Neurosciences Seminar originally scheduled for January 31 has been rescheduled for Monday, February 25 at 12:00 pm in SOM E609. P. Hunter Peckham, PhD will present Neuroprostheses for Restoration of Motor Function. Dr. Hunter is Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Orthopaedics at CWRU, and Director of the Functional Electrical Stimulation Center at the VA Medical Center and Metrohealth.

GRANTS.GOV TRANSITIONING FROM PUREEDGE TO ADOBE

In an effort to better serve the grant community and increase site accessibility, Grants.gov has committed to transitioning from the previous PureEdge based application system to an Adobe Reader based application system. The Adobe Reader applications offer more functionality and expansive system compatibility. The Adobe Reader applications are compatible with most operating systems including all Windows (Vista, Windows 2007), Mac OSX (Tiger, Leopard), Linux and UNIX.

The system transition will not affect the application process itself. Grants.gov is working with agencies to identify specific dates when the agencies will transition to Adobe Reader. Some agencies are currently posting opportunities in Adobe. The transition is tentatively scheduled to be completed by the end of fiscal year 2008. During the transition period applicants will need to have both PureEdge and Adobe Reader 8.1.1 software installed on their computers, since not all applications from all agencies are transitioned to Adobe Reader. Both PureEdge and Adobe Reader 8.1.1 software are available for free download on Grants.gov.

MESSAGE FROM DR. GEORGE STARK

Dear Colleagues,
Do you know of a good student or postdoctoral fellow who might be interested in working in my lab in the near future? We have some nice new results from experiments in which we use promoter insertional mutagenesis to generate mutant cell lines resistant to drugs currently in clinical standard of care or under study as chemotherapeutic agents in cancer. We hope to discover the nature of proteins whose upregulation mediates resistance to specific drugs, and then continue from there to work on mechanisms and clinical relevance. There are many opportunities to study many drugs in collaboration with local scientists. I have just managed to put together funds for someone to join Sarmishtha De, a postdoctoral fellow already working with me on this project, and would like to recruit an additional fellow fairly soon. I am sending this inquiry locally first, before searching outside Cleveland. Please let me know if you are aware of someone with the skills and interest to participate in this project.

Thanks and best wishes,

George Stark (starkg@ccf.org)

MARK YOUR CALENDARS – ISCT Regional Meeting

The International Society for Cellular Therapy (ISCT) will be holding a regional meeting on April 4-5 at the Ohio State University Biomedical Research Tower in Columbus, Ohio. This meeting is targeted towards laboratory practitioners and technicians working in cellular therapy, and anyone interested in networking with cell therapy practitioners at a small, technically focused, reasonably priced meeting.

For more information, click here.

PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

Landon Foundation–AACR Innovator Award for Cancer Prevention Research
Deadline: February 15

Leukemia Research Foundation
Deadline: February 15

Ohio Cancer Research Associates
Deadline: February 22

Nancy R. Gelman Foundation
Deadline: February 22

2008 NASA Space Radiation Summer School
Deadline: February 28

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholars Program
Deadline: February 29

Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Translational Research Program
Deadline: March 1

Lady Tata Memorial Trust International Award for Research in Leukemia
Deadline: March 1

Ladies Auxiliary to the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) of the United States
Deadline: March 8

McDonnell Foundation Research Awards
Deadline: March 12

Lance Armstrong Foundation Research Grants
Deadline: March 14

Prostate Cancer Research Foundation 2008 Challenge Awards
Deadline: March 14

ACS Joseph S. Silber Fellowship
Deadline: March 14

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Advancing the Science of Continuous Quality Improvement Grant
Deadline: March 14

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Harold Amos Medical Faculty Development Program
Deadline: March 19

NIH Shared Instrumentation Grant Program
Deadline: March 24

Lance Armstrong Foundation Community Grants
Deadline: March 24

Cancer Research Institute
Deadline: April 1

William Bingham Foundation
Deadline: April 30

NIH Bulletin – Notices and Funding Opportunities

Reminder: Letter Required for the Ruth L. Kirschstein NRSA for Individual Predoctoral Fellowships (F31) to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research(NOT-OD-08-039)

Rare Diseases Clinical Research Consortia (RDCRC) for the Rare Diseases Clinical Research Network (U54)(RFA-OD-08-001)