It is with great pleasure that I report to you that our Cancer Center Support Grant was submitted to the National Cancer Institute last Friday, requesting 5 years of support and the renewal of our Comprehensive Cancer Center status. If we are successful in our application we will begin funding year 42 on July 1, 2013.
This would never have happened without the extraordinary leadership that Chad Ellis provided to the grant team. His steadfast and determined leadership was essential. Christine Holmberg was spectacular in her pursuit of perfection and Hilary Prosnitz did an absolutely outstanding job in pulling the entire grant together. Finally, Adam Roshka made sure that everything added up and was simply superb.
Our site visit is scheduled for February 6, 2013. I am confident that the outstanding science supported by this grant will make a substantial impact as we seek to end suffering from cancer. Congratulations to all for a job well done!
Andrew Putnam Joins Palliative Care Program
Please join me in welcoming Dr. Andrew Putnam to the Department of Internal Medicine. Dr. Putnam is an Assistant Professor specializing in pain and palliative care and will join Dr. Jennifer Kapo's Palliative Care team at Smilow Cancer Hospital. Dr. Putnam has significant experience in palliative therapy and end-of-life decision-making and care; he spent the last 11 years practicing with the palliative care group at Lombardi Cancer Institute at Georgetown University Hospital. He served as Director of their Palliative Care Program from 2005-2012.
Dr. Putnam is a graduate of Yale University and received his medical degree from the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. He completed his internship and residency in family medicine at State University of New York at Stony Brook and a fellowship in palliative medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Yale Cancer Center Announces Annual Awards
Yale Cancer Center is pleased to announce three annual awards in the areas of excellence in research and clinical care. Each award will be announced at the Yale Cancer Center Conclave on Monday, November 19, 2012. The nomination deadline for all five awards is Friday, October 26, 2012.
Yale Cancer Center Research Prize
This award is in support of excellence in the areas of basic science, translational research, clinical research, cancer prevention and control, epidemiological research, or case review. It will be awarded to the Cancer Center investigator whose paper is considered to have had the greatest impact on their field this year. Applicant must be a current member of the Cancer Center. The science in the publication must be cancer focused. Please submit a PDF of your best publication (publication date from October 2011 to Sept 2012). To be eligible you must be either the first or last author of the publication. Email your publication to Laura Olson.
Yale Cancer Center Award for Clinical Excellence
This award will be given to the physician who best exemplifies excellence in clinical care including superb clinical skills, use of a patient and family centered approach to care, and inclusion of a multi-disciplinary care model. Nominee must be a current member of Yale Cancer Center. Please nominate yourself or a peer and send brief nomination letter (one page maximum) to Laura Olson.
Yale Cancer Center Lifetime Achievement Award
Yale Cancer Center recognizes the achievements of one of our senior members through our annual Lifetime Achievement award. Please send nomination suggestions for the award to Dan DiMaio.
Save the Date!
Please save the date for Yale Cancer Center's annual Conclave on Monday, November 19 at the New Haven Lawn Club at 5:30 PM. This is our 4th annual event to celebrate the accomplishments of the Yale Cancer Center and Smilow Cancer Hospital community.
Notables
Don Nguyen, PhD received an R01 from the National Cancer Institute for his project, "A Novel Lineage Specific Metastasis Suppressor Pathway in Lung Cancer." The 5-year grant for $1,129,207 will study how fundamental molecular circuits that control airway development are re-wired during lung adenocarcinoma metastasis. Don is a member of the Signal Transduction Research Program.
Valentina Greco, PhD received an R01 grant from the National Institutes of Health for her project, "Live Imaging of Skin Regeneration." The 5-year grant for $1,872,188 will study the cellular and signaling mechanisms that govern tissue regeneration in the hair follicle stem cell niche by live imaging. Valentina is a member of the Signal Transduction Research Program.
Meena Moran, MD was an invited presenter for Harvard Medical School's Breast Center Grand Rounds this week. Dr. Moran presented "Why the differences in African American vs. White breast cancer outcomes? Putting together the pieces of breast health disparities"
Members of Yale Cancer Center are presenting at the European Society of Medical Oncology Congress in Vienna this weekend. Scheduled presentations include:
Presentation: A FIRST-IN-HUMAN DOSE-FINDING STUDY OF THE ALK/EGFR INHIBITOR AP26113 IN PATIENTS WITH ADVANCED MALIGNANCIES
Scott Gettinger
Presentation: CLINICAL ACTIVITY AND SAFETY OF ANTI-PROGRAMMED DEATH-1 (PD-1) (BMS-936558/MDX-1106/ONO-4538) IN PATIENTS (PTS) WITH ADVANCED NON-SMALL CELL LUNG CANCER (NSCLC)
Scott Gettinger
Poster Presentation: CUMULATIVE EXPOSURE TO BEVACIZUMAB (BV) AFTER DISEASE PROGRESSION (PD) CORRELATES WITH SURVIVAL IN NON-SMALL CELL LUNG CANCER (NSCLC): A TIME-DEPENDENT ANALYSIS OF THE ARIES OBSERVATIONAL COHORT STUDY
Thomas Lynch
Presentation: A PHASE 3 STUDY TO EVALUATE THE EFFICACY AND SAFETY OF DOCETAXEL AND PREDNISONE (DP) WITH OR WITHOUT LENALIDOMIDE (LEN) IN PATIENTS WITH CASTRATE-RESISTANT PROSTATE CANCER (CRPC): THE MAINSAIL TRIAL
Daniel Petrylak
Poster Presentation: PHASE 2 RESULTS FROM A PHASE 1/2 STUDY OF TAK-700 (ORTERONEL), AN ORAL, INVESTIGATIONAL, NONSTEROIDAL 17,20-LYASE INHIBITOR, WITH DOCETAXEL AND PREDNISONE (DP) IN METASTATIC CASTRATION-RESISTANT PROSTATE CANCER (MCRPC)
Daniel Petrylak
Presentation: ER + /HER2+ AND ER-/HER2+ BREAST CANCERS ARE MOLECULARLY DISTINCT BUT IMMUNE GENE SIGNATURES ARE PROGNOSTIC AND PREDICTIVE IN BOTH GROUPS
T. Iwamoto, Lajos Pusztai
Educational Session: DOES MOLECULAR TRIAGE HELP TO IDENTIFY HIGHLY SENSITIVE DISEASE?
Lajos Pusztai
Closer to Free
Please join us for a concert with the BoDeans at the Shubert Theater on Monday, October 8 at 7 PM. Tickets are free, but limited.
On Thursday, October 4 from 12 to 1:30 PM, BJ's Wholesale Club in Wallingford is hosting its third annual Pink Picnic for the community featuring Dr. Anees Chagpar, Director of the Breast Center at Smilow Cancer Hospital, Jocelyn Maminta, News Channel 8's Medical Reporter and host of Connecticut Style, and Bonnie Lurie, a local breast cancer survivor who will share her experience with the disease.
The Pink Picnic is free and open to the public. All attendees will receive a complimentary lunch and a gift bag. To RSVP or find additional information, please visit www.BJsforPink.com.
"Pink Ribbon" club merchandise will sell throughout the month of October. A portion of these sales support the BJ's Charitable Foundation, which has contributed over $78,000 to breast cancer research and treatment at Yale Cancer Center since 2010.
Employee Profile:
Christine Holmberg and Hilary Prosnitz
The Employee Profile recognizes the diverse contributions made by Yale Cancer Center and Smilow Cancer Hospital staff have to meet our patient care, research, education, and outreach goals. The staff profiled are examples of the great work being done here, and the dedication and values we possess. To suggest someone to be profiled, please contact Emily Fenton.
Although Hilary Prosnitz and Christine Holmberg come from different areas, Hilary from retirement research and Christine from psychiatric and medical research, they both serve as Program Coordinators for Research Affairs at Yale Cancer Center, and were instrumental in the recent submission of the Cancer Center Support Grant (CCSG) to the National Cancer Institute (NCI).
Over five years, the CCSG provides integral funding to the 7 Research Programs and 8 Shared Resources at Yale Cancer Center, as well as numerous other departments, positions, and programs. The funds are spread out throughout the Cancer Center so that researchers and clinicians receive some form of support from the grant. "Yale Cancer Center has been an NCI designated comprehensive cancer center for over 35 years, and the CCSG is a major external funding driver," Hilary explained. "The submission of the grant is the culmination of over 2 years of work and it serves as the backbone of much of the critically important cancer research being done here."
A lot of the work that Hilary and Christine put into the grant had to do with writing and rewriting sections of the grant and collecting and organizing data for the 1,000 page document. Hilary and Christine commented that the next step in the process is the NCI site visit, which will take place in February. The NCI will review the operations of Smilow Cancer Hospital and Yale Cancer Center, and make sure that all the numbers match up. Christine commented, "This whole process is 100% a team effort. We'd like to thank everyone for their cooperation in making this possible, and for their future help with the site visit. It's easy to get lost in the paperwork and data, but there really are some amazing researchers here at Yale, and I am honored to play a small part in helping them get the funding to continue this research. Some of the initiatives set forth in this grant will hopefully have real outcomes for patients."
Chad A. Ellis, PhD, Deputy Director for Research commends his entire team for their hard work. He commented, "Hilary and Christine come to work each day with a positive, "can-do", outside-of-the-box approach to their work. They seek challenges, solve problems, and eagerly collaborate with folks inside and outside of the organization. The CCSG was submitted early due in large part to their efforts, which is pretty remarkable considering they never heard the term "CCSG" prior to arriving at YCC in the last year or two. We are very fortunate to have them on our team."
Funding Opportunities
Leslie H. Warner Postdoctoral Fellowships
Yale Cancer Center announces a competition for The Leslie H. Warner Postdoctoral Fellowships,to be awarded for one year commencing January 1, 2013, to fellows conducting cancer research with a Cancer Center member. The Fellowships will support innovative basic, translational, clinical, or population-based cancer research. Candidates who began postdoctoral studies prior to January 1, 2010 are not eligible for this award. Up to two applications will be funded.
American Cancer Society Institutional Research Grant for New Investigators
Yale Cancer Center is pleased to announce a competition for grants for Yale Assistant Professors. The awards are to support innovative work in the broad fields of basic, translational, clinical, and prevention/control cancer research by new investigators. These grants are restricted to investigators who have not already received federal research grant support or a previous ACS-IRG award. One-year grants will provide up to $30,000 for each award. YCC members and non-members are encouraged to apply.
Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute Grants
PCORI Funding Announcements are issued to support a portfolio of comparative clinical effectiveness research based on PCORI's National Priorities for Research and Research Agenda, which includes five broad areas. Each area represents a line of research inquiry that addresses currently unmet needs of patients, their caregivers, clinicians and other healthcare system stakeholders in making personalized healthcare decisions across a wide range of conditions and treatments.
Assessment of Prevention, Diagnosis, and Treatment Options - for projects that address critical decisions that patients, their caregivers and clinicians face with too little information
Improving Healthcare Systems - for projects that address critical decisions that face health care systems, the patients and caregivers who rely on them, and the clinicians who work within them
Communication and Dissemination Research - for projects that address critical elements in the communication and dissemination process among patients, their caregivers and clinicians
Addressing Disparities - for projects that will inform the choice of strategies to eliminate disparities
Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation Springboard Grants
ALSF offers the Springboard Grant in response to cut-backs in National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding of new R01 and P01 applications. The Springboard Grant is designed to jump-start new projects which have high impact potential for childhood cancer research while other funding is sought. Applicants must have applied for a new R01 or P01 and scored ≤ 20th percentile. Awards will provide $100,000 for up to 12 months of supplies and personnel expenses.
Women's Health Research at Yale is pleased to offer pilot project funds for research that represents a new direction in women's health, or explores gender differences in health and disease. We are particularly soliciting clinical or prevention research projects, and basic science projects that have a clear translational goal.
Melanoma Research Alliance (MRA)-Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) Team Science Partnership Award
Applications are solicited by the Melanoma Research Alliance (MRA) and the Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) for one jointly sponsored Team Science Award that will simultaneously advance clinical science in both diseases. A total award amount of up to $1.5 million over 2-3 years is offered to support innovative, meritorious and translational work with the potential for high clinical impact in prostate cancer and melanoma. The following are examples of investigative areas relevant to both kinds of cancer, for which applications will be considered: 1) nuclear imaging technologies and/or applications as early predictors of treatment outcomes, including novel tracers to distinguish immune from tumor cells in the context of immunotherapy; 2) therapeutic interventions targeting tumor cell metabolism and protein translation; and 3) development of effective combinatorial therapies in the adjuvant or advanced disease setting, based on immune-modulating drugs paired with other agents.
The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network - AACR Grants
The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network - AACR research grants program is designed to help incubate innovative research projects, grow the number of researchers dedicated to studying pancreatic cancer, nurture collaborations across disciplines and institutions, and expedite scientific progress for patient benefit.
Research Acceleration Network Grant: Supports a project currently underway within the pancreatic cancer research community that is ready to be accelerated, includes a clinical component, and will help double the survival rate for pancreatic cancer by the year 2020.
Term: 1,000,000
Grant Term Begins:
July 1, 2013
Letter of Intent Deadline: October 8, 2012, noon ET
Innovative Grant: Supports creative and cutting edge ideas and approaches, including those successful in other areas of cancer that have justifiable promise for pancreatic cancer.
Terms:
Two-year grant totaling $200,000
Grant Term Begins:
July 1, 2013
Letter of Intent Deadline: October 8, 2012, noon ET
Career Development Award: Supports newly independent investigators develop or strengthen their research program in pancreatic cancer.
Terms: Two-year grant totaling $200,000
Grant Term Begins:
July 1, 2013
Application Deadline:
October 31, 2012, noon ET
Pathway to Leadership Grant: Supports highly promising early career scientists in their postdoctoral positions and through the transition to independence to build future leadership in pancreatic cancer research.
Terms:
Up to five years of support, totaling $600,000
Grant Term Begins:
July 1, 2013
Application Deadline:
October 31, 2012, noon ET
Fellowship Award: Supports early career scientists during their mentored research phase.
Multi-Institutional Experience of Ductal Carcinoma In Situ in Black vs White Patients Treated With Breast-Conserving Surgery and Whole Breast Radiation Therapy.
Nelson C, Bai H, Neboori H, Takita C, Motwani S, Wright JL, Hobeika G, Haffty BG, Jones T, Goyal S, Moran MS. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2012 Nov 1;84(3):e279-83.
Randomized, Open-Label, Phase III Study Comparing Patupilone (EPO906) With Pegylated Liposomal Doxorubicin in Platinum-Refractory or -Resistant Patients With Recurrent Epithelial Ovarian, Primary Fallopian Tube, or Primary Peritoneal Cancer.
Colombo N, Kutarska E, Dimopoulos M, Bae DS, Rzepka-Gorska I, Bidzinski M, Scambia G, Engelholm SA, Joly F, Weber D, El-Hashimy M, Li J, Souami F, Wing P, Engelholm S, Bamias A, Schwartz P.
Prognostic Significance of Tumor Size in Patients with Stage III Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer: A Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Survey from 1998 to 2003.
The CV library is a new resource available to our members, with CVs of post-docs and others looking for positions at Yale. Please browse the listings if you have openings, and send the CVs you receive to share.
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Yale Cancer Center Grand Rounds
Video presentations from Yale Cancer Center members are now available online.
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