|
Ruben A . Mesa Joins University of Texas Health Cancer Center
Ruben A . Mesa , MD , professor of medicine and chair of the Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology at the Mayo Clinic in Arizona and deputy director of
Ruben A . Mesa , MD the Mayo Clinic Cancer
Center , was named director of the University of Texas ( UT ) Health Cancer Center and will assume the role in August .
“ I look forward to working with colleagues whose commitment aligns with putting patients first and continually striving to alleviate the burden of cancer through the highest quality patient care , scientific discovery and integrity , and providing a medical education with clear distinction in new , innovative models for clinical education ,” said Dr . Mesa .
Dr . Mesa is an appointed member of the American Society of Hematology ’ s Committee on Promoting Diversity .
|
Source : University of Texas news release , June 13 , 2017 .
National Repository Created to Enhance Hemophilia Research
Bloodworks Northwest , the American Thrombosis and Hemostasis Network , Bioverativ Inc ., and the National Hemophilia Foundation have collaborated to create the My Life , Our Future Research Repository , a nationwide research tool for hemophilia .
The repository includes factor VIII and IX sequencing data , DNA , RNA , serum , and plasma samples from more than 6,500 Americans with hemophilia A and B , as well as confirmed and potential carriers who are receiving care at one of more than 100 participating hemophilia treatment centers in the United States . In addition ,
|
the cohort was accepted into the National Institutes of Health ( NIH ) Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine ( TOPMed ) program , which will allow approximately 5,000 samples from the repository to undergo whole-genome sequencing . These data will then be available through the NIH Database of Genotypes and Phenotypes .
“ Hemophilia is a complex disorder , and , [ until now ], there was no genetic and phenotypic database of this scale aiding scientific innovation ,” said Barbara A . Konkle , MD , associate chief scientific officer of Bloodworks Northwest and principal investigator for My Life , Our Future . “ Researchers now have one source for the genetic data , repository samples , and clinical data needed to investigate the many unanswered questions about hemophilia .”
Visit mylifeourfuture . org for more information .
Source : National Hemophilia Foundation press release , February 28 , 2017 .
Charles Mullighan Receives National Cancer Institute Outstanding Investigator Award
Charles Mullighan , MBBS ( Hons ), MSc , MD
Charles Mullighan , MBBS ( Hons ), MSc , MD , from the Department of Pathology at St . Jude Children ’ s Research Hospital , received the National Cancer Institute ’ s ( NCI ) Outstanding Investigator Award , which provides 7 years
of funding to cancer researchers . Recipients are nominated by their institutions after serving as a principal investigator on an NCI grant for the previous 5 years and demonstrating outstanding productivity .
Dr . Mullighan and his laboratory have used genomic profiling and experimental modeling to advance the understanding of high-risk and relapsed leukemia .
|
“ The award is an honor and will significantly contribute to research for acute lymphocytic leukemia , which is the most common childhood cancer ,” said Dr . Mullighan . “ Our goal is to comprehensively understand the genetic basis of leukemia and use that information to advance understanding of leukemia development , [ and ] to develop new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches .”
Source : St . Jude Children ’ s Hospital news release , May 18 , 2017 .
NCI Funds Standardization of Cancer Genomic Data
Raja Mazumder , PhD , associate professor of biochemistry and molecular medicine at The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health
Raja Mazumder , PhD
Sciences , received a $ 1.2 million NCI grant to standardize cancer genomic data .
Dr . Mazumder and his team are developing two databases – BioMuta and BioXpress – to organize and standardize cancer terms to ensure they are mapped appropriately . These databases will also provide researchers with interfaces and applications to more easily search data within certain restrictions or areas of interest . “ This project will allow for connecting cancer genomics mutation and expression data within an evolutionary context ,” said Dr . Mazumder .
Source : The George Washington University press release , May 30 , 2017 .
Warren Alpert Foundation Honors Five Scientists in Immunology
The Warren Alpert Foundation , in association with Harvard Medical School ,
|
issued its 2017 Warren Alpert Foundation Prize to five scientists for their work in the field of cancer immunology . The recipients were recognized for their discoveries in cancer ’ s ability to thwart immune surveillance that paved the way for immune-based cancer therapies :
• James P . Allison , PhD , professor of immunology and chair of the Department of Immunology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
• Lieping Chen , MD , PhD , United Technologies Corporation Professor in Cancer Research and professor of immunobiology , dermatology , and medicine at Yale University
• Gordon Freeman , PhD , professor of medicine at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School
• Tasuku Honjo , MD , PhD , professor of immunology and genomic medicine at Kyoto University in Japan
• Arlene Sharpe , MD , PhD , the George Fabyan Professor of Comparative Pathology at Harvard Medical School
The recipients will share a $ 500,000 prize and will be recognized during an October 5 symposium at Harvard Medical School . To date , the foundation has awarded nearly $ 4 million to 59 scientists . ●
Source : Harvard Medical School press release , June 6 , 2017 .
|