Steve brings impressive credentials to this position. He has written extensively about science and medicine for more than 20 years for a number of publications and institutions around the country, including the National Cancer Institute, Science News, Ohio State University, the University of Chicago and The Scientist. He is also a veteran freelance writer for such publications and organizations as the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Bulletin and the American Association for Cancer Research. Steve joins us from the public relations team at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, where he served as the science writer covering the cancer center and all of the basic sciences.  

“I see my role as promoting the Moores Cancer Center both locally and nationally to the news media,” says Steve.  “Right now, I'm meeting with as many physicians and researchers as time permits, and I look forward to generating stories about their efforts and extraordinary achievements.”   

Steve would love to hear from you about your news or to schedule a meet-and-greet.  Please contact him at sbenowitz@ucsd.edu or Ext. 21213.

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Breast Cancer Survivorship Clinic Established
In the last two decades, success in breast cancer screening and treatment has resulted in the evolution of a growing patient population with unique medical, psychosocial and educational needs. The American Cancer Society estimates a 98 percent relative five-year survival rate for patients with localized breast cancer, 88 percent for all stages combined. Caring for survivors represents both opportunity and challenge for the medical community. As reported by ASCO (American Society of Clinical Oncology) it has been found that an integrated team approach in a multidisciplinary breast center, incorporating physician assistants and nurse practitioners, is the ideal model to provide comprehensive long-term surveillance and support.   

That's why a Breast Cancer Survivorship Clinic is now open at Moores, under the direction of Nurse Practitioner Patricia Kormanik.  The clinic, established by Barbara Parker, M.D., Medical Director of Oncology Services, in collaboration with the Breast Cancer Team, will assist more than 400 new breast cancer patients annually.  It is modeled after the Lance Armstrong Foundation Livestrong Survivors Center of Excellent Networks, now located in seven cancer centers across the U.S.    

Here's how it works. The breast cancer patient is scheduled a combined post-care/wellness visit four to six weeks after completion of treatment.  An exam is given, as well as an educational packet outlining a cancer survivorship plan.  Each packet contains information about lymphedema (swelling) and how to prevent complications associated with it, and an NCI booklet and companion DVD entitled, “Facing Forward.” The survivorship plan also includes literature that is tailored to the wellness experience of each individual, and deals with topics like fatigue, insomnia or menopausal symptoms.  It is the goal of the Breast Care Team to assist in short-term adjustments and to foster life-long patient partnerships that focus on quality of life, health and well-being. 

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CIRM New Faculty Grants Awarded to MCC Members
Adding $11.5 million to the more than $20 million in funding that researchers at UCSD have received to date from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), four New Faculty grants were awarded on Aug. 13 to UC San Diego researchers and physicians; three of them are members of the Cancer Center. 

CIRM's governing board, the 29-member Independent Citizens Oversight Committee (ICOC), announced that 12 scientists and 11 physician scientists in California will receive New Faculty awards, which fund promising M.D. and Ph.D. scientists in the critical early stages of their careers as independent investigators. A total of $59 million in funding for 23 researchers was approved at their ICOC meeting, chosen from 55 applications received by CIRM from 32 institutions. 

“These grants demonstrate CIRM's strong commitment to the dynamic and innovative careers of these young faculty members,” says Larry Goldstein, Ph.D., director of UCSD's stem cell program.  The scientists, the amount of their New Faculty awards and their research areas are: 

Catriona Jamieson, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Medicine and Director for Stem Cell Research at  Moores UCSD Cancer Center ($3,065,572). The aim of Jamieson's research is to develop highly active stem cell therapy that may halt progression to acute leukemia in a form of blood disease called myeloproliferative disorders (MPDs.) A patient with MPD makes too many blood cells, caused by a mutation expressed in the stem cell, the early stage cell that goes on to differentiate to become either red or white blood cells.  Human clinical trials for an inhibitor that can stop the over-proliferation of blood cells – developed as a result of collaborative discoveries by Jamieson, along with other stem cell researchers from UC San Diego, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, the Mayo Clinic and a San Diego pharmaceutical company, TargeGen – are currently being conducted at major research institutions across the country, including UC San Diego.   

Benjamin Yu, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor in the Division of Dermatology, School of Medicine ($3,056,649). Yu's research focuses on adult stem cells that are already present in our bodies but for unknown reasons lie dormant.  A major obstacle to applying adult stem cells to regenerative therapies is that these cells are often too limited in number to study and are difficult to grow.  The aim of his research is to identify the mechanisms that control the proliferation and fate of adult stem cells.   As a model to study adult stem cells, Yu studies the hair follicle, an organ that regenerates itself many times during a lifetime. He has helped develop an approach to manipulate the proliferation of adult stem cells in the hair follicle using cell-permeable proteins.  

Bing Ren, Ph.D., Associate Member of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research and Associate Professor of Cellular and Molecular Medicine ($1,726,564). Ren will study transcription factors that are essential for embryonic stem cells to maintain their identity or differentiate along specific lineages. Results from the proposed study will improve the understanding of the mechanisms that control pluripotency – the cells' ability to differentiate into many different cell types – and lay a foundation for development of better tools for manipulating and reprogramming human embryonic stem cells for regenerative medicine.

This round of grants brings the total awarded by CIRM to UCSD to $32,853,328. 

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HIV-Related Malignancies Supplement Awarded
The NCI has awarded a new Cancer Center Support Grant supplement in the amount of $160,000 direct costs.  This 1-year supplement will fund 3-4 pilot projects of up to $50,000 that focus on  HIV-associated malignancies.  Pilot studies may include basic, translational, and clinical research on the etiology, pathogenesis, prevention, and management of AIDS defining and non-AIDS defining malignancies. Proposals must be collaborative; the PI must be a Cancer Center member, with a co-investigator from the Center for AIDS Research. An RFP outlining further specifics will soon be issued; submission will follow the standard electronic process through WebGAAS. 

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Meet Our New Members
Sarah G. Boles, M.D.
Assistant Clinical Professor
Department of Medicine
Tumor Growth, Invasion and Metastasis Program
Research: Dr. Boles' clinical practice focuses on patients with breast cancer. She is also actively involved in clinical trials. (Research Summary)

Jonathan Lin, M.D., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Pathology
Tumor Growth, Invasion and Metastasis Program
Research: Dr. Lin's group studies the role of Unfolded Protein Response in disease pathogenesis that arises from protein misfolding. (Research Summary)

Leor S. Weinberger, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Cancer Biology Program
Research:  Dr. Weinberger focuses on quantitative understanding of the principles governing gene circuit behavior.  (Research Summary)

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Usha Mahajani Symposium Approaches
The 20^th Annual Usha Mahajani Symposium on Molecular Medicine is scheduled on Sept. 12, 2008 at The Frederic de Hoffmann Auditorium, Salk Institute. The focus this year is on ‘molecular targets of cancer therapy,' and presentations will cover PI 3-kinase-mTOR pathway; VHL tumor suppressor gene; the Hsp90 Chaperone Machine; and the Bcl-2 family inhibitors, among others.  Attendance is free to Cancer Center members and their lab teams, but registration is required to take advantage of this offer. This symposium, jointly coordinated by UCSD and Salk, attracts a large southern California research audience.  (Program, registration, fees)

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Member Grants – June
Congratulations to Cancer Center members! The combined total of new and renewal grants awarded for June 2008 to those featured is:  $26,456,733. Of this, the National Cancer Institute funded 10%, or $2,662,599.

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Save the Dates: 

Keystone Symposium Cancer Meetings, 2008-2009

Stem Cells, Cancer and Aging Sept. 29 - Oct. 4, 2008 Singapore, Singapore	Dramatic progress in the understanding of signaling pathways and points of intervention which will be debated in this meeting offers the enticing prospect of regulating these pathways to extend healthy lifespan and reduce cancer incidence in the human population.
Angiogenesis and Lymphangiogenesis in Cancer Jan. 6-11, 2009 Big Sky, Montana	Provides a forum to discuss the current status of anti-angiogenic therapy, new insights into the molecular and morphologic abnormalities of the tumor vascular network, methods to investigate mechanisms of angiogenesis, the relationship of the tumor microenvironment to vascular and tumor stem cells, and elucidation of recently discovered mediators of angiogenesis.
Emerging Tumor Suppressors Jan. 25-30, 2009 Taos, New Mexico	The talks will offer exciting new results from the speakers' laboratories and it is expected that common biological themes will emerge in many sessions, such as the pleiotropic effects of tumor suppressor gene defects on multiple different cell phenotypes, and the likely cross-talk between tumor suppressor gene pathways that currently appear to be functionally distinct.
Extrinsic Control of Tumor Genesis and Progression Mar. 15-20, 2009 Vancouver, British Columbia	It has long been known that the interactions between cells and their respective microenvironments are instructive and necessary in proper development. Cell-environment interactions play complex roles in organ homeostasis and, when altered, disease. Increasing evidence now suggests that the microenvironment also modulates critical aspects of the genesis and progression of tumors. This conference will bring together leaders in this field to discuss current problems and strategize on the clinical application of new insights.
Targeted Cancer Therapies Mar. 27 - Apr. 1, 2009 Whistler, British Columbia	Brings together experts in the key disciplines of cell biology, biochemistry, molecular genetics, medicinal chemistry, imaging and clinical oncology to identify critical problems that may best be addressed using a multidisciplinary approach and foster those collaborations.
MicroRNA and Cancer Jun. 10-15, 2009 Keystone, Colorado	Focuses on the exciting biology of microRNAs in controlling developmental and cancer processes like cell proliferation, differentiation, cell cycle, apoptosis and metastasis. It will also focus on the latest efforts to harness the power of these small RNAs as agents in the fight against cancer.
Deregulation of Transcription in Cancer Jun. 21–26, 2009 Killarney, Co. Kerry, Ireland	This conference will focus on exploiting novel mechanistic information to generate more efficacious targeted therapies. Current insights into the mechanisms by which specific genes are deregulated in cancer, the resulting transcriptome signature for particular cancers and state-of-the-art therapeutic approaches using small molecules or RNA interference will be presented.

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Web Beat
Display Signage stands are now available for way-finder use or to advertise events held at Moores Cancer Center (Description and Usage Protocol).

Media Services has extended its campus territory to include the Cancer Center. They will now deliver and pick up portable A/V equipment, and also provide hands-on technical support for the duration of events that do not conflict with major campus events.  Due to limited staffing, be prepared to be flexible about A/V pick up (coming earlier) and delivery (coming later) times. Our event responsibilities page has been updated with this contact information.

A new web page has been created for the Biorepository Shared Resource, which provides contains plasma, serum, RNA stabilized buffy coat, urine, viable tumor samples, and formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumor; all with associated clinical information for cancer researchers.