Rachel Brody, MD, PhD
, joined the Department of Pathology earlier this year as Director, Institutional Biorepository. Together, Dr. Brody and
Michael Donovan, PhD
,
MD
, Research Professor in Pathology, lead the Institutional Biorepository, ensuring best practices in biobanking and working with investigators at Mount Sinai to assist in the design and implementation of studies that utilize human biospecimens to advance basic, clinical, and translational research.
Access to tumor samples is essential for harnessing the power of predictive genomics and developing targeted therapies for a precision-medicine treatment approach for cancer. While a number of disease-specific repositories and databases currently exist across the Mount Sinai system—including both solid tissue and biofluids—an integrated biorepository linked to clinical and molecular information has the potential to greatly enhance translation of research findings into clinical applications, and thereby bring therapeutic advances to patients more quickly.
Biospecimen-based research bridges and extends findings from multiple routes of investigation. The value of this research depends on use of the highest
quality biospecimens, collected according to procedures that are optimized for their downstream use. Collection procedures
must be in compliance with regulatory guidelines, and specimens must be appropriately annotated, properly stored in controlled environment(s), and distributed promptly with vetted oversight.
Dr. Brody anticipates that the Institutional Biorepository will access a broad range of samples from many Mount Sinai-affiliated providers, and furnish them for use by investigators at Mount Sinai, as well as investigators at other New York institutions and beyond. Use of these biospecimens will likely have a significant impact on scientific inquiry and advances in cancer treatment.
Dr. Brody received her MD and PhD from New York University (NYU). She completed a residency in Anatomic Pathology and a fellowship in Molecular Pathology at NYU, and a fellowship in Experimental Pathology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Dr. Brody held numerous positions related to tissue acquisition and banking at NYU.
To inquire about
tissue samples, contact Dr. Brody via
email
or
at 212-241-0678.
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is Director of the Hematological Malignancies Tissue Bank (HMTB),
a core-in-development supported by The Tisch Cancer Institute. HMTB processes and maintains a full inventory
of specimens from patients with blood cancers and related disorders. Samples are procured with name, age, and diagnosis information; procurement is facilitated by coordination between HMTB staff and clinical investigators at inpatient and outpatient sites. HMTB inventory consists of plasma and cryopreserved and/or frozen cells derived mostly from peripheral blood and bone marrow.
Balancing deposits and withdrawals—specimens coming in and specimens going out to researchers—is paramount in order to maintain a supply for future investigation. Specimens and annotated clinical data are provided to researchers after scientific review and in compliance with the Institutional Review Board’s stipulations for individual projects.
The current distribution system requires a manual search to identify specimens that meet parameters requested by researchers. Two to three weeks lead time is required. Future plans call for developing a system that enables investigators to search for desired specimens. In the meantime, requests can be sent directly to Dr. Iancu-Rubin via
email
or phone, 212-241-8589.
Dr. Iancu-Rubin trained as a Fulbright Scholar at the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Mount Sinai and did post-doctoral training in Hematology, also at Mount Sinai. She received her PhD in Life Sciences from the University of Bucharest (Romania). In addition to tissue banking, Dr. Iancu-Rubin conducts translational research in normal and malignant hematopoiesis.
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Bart Barlogie, MD
, Director of Research for the Multiple Myeloma Program, has been selected by an elite committee of peers as the
2018 Giant of Cancer Care®
in Myeloma. The
OncLive
® Giants of Cancer Care® awards program recognizes pioneers and innovators who have made remarkable achievements in oncology research and clinical practice (view
discussion of the mission with William Oh, MD
).
James F. Holland, MD
, was recognized in 2016 for his accomplishments in hematologic malignancies.
Dr. Barlogie will be honored at a reception on May 31, 2018 at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago, in conjunction with the 2018 ASCO meeting.
Dr. Barlogie has raised the specter of cure in myeloma. Recognizing myeloma’s genomic heterogeneity, he introduced the “Total Therapy” concept, applying all myeloma-active agents upfront, and demonstrated curability with 20-year follow up. Among his many “firsts” were the use of gene expression profiling for disease classification and prognosis and the discovery of thalidomide as a first-in-class novel agent for refractory myeloma.
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The
Melanoma Research Alliance
fosters collaborative research and supports team science projects that promote transformational melanoma research advances with the potential for rapid clinical translation.
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was recently appointed to the
Board of Directors
of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS).
She has previously served on the review committees for the LLS Career Development Program and the LLS Scholar Awards.
Dr. Gabrilove
has two patented discoveries which have significantly impacted outcomes for patients with hematologic malignancies: arsenic trioxide formulation, a curative therapeutic for acute promyelocytic leukemia, and human granulocyte colony stimulating factor, or G-CSF (neupogen/neulasta), which has enabled development of curative therapies including the use of peripheral blood progenitor cell transplantation.
Dr. Gabrilove is The James F. Holland Professor of Medicine and Oncological Sciences, Associate Director of Education and Training at The Tisch Cancer Institute, and Director of Clinical Research Education Programs for the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
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Dr. Dharmarajan will present at the National Oncology Conference, October 17-19. Her findings indicate that Mount Sinai’s palliative radiation oncology-based clinical service employs the shortest evidence-based and guideline-directed radiation treatment course for metastases without compromising efficacy.
Dr. Dharmarajan, Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology and Assistant Professor of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, has specialized expertise in radiotherapy for palliation in advanced cancer. She received her medical degree from the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and a Master of Science degree in social health policy from the London School of Economics. Her research, centered on improving care for patients suffering with advanced malignancies, is funded by the National Palliative Care Research Center and the Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center.
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Schneider-Lesser Fellowship Award
- Paz Polak, PhD, for “Sensitive and cost-effective characterization of homologous recombination deficiency in cancer patients of diverse populations”
Fellowship awards from the Schneider-Lesser Foundation support early investigators at Mount Sinai. The awards help propel their research forward and serve as a springboard for future contributions to the medical and scientific communities.
Dr. Polak is Assistant Professor of Genetics and Genomic Sciences; Oncological Sciences; Pathology; and Medicine, Hematology and Medical Oncology.
A computational biologist, Dr. Polak is dedicated to reducing the burden of cancer
and improving health via genomics and data analysis. He studies the biological history across understudied populations with the goals of lowering cancer-related deaths and impacting the success of immunotherapies across a wide range of cancer patients.
He is building national and international genomic partnerships in order to investigate the etiology of cancer and responses to it among different populations.
Dr. Bravo-Cordero is Assistant Professor of Medicine, Hematology and Medical Oncology. His research focus in on deciphering how tumor cells move to colonize other organisms and finding key molecules that can be blocked to prevent metastasis. Dr. Bravo-Cordero applies a multidisciplinary approach of high-resolution imaging and cell biophysics tools in order to study tumor cell phenotypes and the activation of signaling pathways in vivo. His award will support studying the role of a selective form of autophagy known as Chaperone-Mediated Autophagy (CMA) in tumor cell dissemination and breast cancer metastasis. The goal is to understand the contribution of CMA to the migratory and invasive processes that take place during tumor dissemination.
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In vivo imaging of breast cancer cells
Breast cancer cells are in green, the blood vessels are in red and the collagen is in blue. By using high resolution intravital imaging in living mice, the characteristics of the microenvironment and tumor cell behavior can be analyzed in real time in vivo. The image represents a vascularized area of a human mammary tumor. (Image from Dr. Bravo-Cordero)
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Awards Announced: Stony Brook Medicine-Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Joint Pilot Funding
The following cancer researchers have been granted awards:
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Joshua Richter, MD,
has joined the Multiple Myeloma Program at Mount Sinai as Assistant Professor of Medicine, Hematology and Medical Oncology. Dr. Richter sees patients at the Ruttenberg Treatment Center and will serve in the near future as Site Director for the Multiple Myeloma Program at Mount Sinai Chelsea.
Dr. Richter received his medical degree from New York Medical College. He completed his residency in Internal Medicine at St. Vincent’s Hospital/New York Medical College and fellowship in Hematology/Oncology at Yale Cancer Center. Dr. Richter was most recently at John Theurer Cancer Center, Hackensack University Medical Center.
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Lymphatics Gordon Research Conference
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Mihaela Skobe, PhD
, chaired the
“Lymphatics” Gordon Research Conference
(GRC), March 11-16, 2018, in Italy. Leading scientists discussed their latest research of the lymphatic vascular system, including lymphatics in cancer and novel therapeutics based on the role of lymphatics in immunity, neurodegenerative diseases, and cancer metastasis.
GRC conferences are known for their distinctive format designed to maximize productive interactions between scientists. Only unpublished research at the absolute frontier of knowledge is presented, with an emphasis on extended discussions in an off-the-record environment.
The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai was one of the conference sponsors.
Dr. Skobe is Associate Professor of Oncological Sciences at The Tisch Cancer Institute.
She completed her PhD in Cell Biology at the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg and her postdoctoral fellowship at the Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School. Dr. Skobe has pioneered the field of tumor lymphangiogenesis, and her discoveries have drawn major attention to the importance of lymphatic vasculature in cancer.
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Improving Breast Cancer Surgery
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Hank Schmidt, MD, PhD
, presented results of a pilot study using a novel technology to improve breast cancer surgery at the annual meeting of the
American Society of Breast Surgeons
, May 2-6. Evaluation of Surgically Excised Breast Tissue Microstructure using Wide-Field Optical Coherence Tomography (WF-OCT), completed at TCI’s Dubin Breast Center, is the first clinical trial in the United States using this technique in breast tumor resection. Study findings: OCT scanning of breast lumpectomy specimens had a 94% overall accuracy when compared to standard histopathologic assessment of tumor margins.
Dr. Schmidt, Associate Professor of Surgery at the Dubin Breast Center of the Tisch Cancer Institute, leads multiple research studies on precision medicine for breast cancer treatment. He is Director of the
Cancer Risk Evaluation Program (CaRE
) and Co-Principal Investigator for the Breast Cancer Biospecimen Repository.
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Breast cancer (Stage 0) less than1mm from
the edge of the tumor resection specimen
seen on the corresponding optical coherencetomography (OCT) below
(Image from Dr. Schmidt)
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James F. Holland, MD, FASCO
1925-2018
Wednesday, May 16, 2018
10:00 am
Reception to follow
Davis Auditorium
Leon and Norma Hess Center for Science and Medicine
1470 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10029
Hosted by the Tisch Cancer Institute
TischCancerInstitute@mssm.edu
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Dinner at ASCO
Ramon Parsons, MD, PhD, and William Oh, MD, look forward to welcoming fellow TCI faculty as well as colleagues from other cancer programs and sharing TCI’s latest advances in immunotherapy research. If you plan to attend the dinner, kindly let Dr. Parsons know via email to
Dominique Bordes.
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ASCO Abstracts
Please send abstracts and presentation details to Marlene Naanes in the press office at
Embargoes will be honored.
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Tisch Cancer Institute Frontiers in Oncology Lecture
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"mTOR and Liver Cancer
"
Tuesday, June 5, 12 noon to 1 pm
Icahn Medical Institute, 1st Floor, Goldwurm Auditorium
Dr. Hall is Professor of Biochemistry,
Biozentrum
of the University of Basel, Switzerland.
A pioneer in TOR-signaling and cell growth control, Dr. Hall has shown that cell growth is a highly regulated process controlled by TOR-dependent signaling pathways.
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Register today "Frontiers in Basic Immunology: 2018"
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Immunology Symposium, September 27-28, 2018
The Center for Cancer Research at the National Cancer Institute is hosting
Frontiers in Basic Immunology: 2018
. The national symposium, chaired by
Alfred Singer, MD
, will include advances in the field and discussion on the current understanding of basic immunological mechanisms.
Abstract submission due date: August 25
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CANCER OUTREACH AND EDUCATION
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“Living with Cancer” outreach events in Harlem at The First Church of Christ Holiness on April 22 and at The First Corinthian Baptist Church on April 29 generated active discussion with and questions and appreciation from the many congregants in attendance. More similar events, emphasizing the patient-centered approach at Mount Sinai, will be held in the near future. TCI panelists included
Che-Kai Tsao, MD
, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Hematology and Medical Oncology, and Medical Director of the Ruttenberg Treatment Center;
John P. Sfakianos, MD
, Assistant Professor of Urology; Gary Shelton, Doctor of Nursing Practice, Advanced Oncology Nurse Practitioner, Advanced Hospice and Palliative Nurse; and Meredith Ruden, LCSW, Program Coordinator, Social Work Services
Pictured, left to right: Dr. Che-Kai Tsao, Dr. John Sfakianos, Gary Shelton, Meredith Ruden
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Saturday, June 2, 10:30 am - 4:30 pm
Hatch Auditorium, The Mount Sinai Hospital
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Our new mobile mammography program is up and running. We are already conducting educational events and scheduling breast cancer screening days. The program will bring services to populations in their communities and increase access to care.
Contact Information
Tel: 844-EZMAMMO (844-396-2666)
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May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month
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Free Walk-in Skin Cancer Screenings, 5-7 pm
May 16: 10 Union Square East, Suite 3C
May 17: 2109 Broadway, Second Floor
May 24: 1090 Amsterdam Avenue, Suite 11D
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Pictured, left to right:
Boris Bakanov RN, Toby Bressler RN, Jasmin Jose, Stefan Balan MD, Luis Isola MD, Lin Mo, Dorothy Turano (District Manager of Community Board 18), Scott Lorin MD, Lucy Cannizzaro RPh, Harinth Pillalamarri MD, and Nina Smallwood.
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Ribbon Cutting in Brooklyn
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An official ribbon cutting ceremony was held on April 19 to celebrate the new
Mount Sinai Brooklyn Ambulatory Infusion Center
. The dedicated unit, under the leadership of
Stefan Balan, MD
, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Hematology and Medical Oncology, includes seven infusion chairs, two exam rooms, and a consult room. It supports oncology expertise, innovative cancer treatment, and clinical trials in a close-to-home treatment center for residents of Brooklyn.
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PlumX
is a web-based tool that provides traditional metrics & “altmetrics” (research impact based on online activity) for peer-reviewed journal articles and other scholarly works.
It includes five categories of metrics—usage, captures, mentions, social media, and citations—and is a valuable gauge for scholarly impact.
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MOUNT SINAI CANCER IN THE NEWS
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Press Releases
In The News
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Do you have news for the next issue of
TCI Connections
?
Remember to share
breaking news
and
high impact news
that might be appropriate for media coverage with Marlene Naanes in the Press Office. This may include pending FDA drug/device approvals, studies/trial results being published in high-impact journals, and patient stories. The more lead time you can give Marlene, the better—ideally, four weeks or when a paper is accepted by the journal. Embargoes will always be honored and news will only be released with your approval. Please also remember to send ASCO abstracts when they are approved.
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Ramon Parsons, MD, PhD, TCI Director
Co-editors: Janet Aronson and Rhaisili Rosario
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