According to new findings published in Science Translational Medicine, researchers in Lerner Research Institute’s Department of Cancer Biology have identified a promising drug target for treating and preventing drug-resistant prostate cancer.

The team, led by Nima Sharifi, MD, reports that inhibiting the protein H6PD significantly reduced tumor sizes and improved progression-free survival among human-derived preclinical models of drug-resistant prostate cancer. They found that H6PD levels were significantly enriched in biopsied patient tumors, as well, suggesting it can be targeted in patients.

The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting will be held virtually again this year, June 4-8, 2021. The meeting will feature a dynamic program of educational and scientific sessions, showcasing what is possible when the cancer care community comes together to advance cancer research, treatment, and patient care. On-demand content and presentations will be available beginning at 9:00 am ET on Friday, June 4, while a scheduled broadcast experience featuring 48 high-impact sessions with real-time engagement and live Q&A is planned for all registrants.

The Case Comprehensive Cancer Center has compiled a list of ancillary educational events, oral abstract sessions, poster and poster discussion sessions, as well as publication-only abstracts from Cleveland-based institutions including Case Western Reserve University, University Hospitals, Cleveland Clinic and The MetroHealth System.

We are pleased to announce Julie DeJager, MA, as the Deputy Associate Director for Administration for the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center.

As the Deputy Associate Director, Julie is responsible for developing implementation strategies, advising on matters of operational feasibility, providing programmatic and developmental research support, and overseeing activities of the Cancer Center Support Grant (CCSG). Working directly with John Pounardjian, MBA, Associate Director for Administration, she will provide organizational oversight for research space, shared resources, research programs, CCSG funds, pilot grants, various national activities, information services, and other operational activities of the Cancer Center. Julie will work with administrators across the consortium institutions to implement seamless administrative services to achieve the goals and strategies of the Case CCC.

Julie has been part of the Cancer Center administration team since 2013. She has extensive experience with grants management, process development and data collection, serving as Manager of Research Administrative Operations for the Cancer Center prior to being named Deputy Director. Please join us in congratulating Julie on her new role!

The Case Comprehensive Cancer Center extends congratulations to Jack Kincaid, a trainee in the lab of Nathan A. Berger, MD, as he received the AACR Meritorious Achievement Award at the AACR Undergraduate Student Caucus and Poster Competition (USCPS) held during the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR).

His poster, reporting the effects of sex and obesity on latency of Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia (APL) highlights the likelihood that APL will join a list of 13 other malignancies formally labeled as obesity-associated cancers. Currently, only one hematologic malignancy, multiple myeloma, is formally identified as obesity-associated. The research, with Dr. Berger and Berger Lab Senior Research Assistant & Manager Anne Baskin, revealed how obesity and obesogenic diets accelerated the development of APL, with males demonstrating earlier development of the disease and provided a robust model to study mechanisms by which sex impacts leukemia latency.

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) Equity and Inclusion Program seeks actionable recommendations to enhance cancer health disparities research and diversity and inclusion in the cancer research workforce through the following two Requests for Information (RFIs).

Jennifer Cullen, PhD, MPH (jxc1650@case.edu) and Erika Trapl, PhD (erika.trapl@case.edu) are coordinating a response on behalf of the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, and welcome your feedback and comments.

Request for Information (RFI): Seeking Stakeholder Input on Enhancing Cancer Health Disparities Research (NOT-CA-21-066) seeks input on any of the following topics by June 25, 2021.

Request for Information (RFI): Seeking Stakeholder Input on Enhancing Diversity and Inclusion in the Cancer Research Workforce (NOT-CA-21-067) seeks input on any of the following topics by July 15, 2021.

The Master of Science in Regenerative Medicine & Entrepreneurship is the first two-year master's level program in Ohio focused on Regenerative Medicine and Entrepreneurship. Students enrolled in the RGME program will have access to cutting-edge clinical and research facilities along with small biotechnology companies within the network of the National Center for Regenerative Medicine (NCRM).

RGME students are trained in academic, commercial and clinical settings to support cellular manufacturing, biotechnology innovation, legal compliance, financial analysis, venture capital, and business development activities, all while taking advantage of our strengths across the disciplines of regenerative medicine as a whole.

Join RGME program director Tracey Bonfield, PhD on Wednesday, June 23, 2021 from 1-2 pm ET for a webinar to discover how a graduate degree in regenerative medicine, combined with entrepreneurship, can change lives.

With the generous support from VeloSano Bike to Cure 2020, the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center (Case CCC) is providing seed funding for innovative and impactful proposals that will generate key data for larger, nationally competitive multi-investigator/team grants (MPI R01, P01, U01, SPORE, etc.). The Case CCC has recently undertaken a reorientation of its scientific programs, and this award will provide funds for each of our six scientific programs. Program Leaders will select the award aligned to their program, and therefore will not serve as project PI. Projects must be focused on the establishment or support of a collaborative effort by a team of 2 or more independent investigators from the case Case CCC research program. The goal is to submit a federal team science grant application.

The Vilcek Foundation is currently seeking young foreign-born applicants for the 2022 Vilcek Prizes for Creative Promise in Biomedical Science. The Vilcek Foundation a nonprofit foundation dedicated to raising awareness of immigrant contributions to the arts and sciences in the United States.

Immigrant biomedical researchers are encouraged to apply. Applicants should have been born outside of the United States and be 38 years of age or younger. Three winners will each receive a $50,000 unrestricted cash prize and be honored at an awards ceremony in New York City in April 2022.

The Nature Research Awards for Inspiring Women in Science - Science Outreach Category, is presented for initiatives that support girls or young women to engage with, enjoy and study STEM subjects OR to increase the retention of women in STEM careers. STEM includes natural sciences, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine. These initiatives can be run by an individual or academic, educational, charitable, governmental or corporate entity.

NRA is seeking initiatives that have either:

Entries will have shown exceptional vision, insight and/or imagination and demonstrated that they encourage, support or promote the interest of girls and/or women in STEM.