Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, a partnership of Case Western Reserve University, University Hospitals and Cleveland Clinic, has joined with 71 other National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated cancer centers and partner organizations to issue a joint statement urging the nation’s physicians, parents and young adults to get the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination back on track.

Dramatic drops in annual well visits and immunizations during the COVID-19 pandemic have caused a significant vaccination gap and lag in vital preventive services among U.S. children and adolescents—especially for the HPV vaccine.

The Case Comprehensive Cancer Center extends congratulations to Robert Salata, MD, Sanford Markowitz, MD, PhD, Amitabh Chak, MD and Joseph Willis, MD, all highlighted by Crain's Cleveland Business in research and innovation category of the Crain's 2021 Notables in Health Care.

Dr. Salata, the STERIS Chair of Excellence in Medicine, was principal investigator for the Pfizer/BioNTech global vaccine study of BNT162b2 against COVID-19. He is a member of the Case CCC's Population and Cancer Prevention Program.

Drs. Markowitz, Chak and Willis are behind a new easily performed, minimally invasive and accurate biomarker test that could change outcomes for patients around the world. All are members of the Case GI Specialized Program of Research Excellence (Case GI SPORE).

Following a record-breaking application cycle, the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center Office of Cancer Training and Education is proud to announce the 32 scholars selected for the 2021 Cancer-focused Summer Undergraduate Research Program, CanSUR! The program kicks off June 1.

From The Daily: A multidisciplinary team of scientists at Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland Clinic used genomic sequencing to track SARS-CoV-2 as it mutated in Northeast Ohio from March 11 to April 22, 2020. The research findings, published in JAMA Network Open, demonstrated that initial strains and subgroups of virus strains (called clades), seen during this time period, were associated with higher mortality while newer variants were associated with lower hospitalizations and deaths.

This research collaborative, led by Frank Esper, MD, a pediatric infectious disease physician at Cleveland Clinic Children’s, included experts in cancer genomics, computer and data sciences, neurology and pathology. Brian Rubin, MD, PhD, chair of Cleveland Clinic’s Robert J. Tomsich Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Institute, and Jing Li, PhD, the Leonard Case Jr. Professor in Case Western Reserve University’s Department of Computer and Data Sciences, were co-senior authors on the study. Dr. Rubin is a member of the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center.

The purpose of the Clinical Oncology Research Career Development Program (CORP) is to provide interdisciplinary training in clinical and translational oncology research for clinical oncology junior faculty physicians who are interested in pursuing academic research careers as physician-scientists. This training addresses the need for clinician investigators to translate fundamental cancer research discoveries into medical care of cancer patients. Eligible candidates are physicians (MD, DO or MD/PhD) with a clinical training background in one of a number of oncology disciplines, including medical, surgical, pediatric, dermatological, gynecological and radiation oncology.

The 2021 Bench to Bedside Retreat will be held virtually Wednesday, June 9 at 12 pm ET and feature a keynote address from renowned immuno-oncology and genomics expert Timothy Chan, MD, PhD.

All students, postdocs and fellows conducting cancer research are invited to submit abstracts for two opportunities to present their research during the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center Annual Scientific Retreat: 1) poster presentation and 2) oral presentation. Cancer Center leadership will review abstracts based on the relationship to cancer, novelty, significance of findings and clarity.

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 Department of Defense and its Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) have announced program details and application instructions for the following FY2021 programs:

Each year, the Children's Leukemia Research Association Medical Advisory Committee reviews submitted research proposals from doctors nationwide to fund research grants for doctors who are conducting the most promising research into leukemia, in the hopes of isolating the causes and finding a cure for the disease. Any doctor in the United States at the PhD or MD level who is involved in research toward finding the causes and cure for leukemia may apply.