The 2021 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting is taking place virtually in two parts. The AACR Virtual Annual Meeting Part I will be held April 10-15 and Part II will be held May 17-21. The AACR Annual Meeting program covers the latest discoveries across the spectrum of cancer research—from population science and prevention; to cancer biology, translational, and clinical studies; to survivorship and advocacy—and highlights the work of the best minds in research and medicine from institutions all over the world.

The Case Comprehensive Cancer Center (Case CCC) has compiled lists of presentations, posters and more from Cleveland-based institutions and wish the best of luck to all presenters! We encourage you to sign up for the meeting and block time to hear some of the exciting research presentations and support your colleagues.

The Case Comprehensive Cancer Center extends congratulations to Cleveland Clinic's Nima Sharifi, MD, as he has been selected as the 2021 recipient of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Waun Ki Hong Award for Outstanding Achievement in Translational and Clinical Cancer Research.

In the award announcement, AACR highlights that Dr. Sharifi "has made significant contributions to cancer research through his focus on the role of androgen synthesis in advanced castration-resistant prostate cancers." He was selected for his work into how a genetic variant enables prostate cancer cells to evade first-line treatment and leads to aggressive disease.

Dr. Sharifi is director of the Center for Genitourinary Malignancies Research at Lerner Research Institute and the Kendrick Family Endowed Chair for Prostate Cancer Research at Cleveland Clinic. He also leads the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center's GU Malignancies Program and is a professor in the Department of Molecular Medicine. He will present a featured award lecture during Part II of the AACR's 2021 Virtual Annual Meeting in May.

From The Daily: Drug-development startup Rodeo Therapeutics Corp., founded by two leading researchers from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and a third scientific partner, has been sold to Amgen Inc., a publicly-traded international biopharmaceutical company. Under terms of the agreement, Amgen, based in Thousand Oaks, California, will acquire all outstanding shares of Rodeo for $55 million, plus "future contingent milestone payments potentially worth up to an additional $666 million in cash," the companies announced Wednesday.

The company was created based on discoveries published in the peer-reviewed journal Science by three scientific founders: Sanford Markowitz, MD, PhD and Stan Gerson, MD, both of Case Western Reserve, and Joseph Ready, of the University of Texas Southwestern.

Richard T. Lee, MD, Director of Supportive & Integrative Oncology at University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center and the Helen Moss Foundation - Schoff Family Professor of Integrative Oncology at Case Western Reserve University recently spoke with Oncology Tube about a single-institution study published in JCO Oncology Practice regarding patient and caregiver familiarity with available complementary and integrative medicine services.

From The Daily: The Mt. Sinai Health Care Foundation—continuing Mt. Sinai Medical Center’s century-old tradition of caring for Northeast Ohio—has expanded its commitment to the region through a $1 million challenge grant to Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. With this grant, the Mt. Sinai Health Care Foundation has provided over $31 million in lifetime support for Case Western Reserve.

The grant will benefit the Dean’s Catalytic Fund, designed to provide resources for the school’s leader to invest in new opportunities to advance medicine, such as emergency student scholarship support, bridge funding to advance promising early-stage research, and recruitment and retention of exceptional faculty. In this instance, Interim Dean Stan Gerson, MD will use Mt. Sinai’s support to inspire additional philanthropic commitments for recruitment of the next chair of the school’s department of pharmacology.

Join our team! The Case Comprehensive Cancer Center (Case CCC) is currently seeking qualified candidates for the following staff roles:

The Gastrointestinal (GI) Cancer Genetics Program at The Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, with affiliates University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center and Cleveland Clinic, also invites applications for tenure track/tenured faculty positions at the level of Assistant, Associate or Full Professor.

Applications are also welcomed for a faculty position at the level of Assistant or Associate with a cancer disparities research agenda that builds upon our efforts to address cancer disparities in our catchment area, with a particular focus on determinants of disparities due to race/ethnicity, socioeconomic circumstance, and/or residence in rural communities. 

Available award: $75,000 for one year

Available award: Up to $120,000 for one year

Available award: $75,000 for 18 months

Available award: $180,000 for 18 months

Available award: $50,000

Available award: $50,000

Available award: $25,000 for one year

Available award: up to $150,000

The MDS Foundation, Inc.’s Young Investigator Grant provides an investigator, aged 40 years or less, the opportunity to initiate, continue or complete a project that focuses on either basic or clinical management into the causation, epidemiology, molecular biology, cytogenetics, morphology, prognosis and treatment of the Myelodysplastic Syndromes. The Young Investigator Grant is a two-year research grant in the amount of $100,000, paid in two equal installments to the awardee’s institution.

To support strong collaboration between Federal research agencies, NIH has made every effort to align the Biographical Sketch (Biosketch), Other Support format page, and Application Form Instructions with the guidance issued by the Office of Science and Technology Policy Joint Committee on the Research Environment. As a result, NIH has released a notice (NOT-OD-21-073) that outlines updates to application forms and instructions to support applicants and recipients' need to provide full transparency and disclosure of all research activities, foreign and domestic. The updated form and instructions will be required for use for applications and Research Performance Progress Reports (RPPRs) submitted for due dates on or after May 25, 2021.

We want to alert you that the changes to the Other Support requirements are significant and much more than simply a change in format. You should review the new template and take some time to read NIH’s FAQ page about the Other Support requirements.

Above all, you should work with your department administrator to update your Other Support documentation now, so that you have it readily available if it is requested by the Cancer Center research administration team for an upcoming progress report or grant proposal. If you have any questions about the new Other Support page and your own department administrator cannot assist, we are happy to help you update or create yours before you’re hit with a deadline! Please reach out to casecccfinance@case.edu and let us know if you have questions or need assistance.