LOMBARDI THIS WEEK
Week of September 27, 2021
Director’s Blog
Dr. Louis Weiner
It’s Getting Real

Greetings on a beautiful early autumn Sunday evening. Our weekend was highlighted by a Saturday-evening reunion of people from my old lab at Fox Chase. It had been a while, and it was simply wonderful to catch up. There is something magical about friendships that span decades.
 

News & Announcements
Attend the 10th Annual Health Informatics & Data Science Virtual Symposium on October 8
ICBI logo
This year’s virtual Health Informatics and Data Science Symposium takes place Friday, October 8, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The proceedings feature a keynote talk by Amy Abernethy, MD, PhD, president of Verily’s Clinical Research Platforms and former principal deputy commissioner and acting CIO of the U.S. Food & Drug Administration; additional guest speakers; and a poster session. Presented by the Innovation Center for Biomedical Informatics, GHUCCTS, Georgetown Lombardi and GUMC. View more information.
Register for the Ruesch Symposium

Registration is open for the Ruesch Symposium, to be held Friday and Saturday, November 19 and 20. Topics addressed by this in-person and virtual event include expanding I/O therapies in GI cancer, targeted therapies in GI cancer, and health disparities in GI cancer. Registration is free for all MedStar and Georgetown employees/trainees with the promo code MedStarEmp2021. Learn more and register.
Hackensack Collaboration Receives NCI SPORE Grant Funding

A collaboration between Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine and the Coriell Institute for Medical Research, co-led by Georgetown Lombardi METRO Program Leader Yi Zhang, PhD, of Hackensack Meridian Center for Discovery and Innovation and Coriell’s President and CEO Jean-Pierre Issa, MD, received funding from the National Cancer Institute through a prestigious Specialized Programs of Research Excellence (or SPORE) grant. The project, one of three collaborations funded by the $12.4 million, five-year grant, will investigate the potential of a certain group of kinases, enzymes that regulate proteins, as therapeutics targets.
Faculty Appointments and Promotions Workshop: Clinical and Biomedical Tracks

Tuesday, September 28
12:00 - 1:00 p.m.

Join the Office of Faculty and Academic Affairs (OFAA) and Committee on Appointments and Promotions (CAP) Chair Max Riesenhuber, PhD, to learn more about the appointment and promotion process for Clinical and Biomedical faculty tracks. Email ofaa@georgetown.edu with questions. Register to attend this workshop.
Translational Research/IIT (TRI) Meeting
 
Wednesday, September 29
5:00 - 6:30 p.m.
 
A discussion of ongoing research at Georgetown Lombardi. Hear a series of short presentations with a focus on translational research that could lead to investigator-initiated clinical trials (IITs) or IITs that need basic science research. Featured speakers: Emeka Ihemelandu, MD: “Detection of Microscopic Disease to Improve Survival of Patients with Gastrointestinal Cancers”; Michael Serzan, MD: “Phase II Trial of HIF2 Alpha Inhibitor Belzutifan with Pembrolizumab in Clear Cell RCC”; and Monica Matta and colleagues: “COTA Data Curation and Analytics in Oncology.” Join the meeting via Zoom.
 
Thursday, September 30
9:00 - 10:00 a.m.
 
Sreejith Nair, PhD, assistant professor of oncology at Georgetown Lombardi, presents “Noncoding Genome and Disordered Proteome: Two Biological Dark Matters in Cancer and Gene Control.” Join the Cancer Research Data Meeting via Zoom (Meeting ID: 440 081 108).
Enrico Gratten

Thursday, September 30
4:00 - 5:00 p.m.

Featuring Enrico Gratton, PhD, professor of Biomedical Engineering and Physics at University of California, Irvine, and principal investigator of the Laboratory for Fluorescence Dynamics. Note: CME/CE credit may be offered for this seminar. Join this seminar via Zoom.
Yi Zhang

Friday, October 1
12:00 - 1:00 p.m.

Yi Zhang, MD, PhD, director and member scientist, Center for Discovery and Innovation (CDI), Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, presents “Alloimmunity, Anti-Tumor Effects, Dendritic Cells and Epigenetic Regulation.” Join this lecture via Zoom.

Wednesday, October 6
12:00 - 1:00 p.m.

Learn what preprints are, how their landscape has evolved over time, especially during the current environment, what their positive and negative characteristics are, as well as metrics, publisher viewpoints, and tips for evaluating and citing. Presented by Dahlgren Memorial Library. Register for this workshop.
In the News
Publications
Funding and Award Opportunities

CRI Irvington Postdoctoral Fellowship to Promote Racial Diversity

The Cancer Research Institute is currently accepting applications for the CRI Irvington Postdoctoral Fellowship to Promote Racial Diversity. This program furthers career development and supports laboratory research for promising young scientists from underrepresented minorities at leading universities and research centers around the world who wish to receive training in fundamental immunology and cancer immunology. The program provides additional support for mentoring and career advancement to these individuals. CRI invites applications from candidates who identify as Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino/a American, or American Indian or Alaska Native. CRI is seeking hypothesis-driven, mechanistic studies in both immunology and tumor immunology that aim to directly impact our understanding of the immune system’s role in cancer. Funding: $175,500 over three years. Application Deadline: Friday, October 1, at 5 p.m.
_______________________________

Basic & Tumor Immunology Postdoctoral Fellowship

The Cancer Research Institute is currently accepting applications for the CRI Irvington Postdoctoral Fellowship Program. This program furthers career development and supports laboratory research for promising young scientists working under the mentorship of leading immunologists. Postdoctoral fellows are invited to apply for funding to support hypothesis-driven, mechanistic studies in both basic immunology and tumor immunology that aim to directly impact our understanding of the immune system’s role in cancer. Funding is $175,500 over three years. Submit applications electronically. Application deadline: Friday, October 1, at 5 p.m.
_______________________________

Cancer Target Discovery and Development (CTD2) Funding Opportunity

Cancer Target Discovery and Development (CTD2) is soliciting applications for research projects focused on identifying and understanding: pathways that influence cancer phenotypes (including understanding the function of the genes/targets which are essential in cancer transformation, maintenance and metastasis); perturbagens that can modulate such pathways; biomarkers predicting responses to treatments, prognosis, and other aspects of cancer etiology that need to be understood in order to develop effective treatments in the future and how to predict them. Proposed projects must combine informatics and complementary experimental approaches. View full funding opportunity announcement. Application deadline: Wednesday, October 6, at 5 p.m.
_______________________________

AACR Anna D. Barker Basic Cancer Research Fellowship

The AACR Anna D. Barker Basic Cancer Research Fellowship encourages and supports postdoctoral or clinical research fellows to establish a successful career path in cancer research. This fellowship provides $110,000 over a two-year period to support the salary and benefits of the fellow while working on a mentored basic cancer research project. View program guidelines and letter of intent instructions. Letter of intent deadline: October 14, 2021, 1 p.m.; application deadline: January 25, 2022, 1 p.m.
_______________________________

AACR-Debbie’s Dream Foundation Career Development Award for Gastric Cancer Research

The AACR-Debbie’s Dream Foundation Career Development Award for Gastric Cancer Research represents a joint effort to encourage and support junior faculty to conduct gastric cancer research and to establish a successful career path in this field. This award provides $200,000 over two years for expenses related to the research project, which may include salary and benefits of the grant recipient, collaborators, postdoctoral or clinical research fellows, graduate students (including tuition costs associated with graduate students’ education and training), or research assistants; research/laboratory supplies; equipment; publication charges for manuscripts that pertain directly to the funded project; and other research expenses. View program guidelines and letter of intent instructions. Letter of intent deadline: October 28, 2021, 1 p.m.; application deadline: February 1, 2022, 1 p.m.
_______________________________

Cancer Immunotherapy Translational Research Program Grant

The Cancer Research Institute offers Clinic and Laboratory Integration Program (CLIP) grants to qualified scientists who are working to explore clinically relevant questions aimed at improving the effectiveness of cancer immunotherapies. The grants support basic, preclinical, and translational research that provides information that can be directly applied to optimizing cancer immunotherapy in the clinic. Applicants must hold a faculty appointment as a tenure-track assistant professor (or higher rank) at the time of award activation. Funding: $200,000 over two years. LOI deadline: December 1. Full application deadline: March 1, 2022. View application guidelines.
Upcoming Events
Meetings in italics should be attended by all fellows.
Monday
8:00 AM | Monday Morning Oncology Report | Podium A / Microsoft Teams

8:30 AM | Division Weekly Update Meeting | Podium A / Microsoft Teams

9:00 AM | Breast Research Meeting | Podium A / Zoom (dial 646-558-8656; Meeting ID: 528212194)

11:00 AM | GU/Melanoma Research Meeting | Podium A / Zoom (dial 646-558-8656; Meeting ID: 796253566)

12:15 PM | Onc Path – Lacey and Dr. Gibney | Podium A / Zoom (dial 646-558-8656; Meeting ID: 987 3224 3543)

4:00 PM | GU Tumor Board (on 1st/3rd Mondays of the month) | Podium A / Zoom (dial 646-558-8656; Meeting ID: 869742463)
Tuesday
9:00 AM | Hematology Path Conference - Inpatient Heme fellows + Outpatient Heme + BMT fellow | Podium A / Microsoft Teams (CME code: 87757)

12:15 PM | Dr. Marshall – Early Stage Colon Cancer | Podium A / Zoom (dial 646-558-8656; Meeting ID: 987 3224 3543)

4:00 PM | Liver Tumor Board | WebEx (dial 844-302-0362; Meeting number (access code): 711 507 430, password: Mse4mGSA2N5)

5:00 PM | Breast Tumor Board | Podium A / Zoom (dial 646-558-8656; Meeting ID: 93777073374; CME code: 80044)
Wednesday
8:00 AM | Thoracic Tumor Board Thoracic Fellow | Podium A / Zoom

9:00 AM | Thoracic Research Meeting Thoracic Fellow | Podium A / Microsoft Teams

12:00 PM | Melanoma Tumor Board | Podium A / Microsoft Teams

12:15 PM | Dr. Liu – Targeted Therapies in Lung Cancer | Podium A / Zoom (dial 646-558-8656; Meeting ID: 987 3224 3543)

5:00 PM | GI Tumor Board | Podium A / Microsoft Teams
Thursday
9:00 AM | Cancer Research Data Meeting - “Noncoding Genome and Disordered Proteome: Two Biological Dark Matters in Cancer and Gene Control” | Speaker: Sreejith Nair, PhD | Zoom (dial 646-558-8656; Meeting ID: 440 081 108)

9:30 AM | Head and Neck Tumor Board - Thoracic Fellow attendance encouraged as clinic allows | Microsoft Teams

12:15 PM | Drs. Ozdemirli/Kallakury – Heme Path Intro | Podium A / Zoom (dial 646-558-8656; Meeting ID: 987 3224 3543)

12:30 PM | GI Research Meeting | WebEx (dial 844-302-0362, Meeting Number (access code): 712527865, HOST PIN: 5514)
Friday
7:00 AM | CNS Tumor Board | Zoom (dial 646-558-8656; Meeting ID: 378 807 316)

12:00 PM | Oncology Grand Rounds Lecture Series: Yi Zhang, MD, PhD | “Alloimmunity, Anti-Tumor Effects, Dendritic Cells and Epigenetic Regulation” | Zoom (dial 646-558-8656; Meeting ID: 448225149)

1:00 PM | Pancreas Tumor Board | WebEx (dial 844-302-0362, Meeting Number (access code): 712527865, HOST PIN: 5514)
Connect with Georgetown Lombardi on Social Media

If you would like to share news or updates from your department, please get in touch with Sarah Riehl.