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Feature
Story
Cancer immunotherapy: Combining approaches to achieve
checkmate
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Like a clever chess
player, cancer has evolved strategies to escape capture by its
opponent, the
immune system--a coordinated network of specialized cells that normally
protects the body against attacks from foreign invaders. "These
strategies
are quite effective at disarming or suppressing an immune response,"
says Glenn Dranoff,
MD
(DFCI), leader of the DF/HCC Cancer Immunology Program.
But as research in the lab advances understanding of immune response
pathways, investigators are gaining crucial insights into the
mechanisms that
regulate the antitumor response. Basic and clinical scientists in the
program are collaborating across multiple DF/HCC institutions to
translate
these insights into immunotherapies in the clinic that will overcome
tumor immune escape. [more]
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Spotlight
Children's Hospital Boston: Pioneers in cancer research
Since 1947, when
Sidney Farber, MD, achieved the first remission of acute pediatric
leukemia,
Children's Hospital Boston has blazed the trail leading to higher
survival rates for childhood cancers. Sixty years later, more than 80
percent of
children diagnosed with cancer will live to adulthood, due in large
part to the collaboration of scientists and physicians on the frontiers
of
medicine at the world's largest pediatric research center. [more]
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Leadership
Since our last edition of eNews, the following members have assumed new DF/HCC leadership
positions:
Daniel Cramer, MD, ScD (BWH), interim leader, Gynecologic Cancer Program
Karen
Emmons, PhD (DFCI) co-leader, Cancer Disparities Program
Howard
Koh, MD, MPH (HSPH), leader, Cancer Disparities Program
Members
Twenty individuals from our
seven member institutions have recently joined DF/HCC. Learn
more about these scientists and their research interests.
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More on
Cores
The life of a drug
Pharmacokinetic studies, or the study of how compounds are absorbed, distributed, metabolized, and
eliminated in a higher organism, have become an integral part of the clinical development of
new anticancer
agents. The Cancer Pharmacology Core
provides DF/HCC investigators with the expertise and resources to
design and undertake PK
studies in
clinical trials and preclinical studies. The core can develop,
validate, and implement previously developed analytical methods to
measure drugs
and their metabolites in biological fluids as well as modify or develop
entirely new assays. The core also offers comprehensive analysis of
pharmacokinetic data as an additional service. Contact Core Director Jeff
Supko, PhD for more information.
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News and
Events
Jeffrey S. Flier named next dean of Harvard Medical School
Harvard President Drew
Faust has announced Jeffrey S. Flier, the George C. Reisman Professor
of
Medicine at Harvard Medical School, will become the new dean of
Harvard's Faculty of Medicine. A member of the HMS faculty since 1978,
Flier has
served for the past five years as chief academic officer of the Beth
Israel Deaconess Medical
Center where he is also the Harvard faculty dean for academic programs.
Flier succeeds Joseph
B. Martin, who stepped down as dean on June 30 after a decade of
distinguished
service. Barbara J. McNeil, the Ridley Watts Professor of Health Care
Policy and Professor of Radiology, became acting dean on July 1 and
will serve
through the end of August.
ECHO lab provides new resource for DF/HCC
members
The Health Communication Core
has opened the Enhancing Communications for Health Outcomes
(ECHO) Laboratory, a multimedia communications laboratory equipped with
state-of-the-art computer technology. The ECHO Lab allows for testing
of
responses to a range of communication products, including printed
materials, interactive technologies, video messages and materials, and
web
sites. The ECHO Lab can also be used for interviews and focus groups. To learn more about how the ECHO Lab can help your research, contact Brad Kaiser, HCC Manager, at
(617) 632-5078.
McGowan recruited to lead DF/HCC development office
Terence McGowan has
joined DF/HCC as Director of Development. Prior to DF/HCC, Terry was
the
Director of Institutional Advancement at Boston Biomedical Research
Institute, an independent non-profit medical research organization
based in
Watertown, Mass. He brings the distinct advantage of already being
familiar with DF/HCC and the Harvard Community, through his experience
as
the Associate Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations at
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute for several years.
Terry brings enormous
skill and energy to his new position, which is focused on seeking
philanthropic opportunities that will further the scientific creativity
and extraordinary collaboration that sets DF/HCC apart. He can be
reached via e-mail at terence_mcgowan@dfci.harvard.edu or phone (617) 582-8755.
Vitamin D and Cancer
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On May 3, more than 50
basic, population, and clinical investigators from DF/HCC's seven
member
institutions came together for an evening symposium on the implications
of Vitamin D and cancer. Held by the DF/HCC Scientific Council and
hosted by
Edward
Giovannucci,
MD, MPH, ScD, presenters at the event included
Tomasz Beer, MD (Oregon Health Sciences University), J. Wesley Pike,
PhD
(University of Wisconsin-Madison), Michael B. Sporn, MD (Dartmouth
College Medical School), and Armen Tashjian, Jr., MD (HSPH).
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Bertagnolli named new BWH Chief of Surgical
Oncology
BWH Chief of Surgery Michael J. Zinner,
MD, has announced that as of July 1, Monica Bertagnolli, MD,
will become the chief of the Division of Surgical Oncology at Brigham and Women's Hospital.
Under the leadership of Drs. J. Dirk
Iglehart
and Michael J. Zinner, the Division of Surgical
Oncology has experienced a dramatic increase in clinical volume and
scope, and in division leadership of both basic and clinical research.
As a
result of this increase, and reflecting his desire to spend more time
in biological and
laboratory-based research, Iglehart will become chief of the growing
section on cancer biology. He will continue to lead BWH's training
grant in
Advanced Surgical Oncology and provide leadership for the DF/HCC Breast
Cancer Program and SPORE.
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New DF/HCC SPORE
Just funded this
month, the new DF/HCC
Gastrointestinal
Cancers SPORE will lead to
greater cohesion
in the Gastrointestinal Malignancies Program, spark new RO1, PO1, and
DOD grants, foster innovative ideas in GI cancer research, and advance
the
careers of junior investigators. The DF/HCC Gastrointestinal Cancers
SPORE will be led by Charles Fuchs, MD, MPH (DFCI), who serves as
Principal
Investigator, and Ronald DePinho, MD (DFCI) and Monica Bertagnolli, MD
(BWH), who serve as co-Principal Investigators. There are five
projects
in the GI SPORE: [more]
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Save the
Date
2007 Student Presentations: CURE and Boston Latin School Science
Mentorship
Program
On Aug. 15-17,
DF/HCC and DFCI invite all parents, advisors, and staff to attend the
annual
presentation of students' research projects for Continuing Umbrella of
Research Experiences (CURE) & Boston Latin School Science
Mentorship Program.
These high-school and college students from underrepresented minority
populations have devoted their summer to working in a lab and learning
first-hand what cancer research is really like. Their presentations are
a culmination of their research work. To learn more, contact Kiki Cooper or view the invitation (pdf).
DF/HCC Pipelines in Oncology
This series of
seminars gives our pre-clinical and clinical investigators a chance to
sit down with
industry oncology program leaders and discuss promising projects and
products in their portfolio. The following Pipeline events remain for
2007:
September 20: Bayer, October 18: Merck, November 15: Exelixis, December
13: Genentech. For more information on the Pipelines series, contact Petra Loesch.
Stem Cell Summit
On Oct. 2-3, the
Genetics Policy Institute, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, and Burrill
Life Science
Media Group have joined together to produce The Stem Cell Summit. The
event will gather a global community of stakeholders to learn what's
new, share
ideas, search for solutions and focus on advancing stem cell research
from the bench to the bedside.
Click here for a full agenda (pdf) or visit the Stem Cell Summit website for more information.
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Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center
Central Administration
44 Binney Street, BP332A
Boston, MA 02115
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