August 25, 2015
GUEST AUTHOR
Nathan A Berger, MD
Distinguished University Professor
Hanna-Payne Professor of Experimental Medicine
Professor of Medicine, Biochemistry, Oncology and Genetics
Director, Center for Science, Health and Society
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine 
[email protected] 
Tribute to United States Congressman Louis Stokes
Louis Stokes
When I arrived at CWRU in the early 1980s, Lou Stokes was already a living legend. The first black United States Congressman elected from the State of Ohio, ultimately serving fifteen consecutive terms from 1969 to 1999, a World War II Army veteran, noted civil rights lawyer, member of the powerful Appropriation Committee, Chairman of the Congressional Committee to Investigate the Assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus, he was renowned for his prowess as a civil rights lawyer, his dignity and courage, his good natured humor and disarming laugh, his steadfast support of federal programs to strengthen biomedical teaching and research, and his passionate commitment to the healthcare needs of all Americans, especially the underserved African-American community.

At local events, I heard Congressman Stokes speak of his childhood in early, inner city Cleveland public housing projects and of how his mother would get him and his brother Carl up and dressed early in the morning to come wait for medical care in the clinics at University Hospitals. He was pleased when I told him that the newly developed Cancer Center was the first entity at University Hospitals of Cleveland and Case Western Reserve University to do away with separate processing for clinic and private patients and that all patients, regardless of color or ability to pay, would be given individual appointments, with their own doctors in the new ambulatory cancer facility in the Bolwell Health Center, and their own personal room, if they needed admission to our cancer center inpatient unit. While we clearly earned our recognition as a National Cancer Institute-designated Clinical and now, Comprehensive Cancer Center, we certainly benefited from and appreciated his advocacy. [continue reading]
Case CCC IN THE NEWS
ABC News - Aug 20, 2015
Former President Jimmy Carter announced this morning that he is battling metastatic melanoma, making him one of an estimated 74,000 Americans who will be diagnosed with melanoma this year, according to the National Institute of Health...Dr. Andrew Sloan, director of the Brain Tumor and Neuro-Oncology Center at University Hospitals Case Medical Center and member of the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center in Cleveland, said scientist have only recently understood how "tumors recruit the immune system." "Tumors have figured out how to turn off the immune system," Sloan said. "They recruit cells that surround them ... these are not cells that kill the tumor they protect cells from part of the immune system."
Newswise - Aug 17, 2015
A first-of-its-kind study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology finds that music therapy lessened anxiety for women undergoing surgical breast biopsies for cancer diagnosis and treatment. The two-year study out of University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center involved 207 patients. "To the best of our knowledge, this is the first randomized controlled trial to test music therapy for anxiety management with women undergoing outpatient breast cancer surgery, and the largest study of its kind to use live music therapy in the surgical arena," said lead author Jaclyn Bradley Palmer, music therapist at UH. "Our aim was to determine if music therapy affected anxiety levels, anesthesia requirements, recovery time and patient satisfaction with the surgical experience," she said.
ABC News - Aug 21, 2015
Four years after her stage four cancer diagnosis, Ivette Giancola was faced with dwindling options.
The mother had gone through two rounds of chemotherapy to treat her relatively rare stage 4 neuroendocrine cancer. But the disease was "acting up" and no longer was responding to treatment, according to Giancola...Dr. Stan Gerson, director of University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center and Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, said the study is significant and that every major cancer center is now working to develop basket medical trials. "It's a really important next step in understanding how to link the mutations we're finding in cancer to treatment," said Gerson, who did not participate in the study.
UH Case Medical Center Investigating Adult Stem Cells for Sports Injuries
EurekAlert - Aug 20, 2015
University Hospitals Case Medical Center's (UH) Dr. James Voos, Head Team Physician, The Cleveland Browns, outlined details about a pilot trial using mesenchymal stem cell therapies in patients and athletes at the ongoing the MSC 2015 conference on Adult Stem Cell Therapy & Regenerative Medicine...The study will examine the use of amplified mesenchymal stem cells (from one's own body) as a therapeutic option for musculoskeletal issues such as arthritis and cartilage defects. Dr. Voos is collaborating with Drs. Hillard Lazarus, Director, Novel Cell Therapy - UH Case Medical Center, Professor of Medicine at CWRU as well as Stanton Gerson, Director, University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center and Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Professor of Medicine with CWRU.
WCVB5 - Aug 17, 2015
Former President Jimmy Carter recently announced that he has cancer. Carter is 90-years-old and said the cancer has spread. Dr. Dale Shepard, a cancer expert at Cleveland Clinic and Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, said generally older adults have a higher risk for cancer. "Cancer is definitely a disease of the elderly. As people get older, they increase their likelihood of developing cancers. This is why as the population ages, we're going to see a lot more cancer and we need to do a lot more to figure out how to treat it," Shepard said.
MEMBER HIGHLIGHTS
Venous Thromboembolism in Cancer Patients: CATCH Results
Medscape - Aug 18, 2015
Alok Khorana
Treatment with low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) is as safe and effective as warfarin in cancer patients with acute symptomatic venous thromboembolism (VTE), according to new findings.

Compared with warfarin, the LMWH tinzaparin (Innohep, LEO Pharma) did not significantly reduce the composite primary outcome of recurrent VTE, and it was not associated with reductions in overall mortality or major bleeding.

However, the risk for clinically relevant nonmajor bleeding events was significantly lower with tinzaparin (49 of 449 patients) than with warfarin (69 of 451 patients); the hazard ratio (HR) was 0.58 (P = .004).
Findings from the CATCH study, initially presented last year at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology, as reported by Medscape Medical Newswere published in the August 18 issue of JAMA.
"We haven't had a larger confirmation until now," explained senior author Alok Khorana, MD, a medical oncologist at the Cleveland Clinic and member of the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center. [more]
Researchers Find Key Protein Drives "Power Plants" that Fuel Cells in Heart and Other Key Systems in the Body
Case Daily - Aug 17, 2015
Case Western Reserve University scientists have discovered that aprotein called Kruppel-like Factor 4 (KLF4) controls mitochondria-the "power plants" in cells that catalyze energy production. Specifically, they determined KLF4's pivotal role through its absence-that is, the mitochondria malfunction without enough of the protein, which in turn leads to reduced energy. This decline is particularly problematic in the heart because lower energy can lead to heart failure and death.

Xudong Liao
The researchers' findings appear in the August edition of The Journal of Clinical Investigation (JCI). In addition to an article detailing the research, the edition also features a First Author Perspective piece from Xudong Liao, an assistant professor of medicine in the area of cardiovascular medicine at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.

Mukesh Jain, MD
Mukesh Jain
"Xudong made the observation several years ago that mice lacking KLF4 in the heart developed profound heart failure in response to stress," said senior author Mukesh Jain, the Ellery Sedgwick Jr. Chair and Distinguished Scientist, director of the Case Cardiovascular Research Institute, and member of the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center. "In this most recent research, he looked into the mechanisms for why the heart had failed so quickly and made the exciting observation that KLF4 controls major aspects of the mitochondrial biology." [more]
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
American Society of Hematology Physician-Scientist Career Development Award
Medical students who are interested in pursuing a career in hematology research and looking for ways to get started on that career path are encouraged to apply for the ASH Physician-Scientist Career Development Award.

This award offers a unique opportunity for medical students to gain experience in hematology research and to learn more about the specialty by immersing in a yearlong laboratory, translational, or clinical investigation under the mentorship of an ASH member.

Deadline: September 30 
Call for Proposals: Multi-investigator Grants Aligned with Themes of the GU Malignancies Program
Funds have been allocated for multi-investigator grants that are aligned with the themes of the GU Malignancies Program of the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center. We anticipate funding TWO one-year awards with $30,000 of support.
 
The GU program is in need of 1) projects that are aligned with programmatic strengths and interests (such as, but not limited, to androgen signaling in prostate cancer and immunotherapy across GU malignancies) with an eye toward the eventual development of program project grants, and 2) the genesis and development of new ideas from investigators not traditionally in the GU program, as well as new avenues for established GU investigators. Funding decisions will therefore be made with regard to 1) the potential of a project to contribute to a GU program project grant and 2) whether the proposal has fresh ideas with high impact potential.
 
Proposals should have:
  • Cover page that includes proposal title, investigator(s), affiliations and contact information
  • Brief budget
  • NIH biosketch of each investigator
  • Proposal that is no more than 2 pages in length (not including references). Each proposal should include an explicit statement about the potential fit into a program project or about the novelty of the proposal, as per the needs of the GU Malignancies Program.

Please send proposals to [email protected] and [email protected] by October 1, 2015.


NIH BULLETIN - Notices and Funding Opportunities

Notice of Change to Eligible Individuals for PAR-15-03 "Exploratory Grant Award to Promote Workforce Diversity in Basic Cancer Research (R21)"(CA-15-027)

Correction of Due Dates for Letters of Intent for PAR-15-307 "Translational Research on Adducts in Cancer Risk Identification and Prevention (U01)"(CA-15-029)

Correction of Due Dates for Letters of Intent for PAR-15-308 "Innovative Basic Research on Adducts in Cancer Risk Identification and Prevention (R01)"(CA-15-030)

Correction of Due Dates for Letters of Intent for PAR-15-309 "Innovative Basic Research on Adducts in Cancer Risk Identification and Prevention (R21)"(CA-15-031)

Chemistry, Toxicology, and Addiction Research on Waterpipe Tobacco (R01)(RFA-OD-15-005)

Early-Stage Development of Informatics Technologies for Cancer Research and Management (U01)(PAR-15-332)

Sustained Support for Informatics Resources for Cancer Research and Management (U24)(PAR-15-333)

Development of Innovative Informatics Methods and Algorithms for Cancer Research and Management (R21)(PAR-15-334)

EVENTS
Tues, Aug 25
THOR Seminar
Paul Davis, MD
Professor, Medicine
Albany Medical College
Nanoparticulate Tetrac Targets the Thyroid Hormone Receptor on Integrin alphavbeta3 to Disrupt Tumor Cell Defense Pathways and Block Angiogenesis
1 pm R3-027 Cleveland Clinic
Wed, Aug 26
Hem/Onc Division Research Conference
Janice Lyons, MD
Director, Breast Cancer Services, UHCMC
Program Director, Radiation Oncology, UHCMC
Associate Professor, Radiation Oncology, CWRU SOM
Breast Radiation Therapy: RT Indications and Treatment
8a Lerner B-151
Thurs, Aug 27
Immunology Seminar
Stavros Garantziotis, MD
Medical Director, Clinical Research Unit
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences 
TLR5 Modulates TLR4 Signaling in Environmental Lung Injury
9:30a NE1-205 Cleveland Clinic
Fri, Aug 28
Hem/Onc Fellows Seminar
Lisa Arfons, MD
Hillard Lazarus, MD
Linda Sandhaus, MD
CWRU/UHCMC
Lynn Bowman
MetroHealth
Bone Marrow Biopsy Session 2: Didactic (equipment, technique & samples)
8a Breen Conference Room
Mon, Aug 31
Genomic Medicine Institute Seminar
Ying Ni, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow, Eng lab, Genomic Medicine Institute
Cleveland Clinic
Compound Heterozygous Deletion in KIAA2018 Causes EMT-mediated Cell Migration and Mitochondrial Dysfunction
12:30p NE1-205 Cleveland Clinic
Tues, Sep 1
Immunology Seminar Series
Yan Li, PhD
Dept of Immunology 
CWRU
Elucidating 3D Regulome in Signal-dependent Transcription and Stem Cell Differentiation
12p WRB 1-413
THOR Seminar
Yong Li
Staff, Cancer Biology
Cleveland Clinic
Noncoding Germline and Somatic Mutations in Cancer
1 pm R3-027 Cleveland Clinic
Wed, Sep 2
Hem/Onc Division Research Conference
David Mansur, MD
Division Chief, Radiation Oncology, UH Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital
Associate Professor, Radiation Oncology and Pediatrics, 
CWRU SOM
Radiation Oncology Overview
8a Lerner B-151
Fri, Sep 4
Hem/Onc Fellows Seminar
Joe Baar, MD, PhD
Shiveta Vinayak, MD
CWRU/UHCMC
Adjuvant/Neoadjuvant Breast Cancer Treatment
8a Breen Conference Room

Taussig Cancer Institute Grand Rounds
Eren Berber, MD
Endocrine Surgery
Cleveland Clinic
An Update on Minimally Invasive Surgical Treatment of Metastatic Liver Tumors
8a R3/002-003 Cleveland Clinic

Case CCC Calendar

 

LRI Calendar

 

ADDITIONAL UPCOMING SYMPOSIUMS & EVENTS

A Hanna Symposium Genome Instability and Evolution
Bernard Dujon of Pasteur Institute, James Haber of Brandeis University, Philip Hieter of University of British Columbia
Sep 9
BRB Auditorium 

Genetics and Genomics: Integration into Clinical Practice
Sep 10
InterContinental Hotel

Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP) Community Forum

Cancer Center Scientific Series: AYA Research
Sep 18 3-6p
BRB 105

Neuroendocrine Tumor Regional Conference
Multidisciplinary Management of NET Cancers
Nov 7
Embassy Suites - Independence
PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED OPPORTUNITIES

Deadline: Sep 2

Deadline: Sep 17

Pre-Application Deadline: Sep 19
Application Deadline (Invited): Dec 21

Deadline: Sep 24


Case Comprehensive Cancer Center 
11100 Euclid Avenue, Wearn152
Cleveland, OH 44106-5065