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The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center has named Welela Tereffe, MD, as chief medical executive. She assumed his new position and joined the institution’s executive leadership team on January 1.   Read More

Cancer Center at Illinois Cancer Center at Illinois member, Michael Oelze, PhD, and his collaborative breast cancer and ultrasound imaging research with Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, Canada, was awarded a $2 million grant from the National Cancer Institute. The project aims to identify the early response of breast cancer patients to neoadjuvant chemotherapy using quantitative ultrasound imaging technology. Read More

Thank you to the communications professionals who consistently provide AACI with news from their cancer centers. The February 2021 issue of AACI Update will be published on Monday, February 1. The deadline to submit your cancer center news is Wednesday, January 27. Please send your cancer center news to [email protected]. Read More

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center A Phase I/II study led by researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center found IMGN632, a novel CD123-targeting antibody-drug conjugate, was tolerable and resulted in a 29 percent overall response rate in patients with relapsed/refractory blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN), and a 31 percent overall response rate in BPDCN patients with prior tagraxofusp treatment. Read More

VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center New research findings from Paula Bos, PhD, identified a type of immune cells that acts as a major driver of breast cancer growth by preventing the accumulation of a specific protein that induces anti-tumor responses. Read More

Duke Cancer Institute, Duke University Medical Center In 2010, Edward Patz, Jr., MD, and colleagues first identified a unique auto-antibody in some early-stage lung cancer patients, responsible for initiating a process that deactivates the protective "force field" around cancer cells, making them vulnerable to attack by the body’s own immune system. Now a drug they developed based on this discovery is in a Phase 1b clinical trial. Read More

Cleveland Clinic Cancer Center A new paper demonstrates an approach to combining individual tumor genomics and mathematics to personalize the dose of radiation therapy for lung cancer patients. By applying this personalized technology, the study shows an opportunity to increase the efficacy and decrease the toxicity of radiation therapy. Read More

Stanford Cancer Institute David Miklos, MD, PhD, has been appointed the new division chief of Blood and Marrow Transplantation in Stanford University School of Medicine’s Department of Medicine, effective January 2021. Dr. Miklos will be only the third chief in the more than 30-year history of the program, succeeding Robert Negrin, MD, after his 20 years in that role. Read More

University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center Itzhak Nir, MD, has been appointed the first Elsie P. Barry/Cowboys for Cancer Research Endowed Professor in Hepato-Pancreatico-Biliary and Oncology Surgery at UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Nir served as surgical director in transplantation surgery at Hadassah University Hospital in Jerusalem and as a surgical oncology fellow at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Read More

UPMC Hillman Cancer Center Patrick Moore, MD, MPH, distinguished professor of microbiology and molecular genetics at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, was a part of the small committee of scientists tasked by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration with reviewing the data provided by the pharmaceutical company Pfizer, which has developed a COVID-19 vaccine. Read More

UK Markey Cancer Center A new University of Kentucky study provides direct evidence for a testing strategy that could be used to support a shortened period of quarantine for university students who are exposed to COVID-19 but are asymptomatic. Jill Kolesar, PharmD, is principal investigator of the study. Read More

UK Markey Cancer Center A new study by researchers in the University of Kentucky College of Nursing shows correlations between use of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), including e-cigarettes, and persistent cough among college students. Read More

Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple Health Y. Lynn Wang, MD, PhD, FACP, recently published a comprehensive review of molecular biomarkers in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The review discusses both prognostic biomarkers, those that help indicate risk of disease development regardless of treatment, and predictive biomarkers, those that identify individuals who are more or less likely to benefit from a specific treatment, for CLL. Read More

UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center In two new papers, UC San Francisco and Princeton University scientists present complementary strategies for finding medicines that kill cancer cells while preserving normal tissue. These "smart" cell therapies remain inert unless triggered by combinations of proteins that only appear together in cancer cells. This approach has been explored by Wendell Lim, PhD, and colleagues. Read More

Yale Cancer Center, Yale School of Medicine Stephanie Halene, MD, PhD, has been appointed chief of hematology at Yale Cancer Center, Smilow Cancer Hospital and the Yale School of Medicine Department of Internal Medicine. She received her medical degree and doctorate degree from Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen in Tübingen, Germany. Read More

Legorreta Cancer Center at Brown University The Cancer Center at Brown University has announced the funding of eight pilot projects, which were selected from 24 proposals by a panel of expert faculty in a National Institutes of Health study section-style review. Funds for the pilot project were provided by generous donors. The Division of Hematology/Oncology at Lifespan Health System/Brown provided additional support. Read More

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Jedd Wolchok, MD, PhD, director of the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, is the recipient of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Award for Immuno-Oncology 2020. Read More

University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center By taking a lesson from prostate cancer, researchers now have a promising lead on a treatment for COVID-19. Two proteins, ACE2 and TMPRSS2, help the coronavirus gain entry and replicate within cells. TMPRSS2 is well-known to Arul Chinnaiyan, MD, PhD. His lab discovered that TMPRSS2 fuses with the ETS gene to drive more than half of all prostate cancers. Read More

University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center Stewart Livsie, manager of maintenance and construction at UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center, was recently named by the International Facility Management Association as one of its top 40 facilities managers under 40 years old for 2020. His leadership helped ensure that the center remained open during the pandemic. Read More

Case Comprehensive Cancer Center Cancer patients, especially newly diagnosed and African-American patients, are significantly at risk for COVID-19 infection, hospitalization, and mortality, according to a new study published by researchers from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center. Read More

The University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center The University of Chicago Department of Medicine has announced that Sonali Smith, MD, an expert in lymphoma therapeutics, has been appointed as chief of the Section of Hematology/Oncology. Dr. Smith has been serving in an interim capacity since April 2019. Read More

University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center Income level, employment, housing location, medical insurance, education, tobacco and alcohol use, diet and obesity, access to medical care. These are some of the factors causing worse cancer outcomes in people who are Black. The same factors are also causing worse outcomes from COVID-19 in this population. Read More

Renowned cancer researcher Ze’ev Ronai, PhD, has been named director of Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute's National Cancer Institute (NCI)-Designated Cancer Center. Dr. Ronai's research in cancer biology has focused on the rewiring of signal transduction pathways, which has led to novel scientific paradigms and formed the basis for clinical trials to treat malignancies. As director, Dr. Ronai will play a central role in coordinating basic science across the research programs t…

Joseph V. Simone, MD, a pioneering clinical investigator and institutional leader in pediatric oncology, died January 21 at the age of 85, according to the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). Among his many leadership roles, Dr. Simone served as president of the Association of American Cancer Institutes (1992-1993), and served on the boards of directors for ASCO and the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). Read More

The University of Kansas Cancer Center The University of Kansas Tobacco Treatment Specialist training program has been accredited by the Council for Tobacco Treatment Training Programs, joining just 23 other such accredited programs in the world. Babalola Faseru, MD, MPH, helps lead the program. Read More

Anil K. Rustgi, MD, has joined AACI's Board of Directors. Dr. Rustgi was named director of Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University Irving Medical Center in 2019. He is also Irving Professor of Medicine; associate dean of oncology; and chief of cancer services. He was appointed to complete the term of Charles S. Fuchs, MD, MPH, director of Yale Cancer Center and physician-in-chief of Smilow Cancer Hospital, Yale School of Medicine. Dr. Fuchs was named senior vice presiden…

Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University A microbe found in the colon and commonly associated with the development of colitis and colon cancer also may play a role in the development of some breast cancers, according to new research from investigators with the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and its Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy. Read More

Yale Cancer Center, Yale School of Medicine Rachel Adams Greenup, MD, MPH, FACS, has been appointed as associate professor of surgery (oncology) and section chief of breast surgery for the Department of Surgery at Yale School of Medicine. She joins Yale from Duke University. Read More

UPMC Hillman Cancer Center UPMC Hillman Cancer Center recently announced the appointment of Jeremy Rich, MD, MHS, MBA, as deputy director of research. Dr. Rich will also serve as the Pittsburgh Foundation Chair in Personalized Cancer Therapy and a professor of neurology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Read More

The University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center Jing Chen, PhD, an international leader in cancer metabolism, was recently named the first Janet Davison Rowley Professor in Cancer Research. Dr. Chen also serves as inaugural director of the newly established Cancer Metabolic Research Center. Read More

AACI congratulated President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on their inauguration and pledged its strong support of their efforts to end the COVID-19 pandemic and promote cancer research, treatment, and prevention. The association formed a strong bond with President Biden during his leadership of President Barack Obama’s Cancer Moonshot initiative. Read More

UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center Over the past 15 years, the cancer center’s Community Advisory Board (CAB) has become one of UCSF’s most instrumental community outreach groups for improving health equity. In a Q&A, CAB Chair Arnold Perkins and Kim Rhoads, MD, MS, MPH, discuss why CABs are critical to the work of NCI cancer centers and the communities they serve. Read More

Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center at Baylor College of Medicine Proteogenomic analysis may offer new insight into matching cancer patients with an effective therapy for their particular cancer. A new study identifies three molecular subtypes in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma that could be used to better determine appropriate treatment. The research was led by Baylor College of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, and the National Cancer Institute’s Clinical Proteomic Tumor A…

Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center Research conducted by a team at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center sheds light on the carcinogenic effect of exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. A new study details a method to measure the abundance of cancer-related early changes to skin tissue long before the damage becomes visible to the eye. Read More

Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center Rates of death from breast cancer are 40 percent higher in Black women than in white women. Research shows the tumors in Black women are more aggressive, but experts did not know why. New research from Roswell Park shows the aggressive cancer is related to a greater number of "exhausted" immune cells. Read More

Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami Mikkael Sekeres, MD, MS, has joined the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center team as the new physician liaison in hematology and chief of the Division of Hematology in the Department of Medicine. Read More

VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center Bernard Fuemmeler, PhD, and his team have conducted the first-ever systematic review of area-level data reported in the United States between 2006 and 2020 to determine how geography, neighborhoods, and sociodemographic factors impact HPV vaccination rates among adolescents and young adults. Read More

Case Comprehensive Cancer Center Machine learning-based approaches to risk assessment can be highly effective in predicting various types of cardiac dysfunction among cancer survivors who have received cardiotoxic cancer therapies, according to a new retrospective longitudinal study by researchers from Cleveland Clinic’s Lerner Research Institute; Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute; and Taussig Cancer Institute. Read More

Duke Cancer Institute, Duke University Medical Center Thomas A. D’Amico, MD, chief of General Thoracic Surgery and director of the Thoracic Oncology program at Duke Cancer Institute, has been appointed to a two-year term as medical director of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS). Read More

Siteman Cancer Center Brian C. Baumann, MD, a radiation oncologist, has been chosen to serve on four national cancer advisory committees: National Association for Proton Therapy Physician Advisory Committee; National Cancer Institute Bladder Cancer Task Force; NRG Oncology Genitourinary Committee; and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology Committee. Read More

University of Virginia Cancer Center The colons of African Americans and people of European descent age differently, new research reveals. Scientists at the University of Virginia found that one side of the colon ages biologically faster than the other in both African Americans and people of European descent. In African Americans, however, the right side ages significantly faster, explaining why African Americans are more likely to develop cancerous lesions on the right side and why they…

University of Florida Health Cancer Center If there’s one piece of advice Chengguo "Chris" Xing, PhD, would give you, it’s to "stress less." Dr. Xing, a UF Health Cancer Center member, sees stress as the culprit in various health conditions: insomnia, anxiety, tobacco cravings — even cancer. He’s been evaluating piper methysticum, better known as kava, for its potential to help manage all of these. Read More

Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University In what is believed to be the most comprehensive molecular characterization to date of the most common type of head and neck cancer, researchers from the Johns Hopkins departments of pathology and oncology, the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and 18 other centers around the U.S. and Poland have clarified the contribution of key cancer-associated genes, proteins, and …

The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute Older minority cancer patients with poor social determinants of health are significantly more likely to experience negative surgical outcomes compared to white patients with similar risk factors, according to a new study published by researchers at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute. Read More

UK Markey Cancer Center UK Markey Cancer Center has announced the appointment of Mindy Rogers as director of the Kentucky Cancer Program – East, which is housed within the cancer center. Read More

Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple Health Fox Chase Cancer Center announces the recruitment of Anna Liza Rodriguez, MSN, MHA, RN, OCN®, NEA-BC, as chief nursing officer and vice president of nursing and patient services. She served for nearly five years as associate nursing officer at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center before joining Fox Chase. Read More

Stanford Cancer Institute Alyce Adams, PhD, has been named the inaugural associate director of Stanford Cancer Institute’s Office of Cancer Health Equity and Community Engagement. Her research focuses primarily on the determinants of suboptimal use of health care services among older adults with chronic conditions; racial differences in medication adherence; and the impact of health policy changes on access to quality care. Read More

Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland have been awarded a five-year, $3.3 million grant by the National Cancer Institute to apply artificial intelligence to help customize treatment for oral cancer patients. Read More

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Examining a Mediterranean diet in relation to prostate cancer progression in men on active surveillance, researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center found that men with localized prostate cancer who reported a baseline dietary pattern that more closely follows the key principles of a Mediterranean-style diet fared better over the course of their disease. Read More

Moffitt Cancer Center Moffitt Cancer Center researchers are investigating whether inflammation in the body, a side effect of androgen deprivation therapy, contributes to symptoms such as fatigue, depression, and cognitive impairment in prostate cancer patients. In a new study they pinpoint a specific inflammation marker that is associated with increased fatigue in this group of patients. Read More

UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center Six UC San Francisco researchers have won a $3 million "Endeavor Award" to build a new research collaborative at the university focused on decoding the "rulebook" of metastatic cancer as a pathway to new treatments. The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research established the awards to support research challenges that are too far-reaching for a single lab to address. Read More

The University of Kansas Cancer Center Jamie Wagner, DO, FACOS, FACS, and Shane Stecklein, MD, PhD, have been appointed to the Breast Oncology Local Disease Task Force of the National Cancer Institute Breast Cancer Steering Committee. Their three-year terms began January 1. Read More

University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center A new understanding of intracellular pathways activated as T cells start to mount an immune response offers clues against graft-versus-host disease, a serious complication of bone marrow transplantation. Read More

Hollings Cancer Center, Medical University of South Carolina Craig Lockhart, MD, has been recruited as the new chief of the Division of Hematology & Oncology at the Medical University of South Carolina and will serve as associate director for clinical science at MUSC Hollings Cancer Center, effective April 1. Dr. Lockhart currently holds several roles at the University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. Read More

City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center Angela L. Talton has joined City of Hope's executive leadership team as senior vice president and chief diversity, equity, and inclusion officer. Read More

UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center An analysis of a large nationally representative longitudinal study reports that starting tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, before the age of 18 is a major risk factor for people becoming daily cigarette smokers. Read More

UK Markey Cancer Center A new study by UK Markey Cancer Center researchers shows that DACH1 mutations are prevalent in Kentucky patients with endometrial cancer, suggesting that DACH1 may be a candidate biomarker for future trials with immunotherapy. Read More

Moffitt Cancer Center David Sallman, MD, is leading a national, multicenter clinical trial investigating a new therapy option for patients with TP53-mutant disease. It builds upon the standard of care therapy, combining eprenetapopt with the chemotherapy azacitidine. Eprenetapopt is a first-in-class mutant p53 reactivator. It is infused in the body and induces cell death in TP53 mutant cancer cells. Read More

University of Colorado Cancer Center Sean Davis, MD, PhD, who currently serves as a senior associate scientist at the National Cancer Institute, will serve as the new associate director for informatics and data science at the University of Colorado Cancer Center. Read More

Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah Two researchers at Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah have received awards from the V Foundation for Cancer Research. Charles R. Rogers, PhD, MPH, MS, was awarded the 2020 V Scholar Grant, and Jennifer Doherty, PhD, MS, received the 2020 Robin Roberts Cancer Thrivership Research Award. Read More

Siteman Cancer Center The Siteman Cancer Network, an affiliation between Siteman Cancer Center and regional medical centers, has added a fourth member, the network’s second in Illinois. Carterville-based SIH Cancer Institute has joined the network, which aims to improve the health of people and communities through cancer prevention, research, and access to specialized treatment, when necessary, at Siteman in St. Louis. Read More

Case Comprehensive Cancer Center Researchers in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute have developed an improved approach to treating actinic keratosis, a precancerous skin condition usually treated with photodynamic therapy that patients often report as painful. Read More

University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center Michael Green, MD, PhD, noticed that when his patients had cancer that spread to the liver, they fared worse than when cancer spread to other parts of the body – and immunotherapy treatments had little impact. A new study finds that tumors in the liver siphon off critical immune cells, rendering immunotherapy ineffective. But coupling immunotherapy with radiotherapy to the liver in mice restored the immune cell function. Read More

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have developed the first comprehensive framework to classify small-cell lung cancer into four unique subtypes, based on gene expression, and have identified potential therapeutic targets for each type. Read More

Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center Researchers at the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center published promising findings on preventing a common complication to lifesaving blood stem cell transplantation in leukemia. Sherif Farag, MD, PhD, found that using a drug approved for type 2 diabetes reduces the risk of acute graft-versus-host disease. Read More

Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center A drug typically prescribed for rheumatoid arthritis may also be effective in treating a rare but potentially deadly heart complication some cancer patients experience after taking immunotherapies, according to a study co-led by investigators at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Read More

Cedars-Sinai Cancer Internationally prominent gynecologic oncologist Kenneth H. Kim, MD, recently was selected to direct the Division of Gynecologic Oncology at Cedars-Sinai Cancer. He also serves as chair of the cancer center's Committee for Oversight of Training and Education. Read More

Duke Cancer Institute, Duke University Medical Center Ken H. Young, MD, PhD, is the new chief of the Hematopathology Division and Duke Cancer Institute Blood Cancer Pathology Service. He directs a lab focused on the mechanisms of tumor progression and novel therapeutic strategies in lymphoma, myeloma, and leukemia. Dr. Young joined Duke in 2019 from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Read More

The University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center Melody Swartz, PhD, has been elected a member of the National Academy of Medicine. She was honored for "pioneering contributions" to the fields of lymphatic physiology, cancer research, and immunotherapy. Read More

University of Florida Health Cancer Center The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Best of ASTRO Program Committee has selected an abstract by Raymond Mailhot Vega, MD, MPH, as a 2020 Best of ASTRO abstract. Read More

Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center at Baylor College of Medicine Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine have discovered how therapeutics targeting RNA splicing can activate antiviral immune pathways in triple negative breast cancers to trigger tumor cell death and signal the body’s immune response. Read More

UPMC Hillman Cancer Center UPMC Hillman Cancer Center has announced that Yen-Michael Hsu, MD, PhD, will serve as the new director of the Immunologic Monitoring and Cellular Therapeutics Laboratory. Read More

Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey Christian Hinrichs, MD, has been named chief of the Section of Cancer Immunotherapy and co-director of the Cancer Immunology and Metabolism Center of Excellence. Dr. Hinrichs was recruited from the National Cancer Institute where he served as a tenured senior investigator in the Genitourinary Malignancies Branch. Read More

Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple Health Fox Chase Cancer Center announces the addition of Joel Helmke, MSHP, FACHE, to its senior leadership team as chief operating officer. Before joining Fox Chase, Helmke served nearly five years as senior vice president of clinical operations at City of Hope National Medical Center. Read More

AACI is collaborating with the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services as part of its Vaccine Consultation Panel (VCP). Through the VCP, AACI has received periodic updates on the development and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines and participated in efforts to educate the cancer center community and the general public on the importance of widespread vaccine uptake. Read More

AACI will jointly host its annual Hill Day with the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) on Wednesday, June 9. The event will be held virtually for the second year. All faculty and staff of AACI cancer centers are invited to spend the day advocating for cancer research funding.  Read More

The 13th Annual AACI CRI Meeting will be held virtually July 13-15. The three-day online meeting will deliver the innovative, quality education that AACI members have enjoyed at prior CRI annual meetings. The CRI Steering Committee is currently soliciting abstracts for the meeting, which will will focus on adapting cancer clinical research for 2021 and beyond. Read More

AACI cancer center directors are invited to submit nominations for the 2021 Champion for Cures Award by Monday, February 8. Selected by the AACI Board of Directors, the awardee will have gained distinction through their visionary approach to promoting our shared goal of a future without cancer. Through their transformational philanthropy, the cancer center can focus beyond immediate needs to multiply its impact on patient health, research, and the surrounding community. Read More

Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center An experienced executive with a passion for serving cancer patients and exceptional strategic leadership skills has rejoined the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center team. Roswell Park President and CEO Candace S. Johnson, PhD, has recruited Jeff Walker, MBA, back to Western New York to fill the new role of executive vice president of operations and transformation. Walker has served many years as treasurer of AACI. Read More

Legorreta Cancer Center at Brown University Martin A. Weinstock, MD, will lead a six-year clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness of a topical medication as a way to prevent skin cancer. The work is backed by a $34 million award from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Cooperative Studies Program. Read More

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Emil J. Freireich, MD, a trailblazing oncologist who developed groundbreaking therapies for childhood leukemia and came to be recognized as a founding father of modern clinical cancer research, passed away peacefully at his beloved institution, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, on February 1. He was 93. Read More

Duke Cancer Institute, Duke University Medical Center Duke Cancer Institute Deputy Director Steven Patierno, PhD, is principal investigator on a newly awarded $3.5 million NCI Exploratory (P20) SPORE grant to support research toward mitigating disparities in lung cancer and in stomach cancer. Read More

Cancer Center at Illinois Rohit Bhargava, PhD, Cancer Center at Illinois director, was selected as the 2021 recipient of The Optical Society (OSA) Ellis R. Lippincott Award. Co-presented by the OSA, the Coblentz Society, and the Society for Applied Spectroscopy, this award recognizes significant innovations in the field of vibrational spectroscopy. Read More

Sarah Thayer, MD, PhD, FACS, has been selected as the new director of Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport – Feist-Weiller Cancer Center. The cancer center was established by an act of the Louisiana Board of Regents in 1993. Dr. Thayer joins Feist-Weiller from the University of Nebraska Medical Center where she served as physician-in-chief and associate director for clinical affairs. Read More

Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple Health Elizabeth Plimack, MD, MS, chief of the Division of Genitourinary Medical Oncology at Fox Chase Cancer Center, has been appointed chair of the scientific advisory board for the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network. Read More

Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation have announced a $3.3 million program to address the cancer burden in rural areas and Native Nations across New York State, with an emphasis on the Western New York region. Read More

Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center A selenium transport protein produced in the colon helps protect against colitis-associated cancer in an animal model. The findings, by Vanderbilt investigators Jennifer Pilat, Sarah Short, PhD, Christopher Williams, MD, PhD, (pictured, L-R) and colleagues, suggest that selenoprotein P may be a novel biomarker for assessing disease severity and cancer risk in patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Read More

Cancer Center at Illinois Cancer Center at Illinois member, Pengfei Song, PhD, was recently awarded a $2.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense for a collaborative project with Mayo Clinic to develop ultrasound imaging technology that addresses dense breast tissue. Read More

The University of Arizona Cancer Center A $1.5 million grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency is funding a University of Arizona Health Sciences study designed to understand the occupational risks unique to women in the fire service, including those at the Tucson Fire Department. Read More

Stanford Cancer Institute The Stanford Cancer Institute announces the launch of its Community Partnership Seed Grant Program. The program fosters community-driven cancer prevention and control efforts by partnering Stanford researchers, physicians, trainees, and/or staff with community partners to develop projects focused on the cancer burden of medically underserved populations. Read More

Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey George Mason University’s College of Science has announced a $1.33 million collaboration with Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and Mason’s Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine. The effort will use a new way to measure biomarkers of the HER2 protein, which is expressed on breast cancer cells. Read More

Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center Researchers at the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center have identified how breast cancer cells hide from immune cells to stay alive. Xinna Zhang, PhD, and colleagues found that when breast cancer cells have an increased level of a protein called MAL2 on the cell surface, the cancer cells can evade immune attacks and continue to grow. Read More

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center The first randomized Phase II clinical trial to report on single and combined neoadjuvant immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy in stage I-III non-small cell lung cancer found combination therapy produced a significant clinical benefit. Tina Cascone, MD, PhD, is lead author of the study. Read More

Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center at Baylor College of Medicine Daniel Hamstra, MD, PhD, is joining Baylor College of Medicine as professor and chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology. He will serve as the radiation oncology lead at the Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center and radiation oncology service line chief for St. Luke’s Health – Texas Division. Dr. Hamstra joins Baylor after nine years at the University of Michigan. Read More

Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) and University of Utah Health welcome Sachin Apte, MD, MS, MBA. He will serve as chief clinical officer of HCI and physician-in-chief of the cancer hospital. Dr. Apte joins HCI from Moffitt Cancer Center where he served as associate chief medical officer. Read More

Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University A commercially available genomic test may help oncologists better determine which patients with recurrent prostate cancer may benefit from hormone therapy, according to new research from the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and 15 other medical centers. Read More

Stanford Cancer Institute Homing in on about 20 key genes known to be associated with breast or ovarian cancer is likely to provide patients and their doctors with news they can use, according to a new study from Stanford Medicine and the University of Michigan. Read More

VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center VCU Massey Cancer Center and VCU Health System welcome Katie Barnes, MPA, as vice president of the cancer service line, a new collaborative model designed to fulfill strategic initiatives for Massey while maintaining close alignment with VCU Health System. Read More