February 2015 Newsletter 
Clinical Trial Working Groups
  • Trial in start-up: Renal cell carcinoma (Illinois)
  • Current concepts:
    • Prostate (Rutgers)
  • Next call: TBD. See you at GU ASCO on Feb. 26!
  • Current concepts:
    • Esophageal (Indiana)
    • Non-small cell lung cancer (Michigan)
    • Non-small cell lung cancer (Indiana) - 2 concepts
    • Non-small cell lung cancer with brain metastasis (Minnesota)
  • Next call: Thursday, March 26 at
    1 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. CT.
  • Trial in start-up: Hepatocellular (Indiana)
  • Current concepts:
    • Esophageal (Indiana)
    • Colorectal (Wisconsin)
    • Rectal (Rutgers)
    • Pancreatic (Illinois)
  • Next call: TBD.
  • Current concepts:
    • First line triple negative metastatic breast cancer (Penn State)
    • ER+ and/or PR+ and HER2- breast cancer (Illinois)
  • Next call: Wednesday, Feb. 11, at 4 pm ET / 3 pm CT.
  • Seeking two co-chairs. If interested, please send your CV and statement of interest to Andrea Hurd.
  • Next call: TBD.
  • Seeking two co-chairs. If interested, please send your CV and statement of interest to Andrea Hurd.
  • Current concept: Squamous cell carcinoma of the skin (Rutgers)
  • Next call: TBD.
Hematology Working Groups
  • Seeking co-chairs for each of the following groups. If interested, please send your CV and statement of interest to Andrea Hurd.
  • Current conceptChronic lymphocytic leukemia (Michigan)
  • Make up kick-off call: If you were unable to join the ASH in-person meeting, a teleconference will be held Feb. 25 at 4 pm ET / 3 pm CT to review the information presented during the kick-off. Contact Andrea Hurd for more details.

Submit a Concept: Contact Jessica Roy at jroy@bigtencrc.org or 317-634-5842 ext. 19

Join a CTWG: Contact Andrea Hurd at alhurd@bigtencrc.org or 317-634-5842 ext. 40.
New Address

Please note our new mailing address:

Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium
500 N. Meridian Street, Suite 100
Indianapolis, IN 46204

Phone numbers, staff extensions, and email addresses remain unchanged.
Featured Member Profile
Learn about the Michigan State University Breslin Cancer Center, our featured member for February, in this conversation with Medical Director Anas Al-Janadi, MD. Dr. Al-Janadi is associate professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Hematology/Oncology in the Michigan State University Department of Medicine. Read more.

To see past member features, click here.
Now Recruiting Co-Chairs 
The BTCRC is currently recruiting co-chairs for the following Clinical Trial Working Groups. If you would like to serve as a co-chair for one of these groups, please send your CV and a statement of interest to Andrea Hurd at alhurd@bigtencrc.org
  • Gynecologic (seeking two co-chairs)
  • Melanoma/Cutaneous Oncology (seeking two co-chairs)
  • Lymphoid Malignancies (seeking two co-chairs)
  • Multiple Myeloma (seeking one co-chair)
  • Myeloid Malignancies (seeking one co-chair)
Face-to-Face Meetings
  • GU Working Group meeting at the 2015 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium, on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2015, 7:00 to 8:30 pm ET at the Hyatt Regency Orlando, 9801 International Drive, Orlando, Fla. See map. We will meet in the Discovery 45 Room on the Mezzanine Level of the International Tower.
     
  • ASCO 2015: BTCRC Meeting for Steering Committee Members and Cancer Center Directors on Friday, May 29, 2015, 7:00 to 8:30 pm CT at the Holiday Inn Chicago Mart Plaza River North, 350 West Mart Center Drive, Chicago, Ill. See map. Watch for an invitation soon!
Q&A: Correlative Research
Our series of Q&As returns this month with common questions regarding correlative research management for Big Ten CRC trials. Questions addressed in this Q&A include:
  • In what aspects of a clinical trial are correlative research managers at BTCRC Administrative Headquarters able to assist?
  • Why am I provided a Study Procedures Manual along with the protocol?
  • Why am I instructed to use only the correlative specimen collection kits provided by the BTCRC Administrative Headquarters instead of supplies at my site?
  • Why is it important to enter accurate biospecimen data into the EDC system in a timely manner?

Read our full Q&A.

Across the Consortium

From new discoveries in our understanding of RNAs to re-emerging ideas about Vitamin C; from initiatives that focus on our communities at home to those that stretch across continents, Big Ten cancer centers continue to innovate and inspire. Read more.


 

To see past editions of Across the Consortium, click here.

 

Teaming Up to Fight Cancer

Chittibabu (Babu) Guda, PhD, associate professor and director of bioinformatics and systems biology core facility at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, and Kenneth Cowan, MD, PhD, director of the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, are partnering with IBM to collaborate on genomic research and analytics using the IBM Watson Genomic Analytics solution.