November 2, 2016
MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR
Dr. Stan Gerson Stan Gerson, MD
Director, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center and UH Seidman Cancer Center
AACI national meeting, presentation by Doug Lowy, Acting Director of NCI
This past week attended the national meeting of the Association of American Cancer Institutes (AACI) in Chicago.

It was an excellent meeting of cancer center directors and administrators that included discussion of implementation of genomic tumor boards, use of molecular testing in clinical practice, a wonderful presentation on progress in immunotherapy by Jim Allison, and presentations on the core grant and cancer center activities by the NCI.

Greg Simon, Executive Director of the White House Cancer Moonshot Task Force, spoke about the ongoing commitment by VP Biden on the Cancer Moonshot (reflecting his talk in Cleveland last Monday), and singled out our involvement in generating the long list of 225 proposals from all the cancer centers, which he is now pursuing with venture and other private funding, and of our development of community-oriented efforts in HPV vaccination and smoking cessation.

From the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, Sandy Markowitz presented his recent discoveries in early detection of both colon cancer and his remarkable new test, developed with Amitabh Chak, of a simple balloon swallow test for Barrett's Esophagus. Chris Hoimes gave a presentation with rave reviews on how Seidman Cancer Center has implemented a genomics tumor board.  

I presented my plans for having the AACI and its 94 member cancer centers tackle the development and expansion of regional and in some instances national networks from the vantage point of the structure, delivery of care, carepaths and clinical trials management.  I will comment on that next week.

This week, I ask that you look over the slides presented by Doug Lowy, acting Director of NCI. He provides a clear view of recent priorities of the NCI in terms of overall funding, the positioning of Moonshot Blue Ribbon Panel ideas in the grant pool, the progress with big data aggregation in support of research, and of both international initiatives and community-oriented research.   You will notice an interest in underserved populations, specifically the mention of African Americans with colon cancer and myeloma, the importance of precision medicine and immunotherapy, and the status of Moonshot ideas.

I welcome your thoughts on how we can do better in all these areas.


GUEST COMMENTARY
Kilbane, Megan Megan Kilbane, MBA
Assistant Dean for Oncology
Case Comprehensive Cancer Center


216
2016 has been described as the year of 216, and it would be hard for anyone to argue that it is not truly the year for Cleveland to shine.  From the Cavs to the Monsters and soon to be the Indians, we are grabbing championships left and right.
 
It is not just in the sports arena that Cleveland is shining.  To help with launching the Moonshot effort earlier this year, Vice President Biden visited the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center to highlight the importance of collaboration.  He revisited our city at the Cleveland Clinic Medical Innovation Summit last week,  and Dr. Brian Bolwell, Associate Director for Taussig Cancer Institute and Chairman, Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute, was quoted by the Vice President with his roadmap for Moonshot success (watch the clip).
 
At the same time, at the AACI national conference, our Director of the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, Dr. Stan Gerson, was sworn in as President of AACI.  Throughout the AACI conference, each leader of cancer research across the U.S. mentioned Dr. Gerson's impact to their decision-making in positive and significant ways.  Dr. Doug Lowy, Acting Director of the NCI, Greg Simon,  Executive Director of the White House Cancer Moonshot Task Force, and Dr. Henry Ciolino, Acting Director of the NCI Office of Cancer Centers, each took opportunities to mention Dr. Gerson and his ideas and suggestions in how to make cancer research accelerate in the NCI, Moonshot and the Cancer Center Support Grants (CCSG).  
 
2016 is truly the year of 216, in sports and in the ongoing search for advanced cancer care.  We should each be proud to be leaders recognized across the country for accelerating cancer research.
MEMBER/CENTER HIGHLIGHTS
Duli Recognized with Staff Development Award
Duli-Dean Davis- Staff Dev Award
Anne Duli and Dean Pam Davis
Anne Duli is the recipient of the 2015-2016 Joan Harris Staff Development Award. Duli was a 28-year employee of CWRU, and served as  Associate Director for Research Administration and Finance for the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center from 2006 until she retired in June 2016. 

The CWRU School of Medicine annually awards this honor to a non-faculty employee who demonstrates excellence in job performance, significant achievements in leadership, a humanistic approach to work and exemplary service to the school. 

A reception was held in Duli's honor on Friday, October 28 ,  where she was presented with the award by Dean Pamela Davis. 
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
Corporate Club: Curing Cancer
Tickets are available for the Corporate Club event, Curing Cancer, on Tuesday, November 8 at 11:30a. Dr. Stan Gerson, director of Case Comprehensive Cancer Center and University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center, and Dr. Brian Bolwell, Associate Director for Taussig Cancer Institute and Chairman of the Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute, will discuss new advances in cancer treatment and the impact they are having in genomics and immunotherapeutics. Monica Robbins, WKYC senior health correspondent, will moderate. 
NCCN 22nd Annual Conference: Improving the Quality, Effectiveness, and Efficiency of Cancer Care™
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Annual Conference: Improving the Quality, Effectiveness, and Efficiency of Cancer Care attracts more than 1,500 registrants from across the United States and the globe including oncologists (in both community and academic settings), oncology fellows, nurses, pharmacists, and other health care professionals involved in the care of patients with cancer. Respected opinion leaders present the latest cancer therapies and provide updates on selected NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®), the data upon which the NCCN Guidelines® are based, and quality initiatives in oncology. Topics change annually but focus on the major cancers and  supportive care areas.

The Annual Conference General Session begins on Thursday, March 23 at 8:00 AM and concludes on Saturday evening, March 25. This year's agenda will include more than 25 educational sessions featuring the latest advances in oncology care, plus interactive patient case studies & roundtable discussions.
This conference (with the exception of the NCCN Roundtable Discussions) will be designated for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ for physicians and certified for credit for nurses and pharmacists.

Registration Waiver/Discounts for NCCN Member Institutions
Registration fee is waived for NCCN Member Institution junior faculty (with a title of Assistant Professor or below).  NCCN also extends a 50% discount off the registration fee to staff employed at NCCN Member Institutions.  Interested individuals should e-mail Liz Rieder at rieder@nccn.org to learn more about how to apply for these discounts.

Call For Abstracts      
The NCCN fifth annual General Poster Session will take place during the NCCN 22nd Annual Conference. Submissions will be accepted from academic institutions, teaching and community hospitals, or industry. Both NCCN and non-NCCN institutions may participate. Research may fall into one of the general categories below:
  • Clinical Oncology (all phases)
  • Pre-Clinical Oncology
  • Epidemiology/Risks
  • Correlative/Genomic
  • Best Practices in Implementation and Use of Clinical Practice Guidelines
  • Quality Improvement
  • Outcomes and Health Services Research
  • BIOinformatics/Information Technology Sciences
Abstracts are due on Sunday, November 6, 2016.
CASE CCC IN THE NEWS
The Hippcratic Post - Oct 30, 2016
A 2011 US study also found for the first time that getting less than six hours sleep a night was a risk for colon cancer.  Dr. Li Li of Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, University Hospitals Case Medical Center and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine says people who average fewer than 6 hours of sleep a night had an almost 50 percent "increase in the risk of colorectal adenomas compared with those sleeping at least 7 hours per night. Adenomas are a precursor to cancer tumors, and left untreated, they can turn malignant, Li says.
'Dear Presidential Candidates': A Letter From an Oncologist
ASCO Post - Oct 25, 2016
By Jame Abraham, MD, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, Co-Director of the Comprehensive Breast Cancer Program, Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute, and Professor of Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of CWRU. 
OZY.com - Oct 25, 2016
Cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy check into a treatment center about every three weeks. They sit in a room alongside other patients, an IV needle dripping medicine into their veins, often for several hours. Cancer is certainly bad news. But the treatment that 650,000 cancer patients in the U.S. undergo each year, chemotherapy, is no picnic either... But Leuko can't yet distinguish between various white blood cells. Until then, "its use among patients undergoing chemotherapy would be limited," says Mikkael Sekeres, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, a hematologist-oncologist at the Cleveland Clinic. An oncologist would prescribe antibiotics or adjust a chemo dose in response to a low count of neutrophils (which play a central role in fighting infection), for instance, but maybe not other white blood cell types.
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
Limited Submission Reminder: Rita Allen Foundation: Scholars Program
LOI Deadline (Internal): Nov 11, 2016, 5:00p
LOI Deadline (External): Dec 9
Application Deadline: Jan 20, 2017

The Rita Allen Foundation Scholars Program provides grants to leading medical research institutions selected by the Rita Allen Foundation Scientific Advisory Committee and confirmed by the Rita Allen Foundation Board of Directors. The Scholars Program supports research scientists in the early stages of their careers. Fields of research are cancer, immunology, and neuroscience. The Rita Allen Foundation reviews grant proposals by invitation only. 


Number of Applications allowed: One
Limited Submission Reminder: Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation: Macy Faculty Scholars Program
Internal Deadline: Nov 11, 2016, 5:00p External Deadline: Feb 10, 2016, 3:00p EST

The Macy Faculty Scholars program is designed to identify and nurture the careers of promising educational innovators in medicine and nursing. With support from the Macy Foundation, scholars will implement new educational innovations at their home institutions and participate in career development activities that prepare them for leadership roles. Case Western Reserve University may nominate one candidate from the School of Medicine and one candidate from the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing. 

Number of Applications allowed: Two 

Chosen scholars will receive: 
  • Salary support of up to $100,000 per year for two years
  • At least 50 percent protected time for two years to pursue educational project
  • Active mentorship by a senior faculty member at their institution
  • Access to the program's National Advisory Committee
  • Opportunities to participate in the Macy Faculty Scholars alumni network and attend the Annual Macy Faculty Scholars Meeting
Leukemia Research Foundation
LOI Deadline: Feb 1, 2017
Invited Full Proposal Deadline: Mar 15, 2017

The Leukemia Research Foundation exclusively funds New Investigators - individuals beginning to establish their own laboratories that are no longer under the tutelage of a senior scientist mentor. It is difficult for them to get the level of funding they need at this critical point in their careers.

The Leukemia Research Foundation is unique in the level of support it provides to highly promising scientists in this absolutely critical research niche. Providing one year grants of $100,000 to selected New Investigator researchers, allows innovative scientists to act on their ideas, and try new procedures and experiments that will hopefully lead to significant,breakthroughs. The Leukemia Research Foundation funds the research of scientists that are from independent labs, not the labs of pharmaceutical companies. 

Researchers funded by the LRF publish their results in an effort to inform the scientific community about their advances. In addition, their initial results are used to obtain grants from larger, multi-year funding sources - thus furthering their research and potential for finding a cure.
Limited Submission: National Comprehensive Cancer Network- NCCN Foundation 2017 Young Investigator Award
Through its Young Investigator Award (YIA) Program the NCCN Foundation invites proposals from young investigators with innovative ideas and an interest in improving the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of care provided to cancer patients. A primary focus of the NCCN Foundation YIA is to identify and fund top investigators in the early stages of their careers, interested in participating and contributing to cancer care research and/or elucidating how the NCCN Guidelines are implemented in practice. The NCCN Foundation also recognizes the growing need for evidence-based research in the areas of clinical treatment and management (including new diagnostics and molecular markers), health systems and delivery of care, quality of life for cancer patients, and patient education.

Eligibility Criteria
The award is open to physicians, scientists, nurses and others working in an oncology laboratory, clinical research or clinical setting, or cancer control program in one of NCCN's 27 Member Institutions (CWRU, UH, Cleveland Clinic), who:
  • Have a first full-time appointment as an Assistant Professor, Instructor, or an equivalent level, and
  • Are MDs, PhDs or, for nurses and others, have an advanced degree.
Nomination Process
Each NCCN Member Institution can nominate up to TWO applicants who may submit research applications.

To be considered for the nomination, submit a letter of interest to  mary.wright@UHhospitals.org  and cc Neal Meropol ( neal.meropol@case.edu ) and Matt Kalaycio ( kalaycm@ccf.org ) by Friday, November 11. LOI should be no more than one-half page, and include applicant name, title, phone, email, study title, brief background, and aims. 


Deadlines
Internal Deadline: Friday, November 11 at 5p ET
Nomination Deadline: Friday, November 18 at 5p ET
Application Deadline: Friday, January 16, 2017 at 5p ET
Request for Proposals for Case CCC Funding for Pilot/Phase I Clinical Trials
Deadline: Open

The Case CCC is encouraging investigators to submit Letters of Intent (LOI) for Early Phase Clinical Research Support (EPCRS) funding. These in-house funds are available for the conduct of early phase clinical trials of relatively short duration. Priority will be given to trials which are developed jointly between UH and CCF with planned accrual at both institutions.  The proposals are being accepted on a rolling basis subject to availability of funds.

Please direct any questions and/or submit LOIs to Katarzyna Karelus, Case CCC Clinical Research Office,  katarzyna.karelus@case.edu, 216.844.4176.
NIH BULLETIN- Notices and Funding Opportunities
Notice of Interest in High Priority Research in Bioethical, Legal, and Societal Implications of Biomedical Research(NOT-LM-17-001)

Research Centers for Population-based Research to Optimize Cancer Screening (PROSPR) Initiative (UM1)(RFA-CA-16-016)

Coordinating Center for Population-based Research to Optimize Cancer Screening (PROSPR) (U24)(RFA-CA-16-017)
EVENTS
Thurs, Nov 3
Clinical Research Education Session
8-11:15a WRB 1-413

Neurosciences Seminar
Kate Barald, PhD
University of Michigan
12:10p BRB 105

Molecular Biology and Microbiology Seminar
Saba Valadkhan, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor, Biochemistry, CWRU
"Insights into regulation of HIV latency and reactivation from global gene expression studies"
and
Lalith Gunawardane
Assistant Professor, Biochemistry, CWRU
1p W203 (Rottman Seminar Room)
Fri, Nov 4
HemOnc Fellows
8a Breen Conf Rm

Cellular and Molecular Medicine
Maurizio Pacifici, PhD
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Translational Research Program in Pediatric Orthopaedics, Div. of Orthopaedic Surgery
"Insights into fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva pathogenesis and identification of a possible therapeutic treatment"
10a NC1-202 Cleveland Clinic

Cancer Center Seminar Series
12p BRB 105

Cancer Center Research in Progress 
Benjamin Bryson
Graduate Student, Pathology, Cancer Biology Training Program, Jackson Lab
CWRU
"Oncostatin M induces epithelial-mesenchymal transition and stem cell properties in senescent human mammary epithelial cells"
4p WRB 3-136
Mon, Nov 7
GMI Seminar
Ming Hu, PhD
Assistant Staff, Quantitative Health Sciences, Lerner Research Institute
Cleveland Clinic
"A compendium of chromatin contact maps reveal spatially active regions in the human genome"
12:30p NE1-205 Cleveland Clinic

Cancer Center Research Chalk Talk 
Jill Barnholtz-Sloan
Professor, Div. of General Medical Sciences-Oncology
CWRU/UH
1p WRB 3-136

Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy Focus Group meeting of the Case CCC Molecular Oncology Program
4p R3-027 Cleveland Clinic
Tues, Nov 8
Corporate Club Series: Curing Cancer
Brian Bolwell, MD, Chairman, Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute
and
Stanton Gerson, MD, Director, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center and University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center
11:30a Landerhaven

THOR Seminar
Anish Thomas, MD
Thoracic & GI Oncology Branch, NIH/NCI
"Exploiting the DNA damage response to treat small cell lung cancer"
1p R3-027 Cleveland Clinic

Cancer Biology Seminar Series
Eunnyung Bae, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow, Gladson Lab, Cancer Biology
Cleveland Clinic
"Increased macropinocytosis in tumor-associated endothelial cells"
2p NC1-202 Cleveland Clinic
Wed, Nov 9
Hem/Onc Div Res Conf
8a Lerner B-151

Department of Neurosciences
Sergio E. Baranzini, PhD
Professor, Neurology, Program in Biomedical Informatics, Institute for Human Genetics, Heidrich Family and Friends Endowed Chair, University of California, San Francisco
"The role of the gut microbiome in neurological disease"
10a NE1-205 Cleveland Clinic

CDDRCC Seminar
Christopher Flask, PhD
Assistant Professor, Radiology
CWRU
12p WRB 1-413

PRCHN Seminar
Sue Flocke, PhD
CWRU/UH
"Tobacco use at community health centers: Burden and opportunities for evidence-based cessation strategies"
12p PRCHN Ground Floor Conference Room

Genomic Medicine Institute
Joyce Slingerland, MD, FRCP(C), PhD 
Director, Braman Family Breast Cancer Institute UM Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center
"Obesity and Breast Cancer: New links between estrogens, inflammation and cancer"
2p NE1-205 Cleveland Clinic

CMB Annual Symposium 
John Doench, PhD
Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard
"Optimizing CRISPR-Cas9 technology"
4p WRB 1-413
Thurs, Nov 10
Cellular and Molecular Medicine Guest Speaker 
Garret A. FitzGerald, MD, FRS
McNeil Professor in Translational Medicine and Therapeutics, Pharmacology
University of Pennsylvania
"Prostaglandins and their Inhibitors"
10a NE1-205 Cleveland Clinic

Molecular Biology and Microbiology Seminar
Alan Levine, PhD
Professor, Pharmacology
CWRU
"What is a leaky gut, and why should we care?"
and
Nga Le
Popkin Lab
CWRU
"Cross-talk between intestinal epithelial cells and T cells"
1p W203 Rottman Seminar Rm
Fri, Nov 11
Hem/Onc Fellows
8a Breen Conf Rm

Immunology Promotion Seminar
Anna Valujskikh, PhD
Associate Staff, Immunology 
Cleveland Clinic
"Total recall: Reshaping T cell memory with lymphoablation" 
9a NE1-205 Cleveland Clinic

Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Guest Speaker
Max Nieuwdorp, MD, Professor, Internal Medicine, AMC, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands
"Using FMT to study causality of intestinal microbiota in cardiometabolic disease"
10a NC1-202 Cleveland Clinic

Cancer Center Seminar Series
Lawrence Recht, MD
Professor of Neurology and, by Courtesy, of Neurosurgery
Stanford University Medical Center
12p BRB 105

Cancer Center Research in Progress Seminar
4p WRB 3-136

ADDITIONAL UPCOMING SYMPOSIUMS & EVENTS

16th Annual Multidisciplinary Genitourinary Oncology Course
Nov 10
InterContinental Hotel
 
NCCN 22nd Annual Conference: Improving the Quality, Effectiveness, and Efficiency of Cancer Care™
Mar 23-25, 2017
PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED OPPORTUNITIES


Deadline: Open

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