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August 27, 2018
MEMBER/CENTER HIGHLIGHTS
Case Western Reserve Team Receives Grant to Improve Food Systems in Cleveland Neighborhoods
A multidisciplinary research team led by Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine has received a three-year, $936,000 grant to use collaborative computational modeling approaches to promote better community health through more equitable food systems.

Darcy Freedman Under the Tipping Points grant from the nonprofit Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR), a team led by Darcy Freedman, PhD, associate professor of population and quantitative health sciences at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and Case Comprehensive Cancer Center member, will conduct the Modeling the Future of Food in Your Neighborhood study that will examine several key food-system strategies. These include efforts such as supermarket expansion, healthy-eating social marketing campaigns, and emergency food assistance programs. The goal is to develop strategies to sequence, integrate and tailor these efforts to achieve maximum community benefit. more>
Lu Appointed Harrington Discovery Institute Scholar
Zheng-Rong Lu Zheng-Rong Lu, PhD, the M. Frank Rudy and Margaret Domiter Rudy Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Case Western Reserve Univesity and member of the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, was selected as a 2018 Gund-Harrington Scholar for his work in  nonviral gene therapy for Stargardt disease, the most common form of inherited juvenile macular degeneration. 

The Harrington Discovery Institute, part of the Harrington Project for Discovery & Development, collaborates with the Foundation Fighting Blindness on the Gund-Harrington Award to accelerate therapies for retinal degenerative diseases. It collaborates with the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation to advance the development of drugs to prevent and treat Alzheimer's disease, according to a news release.

Scholars, who are selected through a competitive review process, receive financial support as well as drug development and project management support through the Harrington Discovery Institute's Innovation Support Center.
Eng Named Notable Woman in Healthcare by Crain's Cleveland Business
Charis Eng, MD, PhD was recognized as a " Notable Woman in Healthcare" by Crain's Cleveland Business. 
Eng is the Sondra J. and Stephen R. Hardis Endowed Chair of Cancer Genomic Medicine, Genomic Medicine Institute, Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute, and Professor and Vice Chair of the Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences at Case Western Reserve University. She is also a member of the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center. 

Excerpt from Article: 
Dr. Charis Eng's pioneering work to unite "cancer" and "genetics" research as a young student "set sail on an unpredictable journey that would eventually make her the leading expert in the field of clinical cancer genetics," according to Dr. Serpil Erzurum, chair of Cleveland Clinic's Lerner Research Institute. In the nomination form, Erzurum cites Eng's "tireless support, inspired mentorship and active promotion of young scientists" among her key contributions to cancer research and treatment. In addition to breakthrough training initiatives, Eng, who has directed the Genomic Medicine Institute for 13 years, is an empathetic caregiver to her patients and an active investigator, having published more than 500 peer-reviewed articles to date and serving as the principal investigator on over $50 million in lifetime grants and other funding. Her lab has led discoveries in breast and thyroid cancers, among others, as well as identified a mutation associated with Cowden disease and autism. 
STAFF SPOTLIGHT
This new "Staff Spotlight" series will introduce you to members of our administrative staff and their areas of expertise. Please contact us for assistance - we are here to help! 

John Pounardjian John Pounardjian, MBA
Contact John for help with: Multi-investigator grants; Pilot funding; Shared Resources

John Pounardjian was named Deputy Associate Director of Administration for the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center (Case CCC) in March 2017. He has been a member of the Case CCC Admin team since 2012, previously serving as GI SPORE Administrator. He is nationally recognized for his SPORE expertise; serving on the planning committee, and being an invited speaker at two National SPORE Administrator Workshops.

In his current role, John oversees all aspects of the Cancer Center Support Grant (CCSG) management with primary responsibilities including fiscal management, oversight of the Case CCC pilot grant process, management of Case CCC shared resources (SRs), and co-administrative support of CCSG supported SRs that are managed by the institutions. John works closely with the SRs to provide guidance and assistance with and standardization of billing, usage, and collection processes and systems, fee development and review, annual usage surveys, and monitoring of user satisfaction.

John is responsible for all large multi-PI or multi-component grants in the Case CCC, including the NCTN LAPS grant, and is also well versed in NIH Public Access Policy compliance.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
3rd Annual Cancer Disparities Symposium
Mar 1, 2019 | Tinkham Veale University Center
Case CCC logo Save the Date! The 3rd Annual Cancer Disparities Symposium will be held Friday, Mar 1, 2019. 

2019 Symposium Highlights
  • Keynote presentations by renowned disparities researchers and community leaders
  • Scientific Keynote presentation by Rick Kittles, PhD, Associate Director of Health Equities, Comprehensive Cancer Center; Professor and Director, Division of Health Equities, Department of Population Sciences, City of Hope
  • Poster session highlighting academic research and community programs
  • Networking session
  • All attendee forum
Submit an Abstract
  • Abstract Submission Opens: Tuesday, September 4, 2018
  • Abstract Submission Deadline: Monday, December 3, 2018
  • Abstract Acceptance Notification: Wednesday, January 2, 2019
*Oral presentations selected from submitted abstracts.
IN THE NEWS
OncLive - Aug 17, 2018
Radiotherapy is highly effective because it can reduce the size of gross tumors or even eradicate them and sterilize microscopic disease noninvasively, thereby preserving organs. Technical advances in this critical tertiary specialty over the last several decades have led to significant improvements in its spatial and dosimetric precision...In May, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) awarded a $2 million grant to Mohamed E. Abazeed, MD, PhD, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, to study these questions in his laboratory at Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. The lab is seeking to identify new genetic markers calibrated on the basis of radiation therapy effectiveness and new drug-radiation therapy strategies that more precisely and effectively target lung tumors most resistant to radiation. The goal is to advance a genetically guided radiation strategy that makes tumor cells more sensitive to radiation therapy.

Cleveland.com - Aug 20, 2018
During his two-decade career as a neurosurgeon, Dr. Michael Vogelbaum, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, has seen little progress in the treatment of glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer that is difficult to treat or cure.  The problem is the  blood-brain barrier , which is composed of specialized cells inside the brain's capillary walls. The blood-brain barrier is nature's way of protecting the brain from naturally occurring toxins, but it also keeps most traditional chemotherapies from reaching tumors.
Vogelbaum, based at the Cleveland Clinic, dreamed of a device that could deliver chemotherapy directly into brain tissues, thus circumventing the blood-brain barrier. Research in the 1990s suggested that liquids pushed slowly and directly into the brain would suffuse throughout the tissue without increasing cranial pressure.
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
American Cancer Society IRG Awards
LOI DEADLINE EXTENDED: Sep 3, 2018
APPLICATION DEADLINE EXTENDED: Sep 17, 2018
  • ACS logo Pilot funding for CANCER-RELATED research with a basic, clinical, prevention & control, behavioral, health services, or epidemiological focus.
  • Up to $30,000 award.
  • Applications accepted for general cancer-related projects and for special interest projects in adolescent-and-young-adult cancer research.
ELIGIBILITY
IRG pilot project grants are intended to support independent, self-directed investigators early in their careers (usually assistant professor or equivalent). Applicants for the pilot project grants should be within 6 years of their first independent research or faculty appointment and eligible to apply for an independent national competitive research grant, but do not currently hold such a cancer-related grant.
Limited Submission: W. M. Keck Foundation
CWRU Internal Submission: Sep 14, 2018
External Deadline: May 1, 2019
WM Keck Foundation The W.M. Keck Foundation Research Program seeks to benefit humanity by funding fundamental, high-risk research in two specific areas: 1) medical research and 2) science and engineering. Both Senior and Early Career investigators are encouraged to apply. CWRU may submit two proposals per funding cycle: one in Medical Research and one in Science and Engineering Research.

Each institution is limited to TWO applications (One medical; one science and engineering)
Pilot Awards for Community Engaged Approaches to Understand or Reduce Health Disparities
Deadline: Sep 21, 2018
Center for Reducing Health Disparities The Pilot Awards for Community Engaged Approaches to Understand and/or Reduce Health Disparities aim to develop investigators with a capacity to engage in partnerships with communities to conduct high-quality health disparities research. Investigations of interest include the development, pilot testing, and/or dissemination of community-based studies to understand and/or eliminate health disparities.
SU2C Catalyst® Research Projects Supported by Genentech
Deadline: Oct 22, 2018
AACR logo The AACR is now accepting submissions for SU2C Catalyst® Genentech-Supported projects , offering up to $3,000,000 over three years for immune therapy, biomarker-focused clinical trials involving solid tumors (alectinib, entrectinib, ipatasertib and atezolizumab) and hematologic malignancies (polatuzumab, venetoclax). Clinical trials can utilize Genentech molecules alone or in combination with other therapies.
Melanoma Research Alliance
Deadline [Established Investigator, Pilot, and Young Investigator Award]: Nov 2, 2018 
Deadline [ASTRO-MRA Early Career Investigator]: Nov 9, 2018 
Melanoma Research Alliance The Melanoma Research Alliance (MRA) announces a Request for Proposals (RFP) soliciting high-impact pre-clinical, translational, and early clinical research from scientists and clinicians around the world. The RFP calls for ideas that have the potential to lead to near-term clinical application in melanoma prevention, detection, diagnosis, staging, and treatment.
Proposals will be accepted for Established Investigator Awards, Pilot Awards, and Young Investigator Awards. Please note that the following Special Opportunities are available: 
  • Special Opportunity MRA Young Investigator and MRA Established Investigator Awards for Artificial Intelligence Applied to Melanoma
  • Special Opportunity MRA Young Investigator Award and Established Investigator Award in Dermatology
  • Special Opportunity Young Investigator Awards in Immunotherapy
  • Special Opportunity ASTRO-MRA Early Career Investigator Award in Radiation Oncology
  • Special Opportunity SITC-MRA Young Investigator Award in Immune-Related Adverse Events Associated with Immunotherapy
NIH BULLETIN- Notices and Funding Opportunities
rfas 
Notices
Notice of Change in Eligible Organizations in PAR-18-466 "The NCI Transition Career Development Award (K22 Independent Clinical Trial Required)" to Allow Foreign Components in Domestic Applications (NOT-CA-18-091)

Notice of Change in Eligible Organizations in PAR-18-467 "The NCI Transition Career Development Award (K22 Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" to Allow Foreign Components in Domestic Applications (NOT-CA-18-092)

Notice of Correction to Key Dates for PAR-17-206 "Alliance of Glycobiologists for Cancer Research: Translational Tumor Glycomics Laboratories (U01)"(NOT-CA-18-097)

Notice of Correction to Key Dates for PAR-17-207 "Alliance of Glycobiologists for Cancer Research: Biological Tumor Glycomics Laboratories (U01)"(NOT-CA-18-098)

Notice of NCI Participation in PAR-18-881, Short-term Mentored Career Enhancement Awards in Mobile and Wireless Health Technology and Data Analytics: Cross-Training at the intersection of Behavioral and Social Sciences and STEM Disciplines (NOT-CA-18-099)

Notice of NCI Participation in PAR-18-882, Short-term Mentored Career Enhancement Awards in Mobile and Wireless Health Technology and Data Analytics: Cross-Training at the Intersection of Behavioral and Social Sciences and STEM Disciplines (NOT-CA-18-100)

Notice of NHGRI, NIAID, NLM, and NCI Participation in PAR-18-714-Academic Research Enhancement Award for Undergraduate-Focused Institutions (R15 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed)(NOT-CHG-18-013)

Administrative Supplements for Validation of Novel Non-Addictive Pain Targets (Clinical Trials Not Allowed)(NOT-NS-18-073)

Request for Applications
Improving Smoking Cessation Interventions among People Living with HIV (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)(RFA-CA-18-027)
Deadline: Jan 8, 2019

Improving Smoking Cessation Interventions among People Living with HIV (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)(RFA-CA-18-028)
Deadline: Jan 8, 2019

Program Announcements
Research Supplements to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research (Admin Supp - Clinical Trial Not Allowed)(PA-18-906)
IN THIS ISSUE
EVENTSevents
Thurs, Aug 30
Developmental Therapeutics Journal Club
9a R4-013 Cleveland Clinic

Pathology Lecture
Joseph Mudd, PhD
Intramural AIDS Research Fellow, LVD/NIAID/NIH
"Mechanisms underlying differential disease outcomes in progressive and natural hosts of SIV"
12p WRB 5-136
Fri, Aug 31
MetroHealth 3rd Annual Cancer Center Symposium
MetroHealth Medical Center

Taussig Cancer Institute Grand Rounds
8a CA5-120
Tues, Sep 4
Cancer Center Research in Progress Seminar
3p WRB 3-136

Pathology/Immunology Seminars and Grand Rounds
12p WRB 1-413
Thurs, Sep 6
Developmental Therapeutics Journal Club
9a R4-103

ADDITIONAL UPCOMING SYMPOSIUMS & EVENTS
prev-funding
PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED OPPORTUNITIES

Deadline: Open

Deadline: Open

Deadline: Open
Case Comprehensive Cancer Center 
2103 Cornell Road, Ste 1422
Cleveland, OH 44106-7285