Sean Lee, PhD, associate professor of pathology, was recently awarded a five-year, $1.8 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to investigate possible new targets for treating desmoplastic small round cell tumor (DSRCT), a rare pediatric cancer.

DSRCT is a type of soft-tissue sarcoma that causes multiple tumors to form, most often in the abdomen and pelvis area, but it can also occur in other parts of the body. A few hundred cases have been diagnosed since the first in 1989.

"Part of the reason that the first case was officially diagnosed relatively recently is that we didn't have the technologies that would allow us to detect DSRCT in the 70s and 80s," said Dr. Lee. "As the technology became available, researchers were able to identify specific events called chromosomal translocations that cause these types of cancers."

A chromosomal translocation is when parts of chromosomes swap places in the genome. "The translocation brings gene a and gene b from totally different chromosomes and fuses them into a single protein called an oncoprotein," said Lee. When that happens, most of the time cells die. But in rare cases, they survive and go on to become cancerous tumors. "And this fusion protein is not very responsive to therapy."

Because of this, Dr. Lee's project focuses on other proteins called kinases, which are tumor-driving byproducts of the oncoprotein and are responsible for tumor cell growth and survival.

"These kinases are equally as important as the oncoprotein for cancer cell development, but they are amenable to therapy so we can theoretically develop inhibitors to target them," said Lee. "We're trying to show through this research that if we inhibit these kinases we can kill the tumor cells in a petri dish."

If his team is successful, they'll move on to a pre-clinical mouse model where immunodeficient mice are injected with human DSRCT cells. Lee will then use pharmacologic or genetic tools to inhibit kinase function in those cells to determine whether they can shrink the tumors or retard their growth. The longer-term goal is to potentially move the concept into pre-clinical trials for humans.

Boys and young men are about four times as likely to have DSRCT as girls or young women. It is usually diagnosed in males between the ages of 10 and 30, and about 85% of those diagnosed are Caucasian. Currently, DSRCT has a five-year survival rate of only 15%, but researchers such as Dr. Lee are looking for treatments that will improve these odds.

In a city known for its hilariously fun and quirky events, the Pink Bra Run is a standout!

Women, men - and even dogs! - turn out in their best bedazzled pink bras to walk or run the 5K course along the West Bank's Mississippi River levee, with the beautiful New Orleans skyline as a backdrop.

It's a fantastic sight and a great time for a great cause. In addition to raising breast cancer awareness - on Mother's Day Weekend - all proceeds benefit Tulane Cancer Center's Breast Cancer Research Program.

The Pink Bra Run is one of two annual signature events planned by the local non-profit Krewe de Pink (KDP). Dedicated to producing fundraising events with a New Orleans flair, KDP was started in 2015 by a team of concerned and passionate individuals who were all affected by breast cancer and who wanted to fight back. Over the last three years, KDP has raised over $60,000 to help support Dr. Bridgette Collins-Burow's research into triple negative breast cancer.

Won't you join us this year? Come on! Grab your favorite pink bra and meet us at the levee....

Date: Saturday, May 11, 2019 - Mother's Day Weekend!

Time: Registration - 7 AM; Starting Gun - 8 AM

Route: The 5K course - which offers some of the most beautiful views of the New Orleans skyline in the area - begins in Historic Gretna and continues along the levee to the Old Point Bar in Algiers.

Starting Point - Rivershack, 714 1st St., Gretna, LA 70053

Ending Point - Old Point Bar, 545 Patterson Rd., Algiers, LA 70114

Entry Fees:

Early Tickets (March 3 to May 10th at noon) - $30.

Race-Day Tickets - $35.

Youth Tickets (13 years of age and younger) - $20 early; $25 on Race Day

Attire: Show up in running gear or show up in costume! Remember, this is a Pink Bra Run, so go ahead and bedazzle that bra and let’s go for a memorable stroll.

Awards:

1st-, 2nd-, and 3rd-place overall finisher awards for males and females

1st place youth male and female (13 years and younger)

1st-place male and female overall finishers will also receive a special prize - a hand-decorated bra to commemorate the event!

Post-Race Festival: Krewe de Pink's post-race street party will be held at the finish line, outside of the Old Point Bar in Algiers. Festivities include music, dancing, red beans and rice, jambalaya, pink beer, the not-to-be missed "Best Decorated Bra Contest," and other entertainment. And, starting at 11 AM, the Krewe of Alla will extend the fun with their Family Fest, to be held in the same location.

Honor Wall: For a $5 donation, attendees can add a pink ribbon to KDP's Honor Wall to celebrate friends or family who have survived breast cancer, encourage those who are battling still, or remember those we have lost.

For more information on the Pink Bra Run, including parking, bib pick-up, and MORE, visit https://www.krewedepink.org/pink-bra-run .

One Man Can Make a Difference!

That's been the mission and the message of the One Man Shoot Planning Committee since its inception eight years ago. And in the time since, several good men and women have worked hard to make a gigantic difference in the fight against prostate cancer, helping to raise just over $1.27 million for Dr. Oliver Sartor's Prostate Cancer Research Program here at Tulane Cancer Center.

This year's sporting clays competition, held on March 30 at Riverside Sporting Clays in Denham Springs, Louisiana, added approximately $135,000 to the bottom line, as 240 shooters and countless other volunteers, sponsors, and supporters turned out to make the event a huge success.

"It is obvious to all who attend and enjoy that the complexity of The Shoot is incredible – so many moving pieces all seemingly seamlessly coordinated together by a deeply devoted team united by the same goal and driven to doing whatever it takes to move toward it," said Dr. Sartor. "I am simply in awe of what they are all able to accomplish together in the fight against prostate cancer."

In addition to the sporting clays competition, entertainment, raffles, silent and live auctions, PSA blood tests are offered at The Shoot every year in an effort to focus attention on the importance of early detection when it comes to prostate health. This year, 60 men rolled up their sleeves and took control of their health by participating in the free PSA blood draw.

 

"The truth is, no matter how hard my research team and I work toward our shared goal of eradicating this disease, we cannot do it alone," said Dr. Sartor. "We are indebted to every planning committee member, sponsor, in-kind donor, volunteer, and participant for their momentum-sustaining encouragement and support, and we are forever thankful to each and every one of you."

To view additional photos from this year's event, please see below and visit www.onemanshoot.com.

David Franklin, PhD (left, with L. Lee Hamm, MD, dean of Tulane University School of Medicine) was presented with this year’s Teaching Scholar Award during the University’s recent Health Sciences Teaching Scholars Award Ceremony & Education Day. This distinguished award, established in 1997, recognizes full-time faculty members for meritorious contributions to teaching and learning and encourages the continuous pursuit of scholarship in teaching. Dr. Franklin is course director for the first-year medical biochemistry course and is program director for the one-year Master’s Program in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. 

Saturday, May 11, 2019

Mississippi River Levee

Begins in Gretna and Ends in Algiers Point

Sixth Annual NOLA Bluedoo

benefiting Tulane Cancer Center's

Prostate Cancer Research Fund

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Tulane University - Gibson Quad

9th Annual Blue Ribbon Soiree

benefiting Tulane Cancer Center's Prostate Cancer Research Fund

Thursday, October 3, 2019

Renaissance Hotel Grand Ballroom

Baton Rouge

Tulane offers free prostate screenings - a PSA blood test - on the second Tuesday of each month at Tulane Comprehensive Cancer Clinic, 150 S. Liberty St., New Orleans. To make an appointment, call 504-988-6300 or 1-800-588-5800.