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surprised with the cost of fertility treatments , unsure if they will go through early menopause , or unaware of their options as a whole .”
Through the project , Dr . Benedict and her team will collect data on women ’ s awareness of the fertility implications of cancer treatment , their decision-support needs , and their preferences and perceived barriers .
Source : Feinstein Institute press release , December 18 , 2017 .
Harrington Discovery Institute Announces 2018 Grant Funding
The Harrington Discovery Institute at University Hospitals in Cleveland , Ohio , announced the recipients of the 2018 Harrington Scholar-Innovator Award , which supports breakthrough research discoveries .
The recipients receive financial support ( up to $ 700,000 ) and guidance from a team of pharmaceutical industry experts through the Institute ’ s Innovation Support Center , which oversees drug discovery .
“ We hear from our scholars that the tailored guidance [ these winners ] receive throughout the program and the connection to a for-profit accelerator are vital to success ,” said Jonathan Stamler , MD , president of the Harrington Discovery Institute . “ We are pleased to see the results , which to date include launching 20 companies , assisting five programs in entering the clinic , and licensing five technologies to big pharma .”
Some of the 2018 Harrington Scholar-Innovator Award recipients include :
Suneet Agarwal , MD , PhD
David Sykes , MD , PhD
Adrian Wiestner , MD , PhD
• Suneet Agarwal , MD , PhD , Boston Children ’ s Hospital , who will study modulators of telomere diseases
• David Sykes , MD , PhD , Massachusetts General Hospital , who will develop new leukemia treatments
• Adrian Wiestner , MD , PhD , National Heart , Lung , and Blood Institute / NIH , whose work enhances the potency of antibody therapeutics for cancer
Source : Harrington Discovery Institute press release , January 18 , 2018 .
The Harry T . Mangurian Jr . Foundation Provides $ 20 Million in Funding for the Mayo Clinic
The Mayo Clinic in Fort Lauderdale , Florida , received $ 20 million from The Harry T . Mangurian Jr . Foundation to support expansion projects for the facility and build a new center for cancer and neurologic care . The building will be named the “ Dorothy J . and Harry T . Mangurian Jr . Building ” in honor of Harry T . Mangurian and his wife , Dorothy Mangurian . Harry died of leukemia in 2008 and Dorothy was diagnosed with Lewy body dementia and passed away in 2015 .
The Mayo Clinic has begun construction on this center , and it is expected to open in late summer .
Source : Mayo Clinic press release , January 23 , 2018 .
Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation Awards $ 3 Million to Young Scientists
The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation announced the 2018 recipients of its Damon Runyon-Rachleff Innovation Award . The award provides funding for cancer research with “ high-risk / high-reward ” ideas that lack sufficient preliminary data to obtain traditional funding .
Six early-career scientists ( four individuals and one collaborative team ) received five initial twoyear grants of $ 300,000 for projects that have the potential to impact the prevention , diagnosis , and treatment of cancer .
The 2018 Damon Runyon-Rachleff Innovators working in hematologic malignancies include :
• Eric S . Fischer , PhD , of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston
Dr . Fischer will assess the molecular understanding for the
Eric S . Fischer , PhD mechanism of action of “ degraders ” ( small molecules that hijack
the cellular waste disposal system ) and develop degraders to target oncogenic gene products for many cancers .
Arnold S . Han , MD , PhD
• Arnold S . Han , MD , PhD , of Columbia University in New York
Dr . Han will investigate a strategy to identify T cells and use genetic engineering to enable their full potential . His work investigates T-cell immunity in human colorectal cancer , and he anticipates that the findings will be applicable to other types of cancer .
• Wayne O . Miles , PhD , of The Ohio State University in Columbus
Dr . Miles aims to identify factors that block the production of cell
Wayne O . Miles , PhD death proteins and determine which prevent the death of
retinoblastoma 1 – lacking cancer cells . He hopes to learn about the mechanisms supporting cancer cell survival , as well as those preventing their death .
Each awardee can secure up to two additional years of funding ( defined as Stage 2 funding ) for a total of up to $ 600,000 over four years . This year , five awardees received Stage 2 funding :
Christin E . Burd , PhD
• Christin E . Burd , PhD , of the Ohio State University in Columbus
Dr . Burd will conduct mutation-specific studies of RAS in a variety of tumor types , including melanoma , thyroid cancer , and acute myeloid leukemia . She hopes her research will lead to a new understanding of RAS mechanism and function , resulting in better targeted therapeutics .
• Scott J . Dixon , PhD , of Stanford University in Palo Alto , California
Dr . Dixon is studying whether the altered metabolism of
Scott J . Dixon , PhD cancer cells creates new vulnerabilities that can be exploited
therapeutically . He is investigating how NRF2 balances the demand for new glutathione synthesis with the need to avoid glutathione-mediated reductive stress ( a cellular concept in which too much glutathione could lead to cell growth arrest and death ).
• Philip A . Romero , PhD , of the University of Wisconsin in Madison
Dr . Romero is developing a new technology that can be used to
Philip A . Romero , PhD detect circulating tumor cells ( CTCs ) in the bloodstream . His
approach is to develop a “ DNA-based logic circuit ” to detect and profile CTCs , which could ultimately be applied to cancer diagnosis , prognosis indication , and patient response .
Peter J . Turnbaugh , PhD
• Peter J . Turnbaugh , PhD , of the University of California , San Francisco
Dr . Turnbaugh seeks to determine how the gut microbiome contributes to drug efficacy and resistance .
• Roberto Zoncu , PhD , of the University of California , Berkeley
Dr . Zoncu will synthesize novel molecules that can specifically
Roberto Zoncu , PhD disable the lysosomalmammalian target of rapamycin
complex 1 signaling pathway to block tumor growth . He will investigate how this pathway controls the function of the lysosome and the mitochondria in mediating the resilience of cancer cells . ●
Source : Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation press release , January 23 , 2018 .
8 ASH Clinical News April 2018