|
|
 |
Registration for the NCI Biospecimen Best Practices Forums is Open
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is holding a series of public forums about the NCI
Best Practices for Biospecimen Resources, which outlines technical, operational,
ethical, legal and policy principles for biospecimen resources. The purpose of these
forums is to educate and obtain feedback about the NCI Best Practices from a broad
range of perspectives, including those of investigators, physicians, industry
representatives, hospital administrators, cancer survivors, patient advocates, and
the general public. These forums will be held on November 5, 2007, in Boston,
Massachusetts, December 3, 2007, in Chicago, Illinois, and January 28, 2008, in
Seattle, Washington, and will feature expert presentations and interactive discussions.
Attendance is free and open to the public. For more information, visit
http://www.nci-bestpractices-forum.com/.
—posted 10/26/2007
 |
PLCO EEMS Winter Review Cycle Reminder
Proposals will be accepted for the PLCO EEMS winter review cycle between December 1 and
December 28, 2007. Applications will be accepted until December 28, 2007 at 5 PM ET. For more
information go to the previous PLCO communication.
—posted 10/5/2007
Availability of the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) Data Portal
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)
would like to advise you of the availability of the initial version of The
Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) Data Portal. The Data Portal serves as a storage and data
management tool for TCGA data. All genomic characterization, sequencing and clinical data
from TCGA are available within the Portal.
This is the first release of the Data Portal. To help create a fully–integrated version
of the portal in the coming months, we welcome your input and feedback on this initial version.
The Data Portal can be accessed at
http://cancergenome.nih.gov/dataportal.
The Data Portal makes accessible the first of many sets of data from TCGA, and will be
continually updated as data are generated. Please check back frequently for updates,
additional data submissions, and improvements to the functionality of the database.
The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) is a comprehensive and coordinated effort to accelerate our
understanding of the molecular basis of cancer through the application of genome analysis
technologies, including large–scale genome sequencing. This 3–year pilot project was
announced in December of 2005, and after careful planning, the first funding awards were made
in the Fall of 2006.
For more information about TCGA, please visit
http://cancergenome.nih.gov.
For further assistance or to submit feedback on this version of the portal, please contact:
http://ncicb.nci.nih.gov/support. —posted 10/5/2007
Overcoming Cancer Health Disparities
National Minority Cancer Awareness Week (April 16–21) provides an opportunity for us to
reflect upon the overall burden of cancer health disparities. During the week organizations
across the country have been educating Americans about cancer, raising awareness about
treatments, and renewing our collective commitment to reducing cancer health disparities.
Overcoming cancer health disparities is essential in our aim to lessen the burden of cancer.
Here at NCI, we support research to identify and understand the factors that contribute to
cancer disparities. Additionally NCI is committed to reducing cancer health disparities
by making cancer information readily available to underserved populations. To highlight
NCI’s efforts to reduce and ultimately eliminate these disparities, the Office of Communications
and Education, as well as the Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities have both recently
launched Web sites, including:
- Cancer.gov en español
www.cancer.gov/espanol.
NCI’s new Spanish Web site features themes of prevention, detection, treatment, and survivorship.
Highlights of the Web site include:
- Information organized by types of cancer
- Myths and beliefs
- Support and resources in your community
- Dictionary of cancer terms
- Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities revised website:
http://crchd.cancer.gov.
New features include:
- “For Researchers” section that provides links to funding, training
opportunities, and information about the grant application process
- Current and timely information about special CRCHD cancer health disparities
initiatives, upcoming meetings and events, research resources and tools, and CRCHD
staff contacts
- “Education” section, for practitioners and the public, with minority–focused
information about cancer, including statistics, links to NCI publications for patients and
their families, access to seminal reports and milestones in health disparities, health
disparities timeline and definition, and additional resources on cancer and health disparities
- Cancer Health Disparities Web portal:
http://www.cancer.gov/health-disparities.
The portal includes links to NCI’s cancer health disparities resources, as well as information
about training opportunities, statistics, and research resources and results.
We hope that you find these resources to be useful in your efforts, as we work together to reduce
and eliminate cancer health disparities.
—posted 4/20/2007
NCI Risk Assessment Web Site
Here for your distribution and use is an e–card to promote
awareness of the National Cancer Institute's (NCI) Risk
Assessment Web Site
(http://understandingrisk.cancer.gov). This interactive
web site has been designed to help people assess and understand
their risk of developing cancer, along with information on how to
lower risk for six cancers. The site also contains a section on
analyzing news stories about cancer to help people determine the
accuracy and applicability of findings reported in the media and
on the Web. Links to numerous sources of information, as well as online
quizzes to test readers’ understanding of cancer risk, also appear on the site.
Click on the link indicated in the card to visit the site.
—posted 4/18/2007
PLCO Etiology and Early Marker Studies (EEMS)
To: Potential EEMS Investigator
From: EEMS Coordinating Center
Regarding: PLCO Etiology and Early Marker Studies (EEMS) 2007 Review Cycle
Date: April 16, 2007
This memo is an official announcement that the PLCO EEMS review process will be
accepting proposals for use of the PLCO biorepository materials twice for calendar
year 2007. Applications for the first round for 2007 will be June 1, 2007 through
June 29, 2007 at 5 PM EDST. The second round will be from December 1, 2007 through
December 29, 2007 at 5 PM EST. Another announcement will be sent eight weeks prior
to the open season for receipt of applications in December. We trust that this
advance notice will allow you to plan more appropriately for your research
activities this calendar year. We plan to continue twice yearly rounds for
application acceptance during the months of June and December if budgetary
constraints allow.
Please distribute this notice to those individuals with whom you work that may be
interested in submitting an EEMS application.
The Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer Screening Trial is a large
population based randomized trial evaluating screening programs for these cancers.
The PLCO Biorepository contains approximately 2.7 million biologic specimens,
including blood specimens collected from intervention participants during their
six trial screening years and buccal cell specimens collected from control
participants. The Etiology and Early Marker Studies (EEMS) is a component of
the PLCO Trial designed to facilitate research in early detection and molecular
epidemiology of cancers using Trial collection specimens.
The EEMS application materials ( the EEMS application forms, instructions,
applicant’s checklist, NIH biosketch, confidentiality disclosure agreement (CDA),
and the EEMS policy document), as well as general information regarding the EEMS
review process can be found under the PLCO EEMS tab on the Program Administrative
Resource (PAR) PLCO website (www.parplco.org). Individuals who do not already have
access to PAR should contact the PAR PLCO Helpdesk (parplcohelpdesk@westat.com)
and request permission to access the EEMS tab on the website. Individuals who
currently have access to PAR should already be able to access to the EEMS tab;
please contact the PAR PLCO Helpdesk (parplcohelpdesk@westat.com) with any problems.
Once your proposal is received, the EEMS Coordinating Center will verify that all
components are completed and forward the completed proposal packet to the EEMS
Principal Investigator, the PLCO Project Officer and Chief Statistician for an
initial suitability review. This initial review will be completed around the
end of August 2007. Potential investigators will be notified of the results
of the suitability review. After the suitability review, the EEMS Review Panel
will review and comment on all suitable proposals. It is anticipated that this
review will be completed by mid–October, contingent upon the quantity of
proposals received. The EEMS PI and the PLCO PO will then make the final
decision regarding all acceptable proposals based on input from the EEMS Review Panel.
Please submit completed proposal application and associated materials to the
EEMS Coordinating Center at the following address:
plco-eems@westat.com
Confidentiality Agreements (CDA) should be sent to the following address:
Kevin Brand, JD
Technology Transfer Specialist
Technology Transfer Branch
6120 Executive Blvd., Suite 450
Rockville, MD 20852
Phone: (301) 451–4566
Fax: (301) 402–2117
Email:brandk@mail.nih.gov.
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us. Thank you for your time
and we wish you success in your PLCO related studies.
Thank you,
Christine D. Berg, M.D.
Chief, Early Detection Research Group
PLCO Project Officer
Division of Cancer Prevention, NCI
Executive Plaza North, Suite 3100
6130 Executive Boulevard, MSC 7346
Bethesda, MD 20892–7346
(For FEDEX: Rockville, MD 20852)
Tel: (301) 496–8544
Fax: (301) 480–0465
email:bergc@mail.nih.gov
—posted 4/16/2007
New Cancer Centers Branch Program Director
Join us in welcoming Dr. Hasnaa Shafik as a new Program Director in the Cancer
Cancers Branch. Dr. Shafik joined the NCI Office of Cancer Complementary and Alternative
Medicine’s program staff in 2003. In early 2005 she assumed a new role as a Scientific
Review Administrator in the NCI Division of Extramural Activities. She was in charge of
the Prevention, Control and Population Sciences Special Emphasis Panel which reviews
Program Projects and multi–site clinical trials.
Dr. Shafik earned her Medical Degree, and Masters in Public Health from Ain Shams
University, Cairo Egypt. Through the Fulbright program she was awarded a fellowship
at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston (UTMB) to study the mechanisms
of induction of cancer with emphasis on chemical carcinogenesis. She then joined the
Graduate School at UTMB and earned a PhD in Preventive Medicine and Community Health
with a major in genetic/environmental toxicology. Dr. Shafik’s research mainly focused
on mechanisms of leukemogenesis in patients with Down syndrome. She identified non–random
chromosomal breakpoints in 16 bands throughout the genome that could be used as a surrogate
for early detection of predisposition to leukemia. She was awarded the March of Dimes’
Birth Defect Foundation Merit Award and Katherina Seibert Award for her research on Down
syndrome and cancer.
Dr Shafik was a faculty member in the medical school in Egypt, and later chaired the
Department of Pathology and Microbiology at Texas Chiropractic College. She had committee
responsibilities nationwide; serving on the Microbiology and Public Health testing committee
in the National Board of Chiropractic examiners and as site team member on the Council on
Chiropractic Education to evaluate basic science programs in chiropractic colleges for accreditation.
Dr. Shafik can be reached by telephone at (301) 496–8531, or via email to
shafikh@mail.nih.gov.
—posted 3/6/2007
NCI Staff Attends AACR Conference in Los Angeles
Drs. Bhorjee, Ellis, Shafik, and Vembu (CCB Program Directors) and Ms. Patricia Winkler
(CCB IT Specialist/Program Analyst) will be attending the AACR Conference in Los
Angeles in April. If you would like to arrange a meeting with one of our program
directors, or with Ms. Winkler in relation to data summary issues, please contact
Ms. Joyce Linder, our program assistant, at (301) 496–8531. —posted 3/2/2007
 |
New Scientific Review Administrator for Subcommittee A
Dr. Gail Bryant has been appointed as the Scientific Review Administrator for NCI
Initial Review Group Subcommittee A for cancer center reviews. Dr. Bryant’s medical education
and training, extensive translational research experience, and many years of outstanding service
in NCI extramural review activity provide a superb background for this position. In addition,
she has organized and managed site visit reviews for Cancer Center Support Grant applications
for 12 years, receiving accolades from both reviewers and applicants for her work. Further,
she has been closely involved in the management of the Subcommittee and has served as a full
partner in developing and implementing Subcommittee and CCSG review practices and procedures.
The former SRA, Dr. David Maslow, who served for 16 years, has been appointed acting Associate
Director of the NCI Division of Extramural Activities with responsibility for the Office of
Referral, Review and Program Coordination while remaining Chief of the Resources and Training Review Branch.
—posted 2/9/2007
Cancer Center Directors Working Group Report
At the November 7, 2006 Center Directors Retreat, a small working group
chaired by Dr. John Mendelsohn was asked to produce a report providing a blueprint
for achievement of a series of goals that included reducing the burden of cancer
through strategies in prevention, detection, treatment, and survivorship and identifying
ways in which NCI–designated Cancer Centers could enhance collaborative activities and
provide leadership in dissemination of best practices. The
final report was presented to the National Cancer Advisory Board this morning
by Drs. Mendelsohn and Abeloff. Also available is a complementary document outlining
survivorship activities at Cancer Centers. You will receive hard copies of these reports
by mail in October.
—posted 12/1/2006
»View Archives
 |