More than 30 researchers from across the country attended the Susan G. Komen Tissue Bank’s “Think Tank” on Nov. 11 at the Sheraton Indianapolis Hotel at Keystone at the Crossing.
News briefs | Dec. 2023
Komen Tissue Bank hosts “Think Tank”
Anna Maria Storniolo, MD, the founding director of the tissue bank, presented a history of the unique resource, while Michele Coté, PhD, the current director, updated attendees on the bank’s latest research efforts, which includes collecting healthy breast tissue samples from men. (Learn more about the bank’s latest chapter in breast cancer research: Men get breast cancer, too.)
The think tank included two presentations on that very topic: Ben Ho Park, MD, PhD, director of the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, presented “Breast Cancer in Men” and Hari Nakshatri, PhD, presented “Healthy Breast Tissue from Men.”
Jill Henry, operations manager, led a demonstration of the virtual tissue bank before attendees spent time thinking about the next decade and the bank’s role in continuing to facilitate impactful research.
“Our goal is to continue to provide critical biospecimens to the research community,” Coté said. “Hearing directly from our collaborators allows us to move confidently into the future as we work to end breast cancer.”
More than 80 people donate tissue during Nov. 12 event
Some of the think tank participants stayed overnight to attend the next day’s breast tissue collection to see first-hand how the well-oiled process works. A few even donated breast tissue. In all, more than 80 women and men donated tissue during the Nov. 12 event.
Since its founding in 2017, more than 5,000 people have donated breast tissue to the Komen Tissue Bank at the IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Cancer Center Support Grant now submitted
The Cancer Center Support Grant, or CCSG, recently was submitted to the NCI. After beginning this arduous process more than a year ago, the 1,566-page grant application was submitted. It provides an in-depth look at the cancer center and its many outstanding contributions to research.
What does the grant provide? It benefits the center’s researchers because it’s an important source of funding for the shared facilities that are available to investigators. These facilities provide the center’s nearly 300 members with access to the highest quality of equipment and technology. The grant also supports center leadership and research-related administrative functions.
What's next?
Feb. 6, 2024: NCI site visit
April-May 2024: NCI review committee produces final summary statement for the National Cancer Advisory Board (NCAB).
June 2024: NCAB issues final summary statement.
September 2024: New NCI funding cycle begins.
Upcoming events
Faculty, staff mentoring dialogues Jan. 3 & 4
The IU Graduate School Indianapolis is hosting research mentor training from noon until 4 p.m. Jan. 3 and 4 via Zoom. These highly interactive dialogues are designed to help faculty and staff strengthen their mentoring of students through discussion and sharing of best practices. To facilitate informative discussion, faculty and staff of all ranks with a desire to improve mentoring individually and across campus are encouraged to participate. Training and discussion modules covered in these dialogues were developed by the National Research Mentoring Network and the Center for Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research. Participants should plan to attend both sessions. Register here.
Cancer Research Day is May 2
Save the date: Cancer Research Day, the cancer center’s signature research event, will be held Thursday, May 2, 2024. More details will be shared in early 2024.
Member headlines and highlights
Rachel Katzenellenbogen, MD (CPC), was named the recipient of the 2024 Norman J. Siegel Outstanding Science Award by The American Pediatric Society (APS) for her considerable contributions to pediatric science.
Jennifer E. Schwartz, MD, has been named associate dean for continuing education in healthcare professions for IU School of Medicine. She will assume the role supporting the unit formerly referred to as Continuing Medical Education (CME), effective Feb. 1, 2024. She also was named interim division chief for the Division of Hematology/Oncology.
Leng Han, PhD (HHM), is lead author of “The Genetic, Pharmacogenomic, and Immune Landscapes Associated with Protein Expression across Human Cancers,” published in the journal Cancer Research. The paper was selected for the issue’s cover image.
Mark Kelley, PhD (EDT), was profiled in an IU School of Medicine blog post, “From lab to market: Discoveries in Kelley Lab lead to new therapies for multiple diseases.”
