VCU Massey Cancer Center will present the 1st Annual Catchment Area Data (CADA) Conference: Beyond Definition, December 7-9, in Richmond, VA. The conference is open to AACI members and all eligible staff, faculty, students, and post-doc trainees from cancer centers who provide education, resources, and support within their defined catchment area.
AACI Update | December 2023
Headlines
LSU LCMC Health Cancer Center Names Ramos Director
To accelerate the attainment of the first National Cancer Institute (NCI)-Designated Cancer Center in Louisiana, LSU Health, LCMC Health, Louisiana Cancer Research Center (LCRC), and Tulane University have aligned and signed an agreement that Joe W. Ramos, PhD, will serve as director of the LSU LCMC Health Cancer Center.
Kimmelman Named Director of Perlmutter Cancer Center
Alec Kimmelman, MD, PhD, a renowned researcher and radiation oncologist, has been named director of the Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center. Dr. Kimmelman will also retain his title as the Anita Steckler and Joseph Steckler Chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. This appointment is effective immediately.
Rathmell Nominated as NCI Director
On November 17, President Joe Biden announced his nomination of W. Kimryn Rathmell, MD, PhD, MMHC, to be the next director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI). She will be the NCI’s 17th director and only the second woman to hold this position. Dr. Rathmell is the Hugh Jackson Professor of Medicine and chair of the Department of Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC). She joined VUMC in 2015 as director of the Division of Hematology and Oncology.
Register Today for AACI's Leadership Diversity and Development Workshop
Registration is now open for AACI’s 2024 Leadership Diversity and Development Workshop (LDDW), which will be held March 12-13 at Loews Chicago O’Hare Hotel. AACI cancer center directors are encouraged to select one emerging leader from their center to attend.
AACI Participates in HPV, Lung Cancer Advocacy Events
Continuing its engagement with issues that affect the cancer center community, AACI staff attended several events in Washington, DC, last month. Following the Friends of Cancer Research Annual Meeting on Tuesday, November 14, AACI participated in advocacy events promoting HPV- and lung cancer-related legislation.
AACI Announces Additions to Inclusive Excellence Initiative Steering Committee
AACI President Robert A. Winn, MD, director of VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center, has appointed community advocates Rudene Haynes, JD, and Loriana Hernández-Aldama to the steering committee of his Inclusive Excellence Initiative.
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News from the Centers
Kutikov Receives Kidney Cancer Association Award
Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple Health
Alexander Kutikov, MD, FACS, chair of the Department of Urology at Fox Chase Cancer Center, has received the Andrew C. Novick Award from the Kidney Cancer Association.
Sparano Receives Chemotherapy Foundation Award
The Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai
Joseph Sparano, MD, received the Ezra Greenspan Award from The Chemotherapy Foundation for his groundbreaking work in breast cancer and HIV-related malignancies, and his work to address cancer disparities in vulnerable populations. Dr. Sparano is chair of the Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology at Icahn Mount Sinai and deputy director of The Tisch Cancer Institute.
$13.5 Million Effort Aims to Understand Racial Differences in Response to Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
Three National Cancer Institute grants totaling $13.5 million will support the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center team leading a multi-institutional effort aimed at improving the potential of immune checkpoint inhibitors. Working with the University of Rochester’s Wilmot Cancer Institute and Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research, Roswell Park will expand on work to understand differences in how cancer patients of different races may respond to common immunotherapies.
$13.3 Million Grant Renewal to Address Cancer Health Disparities
Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple Health
Temple University/Fox Chase Cancer Center and Hunter College of the City University of New York have received a five-year, $13.3 million competitive grant renewal from the National Cancer Institute to address cancer health disparities.
$10.6 Million Grant to Advance Glioblastoma Research With Mathematical Oncology
Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center
Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center and Columbia University received a five-year, $10.6 million U54 center grant from the National Cancer Institute to further study combining the molecular analysis of glioblastoma with MRI.
Researchers Receive $7 Million to Improve Outcomes for High-Risk Blood Cancer Patients
The Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai
The Mount Sinai Health System has received a $7 million grant from the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation for a three-year project that aims to fast-track novel translational concepts to improve outcomes for people with high risk myeloma, the second most common blood cancer in the United States.
Grant Awarded for Clinical Trial on Experimental AML/MDS Treatment
Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center
Researchers at Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center were recently awarded a four-year, $2.6 million grant from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to conduct an innovative Phase I clinical trial of a new drug for patients with relapsed and treatment-resistant forms of acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndromes.
Researchers Receive $2.4 Million to Develop Pancreatic Cancer Treatments
Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center
Two researchers at the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center have received a five-year, $2.4 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to explore new therapies that target the critical pathways pancreatic tumors use to survive.
Blood Cancer Trials Network Will Bring Investigational Therapies to Underserved Communities
Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University
The new Georgia Blood Cancer Trials Network will make innovative, investigational therapies and treatments more accessible to Georgia patients with blood cancer who reside outside of metropolitan Atlanta. The network is supported by an approximately $2 million grant from The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
Tools Designed to Improve Treatment for Head and Neck Cancer
UK Markey Cancer Center
With a $2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, a UK Markey Cancer Center researcher is working to develop new techniques for radiation treatment to improve survival rates of patients with a specific type of cancer.
Leukemia Expert Awarded $1 Million Grant From Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center
Huda Salman, MD, PhD, has been awarded a $1 million grant from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to evaluate a new treatment for an extremely rare and incurable blood cancer.
Rocconi Returns Home to Lead Call to Improve Cancer Care
UMMC Cancer Center and Research Institute
The epic fight against cancer is personal for University of Mississippi alumnus Rodney Rocconi, MD. He was appointed director of the UMMC Cancer Center and Research Institute in July, following 16 years in various leadership roles at the University of South Alabama Mitchell Cancer Institute.
Friedman Named Cancer Center Deputy Director
Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center
Debra Friedman, MD, MS, holder of the E. Bronson Ingram Chair in Pediatric Oncology, has been named deputy director of Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center. Dr. Friedman serves as associate director for Community Science and Health Outcomes for Vanderbilt-Ingram and served as a research program leader for Vanderbilt-Ingram from 2008-2023.
Robinson Named Director of Neuro-Oncology
Comprehensive Cancer Center St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Giles Robinson, MD, has assumed the role of director for the Department of Oncology’s Division of Neuro-Oncology. He has also become co-leader of the Neurobiology and Brain Tumor Program within the St. Jude Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Herrera Appointed Associate Director of DEI
The University of Vermont Cancer Center
Diego Adrianzen Herrera, MD, assistant professor of medicine, has been appointed to serve as associate director of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) for the University of Vermont Cancer Center.
Researcher Leads New AI for Health Institute
Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University
Launched in November under the umbrella of Emory University's AI.Humanity initiative, the Emory Empathetic AI for Health Institute will be led by Anant Madabhushi, PhD, a member of the Cancer Immunology research program at Winship Cancer Institute.
Goecks Named Assistant Center Director of Research Informatics
Moffitt Cancer Center
Moffitt Cancer Center has announced Jeremy Goecks, PhD, as its assistant center director of research informatics. Dr. Goecks will lead adoption of innovative technology platforms and computing standards within the data-related core services, as well as transition research innovations to clinical applications through the Center of Digital Health.
Carson Appointed Co-Leader of Health Outcomes and Behavior Program
Moffitt Cancer Center
Tiffany Carson, PhD, MPH, is the new co-leader of the Moffitt Cancer Center& Health Outcomes & Behavior Program. The goal of the program is to improve cancer outcomes by better understanding individuals, health care systems, and communities. This includes developing interventions to assist with cancer prevention and survivorship.
Potato Starch Supplements Could Be Solution to Bone Marrow Transplant Complications
University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center
Experts at the University of Michigan Health Rogel Cancer Center have found a potential solution for preventing a common and dangerous complication in patients that receive stem cell transplants from a donor’s blood or bone marrow.
Using Human In Vitro Models to Study Prostate Cancer
The University of Arizona Cancer Center
What if you could use human cells in their own microenvironment to discover how prostate cancer begins, metastasizes to bone, and develops drug resistance? Cynthia Miranti, PhD, and her team are doing just that by developing the first successful Prostate-on-a-Chip model that recreates the development and differentiation processes that occur in a normal human prostate gland.
AI Model Can Help Predict Survival Outcomes for Patients With Cancer
UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center
Investigators from the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) model based on epigenetic factors that is able to predict patient outcomes successfully across multiple cancer types.
Nutrient Found in Beef and Dairy Improves Immune Response to Cancer
The University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center
Trans-vaccenic acid, a long-chain fatty acid found in meat and dairy products from grazing animals such as cows and sheep, improves the ability of CD8+ T cells to infiltrate tumors and kill cancer cells, according to a new study by researchers from the University of Chicago.
Turning Drug Resistance Against Itself
Stony Brook Cancer Center
A team of Stony Brook University researchers, led by Gábor Balázsi, PhD, have been testing drug resistance with mammalian cell lines. Their latest investigation reveals that by taking a part of a DNA amplification from a cell, which causes resistance, and placing it back in, actually stops the drug resistance.
Can Gene Expression Predict if a Brain Tumor is Likely to Grow Back?
UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center
Researchers at UC San Francisco and Northwestern Medicine, in collaboration with 10 other medical centers, have found a highly accurate way to predict the best treatment for patients based on patterns of gene expression in their tumors. Screening tumors using this new approach could change the course of treatment for nearly 1 in 3 people with meningioma.
Computer Models Fill Critical Knowledge Gaps to Help Reduce Cancer Disparities
Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center
Reducing health disparities in incidence and mortality for major types of cancers can be aided by sophisticated computer modeling efforts, according to new, wide-ranging perspectives from researchers at Georgetown University’s Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center and colleagues around the country.
Lung Cancer Screening Guidelines Perpetuate Racial Disparities
Stanford Cancer Institute
Stanford Cancer Institute researchers have found that national guidelines for lung cancer screening are less effective for African Americans than for whites, and a risk-based analysis is more equitable and effective.
Novel Immunotherapy Approach Shows Promise in Metastatic Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
A Phase I clinical trial conducted exclusively at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center shows that a novel treatment regimen can make immunotherapy more effective in patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer.
First-in-Human Trial of New Drug Raises Hopes for Patients With Relapsed Blood Cancer
The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute
A new targeted drug, studied by researchers at OSUCCC - James, may offer a new treatment option for patients with blood cancers, including chronic lymphocytic leukemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, whose disease has stopped responding to standard treatments.
Metabolite Tells Cells Whether to Repair DNA
University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center
Findings from researchers at the University of Michigan Health Rogel Cancer Center show how a specific nucleotide metabolite, called GTP, controls responses to radiation and chemotherapy in an unexpected way.
Pathologic Scoring Shows Promise for Assessing Lung Tumor Therapy Response
Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University
A new pathologic scoring system that accurately assesses how much lung tumor is left after a patient receives presurgical cancer treatments can be used to predict survival, according to investigators at the Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and the Mark Foundation Center for Advanced Genomics and Imaging at the Johns Hopkins University.
Liver Cancer Rates Increase in Each Successive Generation of Mexican Americans, Study Finds
USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center
In the United States, liver cancer rates have more than tripled since 1980. Some groups, including Latinos, face an even higher risk than the general population. A study from the Keck School of Medicine of USC, funded by the National Cancer Institute, has found that among Mexican Americans, liver cancer risk rises the longer a person’s family has lived in the U.S. That increased risk primarily affected men.
Urban Environmental Exposures Drive Increased Breast Cancer Incidence
Duke Cancer Institute, Duke University Medical Center
A Duke Health analysis of breast cancer in North Carolina showed that the state’s urban counties had higher overall incidences of disease than rural counties, especially at early stages upon diagnosis. The findings serve as a national template for assessing the impact of poor environmental quality across different stages of breast cancer.
Scientists Discover Key to Potential Natural Cancer Treatment Potency
University of Florida Health Cancer Center
A new paper describes the discovery of two new enzymes, ones with uniquely useful properties that could help in the fight against human diseases including cancer. The research offers potentially easier ways to study and manufacture complex natural chemicals, including those that could become medicines.
Tumors Can Hijack the Biological Machinery of Brain Plasticity
Stanford Cancer Institute
Stanford Cancer Institute member Michelle Monje, MD, PhD, led a study that found that neuron activity influences the growth of gliomas through various signaling factors.
Cancer Blood Tests Jumpstart Diagnoses and Targeted Therapy
UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center
New research led by a UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center clinical scientist shows blood tests used to hunt for cancer DNA may help detect cancers faster and guide the use of targeted therapies.
Study Finds New Genetic Variants Linked to Prostate Cancer
USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center
A globe-spanning scientific team has compiled the most comprehensive list of genetic variants associated with prostate cancer risk—451 in all—through a whole-genome analysis that ranks as the largest and most diverse investigation into prostate cancer genetics yet.
Study Provides Valuable Insights Into Drivers of Cancer Risk
UK Markey Cancer Center
UK Markey Cancer Center researcher Yasminka A. Jakubek, PhD, has led the first large-scale effort to understand the co-occurrence of mosaic chromosomal alterations among individuals of diverse ancestries.
Oral Pouch Products Do Little to Curb Addictive Nicotine Cravings
The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute
Oral nicotine pouches, a tobacco leaf-free product marketed as an alternative to cigarettes, do little to curb current smokers’ nicotine cravings, according to a new study.
Disrupting Cancer Cell-Fat Cell Interactions Prevents Metastasis in Ovarian Cancers
The University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center
In ovarian cancer, fat cells adjacent to cancer cells reprogram the glucose metabolic pathway through hypoxia-inducible factor 1α to promote metastasis, according to a new study. Researchers at the University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center set out to understand how abdominal cancers spread and how cancer cells rely on/deploy energy sources like sugar and fat to survive.
Hospitals Serving Large Black, Latino Populations Have Fewer Resources for Cancer Care
UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center
Among the nation’s hospitals, those that serve high numbers of Black and Hispanic patients are far less likely to have advanced medical equipment and critical services that have been shown to boost the quality and effectiveness of cancer care, according to a study led by investigators at UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Inclusion of New Risk Factors Improves Prediction of Invasive Breast Cancer
UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center
UC San Francisco researchers have analyzed data from over five million screening and diagnostic mammograms to develop an updated BCSC model for invasive breast cancer to include additional risk factors including body mass index, second degree relatives with a family history of breast cancer, and age at first live birth to improve model prediction.
Promising Target for CAR T Cells Helps Cancer Trick the Immune System
Comprehensive Cancer Center St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Scientists at St. Jude have validated a cellular immunotherapy target called 78-kDa glucose-regulated protein (GRP78) in proof-of-principle experiments. The group also discovered a resistance mechanism whereby some tumors trick the cancer-killing immune cells into expressing GRP78, thereby turning off the immune cells or causing them to be killed, too.
Northwell Opens $52 Million Cancer Center, Multispecialty Practice in Queens
Northwell Health Cancer Institute
Northwell Health has opened a suite of medical practices meant to cover a host of conditions and deliver complex, coordinated health care in the heart of Queens. The $52 million, 70,000-square-foot facility is easily reachable by car, subway, or bus line and anchored by the largest outpatient cancer center in the borough.
Worthy to Spearhead Cancer Moonshot Project Geared Toward Black Breast Cancer Patients
Duke Cancer Institute, Duke University Medical Center
The White House Cancer Moonshot program has signaled its support for a new initiative led by TOUCH, to bolster Black women’s breast cancer clinical trial participation by 2025. The White House also highlighted a connected program, TOUCH Care, led by Valarie Worthy, MSN, RN, that provides nurse navigator services to assist Black breast cancer patients in clinical trials.
Statewide Collaboration to Attain NCI Designation Announced
LSU LCMC Health Cancer Center
Governor John Bel Edwards has announced a new statewide collaboration among LSU, LCMC Health, Louisiana Cancer Research Center, and Tulane University to accelerate the attainment of the first National Cancer Institute (NCI)-Designated Cancer Center in Louisiana.
Understanding How Data Impact Cancer Care
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
When Reiko Horst was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer, she knew next to nothing about the disease. To help determine the best treatment plan, her medical oncologist at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center recommended doing a test called Oncotype DX to help predict Horst’s risk of the cancer returning and the benefit of chemotherapy.
Jefferson Health Pledges to Share Data to Improve Veteran Health Care
Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Jefferson
Jefferson Health is joining the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), alongside 12 other community health care systems, to share data to improve the veteran experience regardless of where veterans receive their health care – inside or outside of the VA.
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Meeting Announcements
1st Annual Catchment Area Data Conference: Beyond Definition
December 7, 2023
2024 AACI Leadership Diversity and Development Workshop
March 12, 2024
The 2024 AACI Leadership Diversity and Development Workshop will be held March 12-13 at Loews Chicago O'Hare Hotel in Rosemont, IL.
Registration for the workshop is now closed. Please contact AACI Director of Operations and Events Jaime Anderson or Events Manager Dawn Gobble with any questions about registration.
2024 AACI/AACR Hill Day
May 16, 2024
Register today for the 2024 AACI/AACR Hill Day, Thursday, May 16, in Washington, DC. Registration closes at 5:00 pm eastern time on Tuesday, May 7.
16th Annual AACI CRI Meeting
June 24, 2024
The 16th Annual AACI CRI Meeting will be held June 24-26 at Loews Chicago O'Hare Hotel in Rosemont, IL.
2024 AACI/CCAF Annual Meeting
October 20, 2024
The 2024 AACI/CCAF Annual Meeting will be held October 20-22 at Loews Chicago Downtown Hotel in Chicago, IL.
17th Annual AACI CRI Meeting
June 23, 2025
Save the date for the 17th Annual AACI CRI Meeting, June 23-25, 2025, at Loews Chicago O'Hare Hotel in Rosemont, IL.
2025 AACI/CCAF Annual Meeting
October 19, 2025
Save the date for the 2025 AACI/CCAF Annual Meeting, October 19-21, at Salamander Washington DC.