An NCI-designated Consortium Cancer Center
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Weekly Research Newsletter
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Week of November 14, 2022
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| Joseph A. Califano III Appointed as Director of Moores Cancer Center
Following a comprehensive national search, Dr. Califano succeeds Scott Lippman, MD, who announced in November 2021 that he would be stepping down as director to lead the PreCancer Genome Atlas (PCGA). Dr. Califano brings immense experience and expertise to the new position, having served as physician-in-chief at Moores Cancer Center, director of the Hanna and Mark Glieberman Head and Neck Cancer Center and co-leader of the Structural and Functional Genomics Program. He will transition from these duties to focus on the directorship.
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| MCC Deputy Director, Catriona Jamieson, M.D., Ph.D., Assumes New Role as Inaugural Director of the Sanford Stem Cell Institute at UC San Diego
Dr. Catriona (Cat) Jamieson has been selected to lead not only the new Sanford Stem Cell Institute, but also the Alpha Stem Cell Clinic, a transformational landmark endeavor funded by a $150 million gift from UC San Diego friend, businessman, and philanthropist, T. Denny Sanford. Indeed, this is the largest single gift in UC San Diego history. These new executive roles will be Cat's administrative focus, and she will step down as MCC Deputy Director November 16, 2022.
Nevertheless, Cat will remain at UC San Diego, and her connections to MCC, albeit in a different role, will be as strong as ever. All of us at MCC wish to extend a heartfelt thank you to Dr. Jamieson for her leadership, strategic guidance, driven enthusiasm, and tireless work that has made, and continues to make, MCC and its research endeavors exceptional.
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| Dr. Lawrence Goldstein, a distinguished stem cell researcher, is receiving the Revelle Medal
Dr. Goldstein was instrumental in founding the UC San Diego Stem Cell program, the Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine, and the Sanford Stem Cell Clinical Center. This week he will be receiving the Revelle Medal which recognizes sustained, distinguished and extraordinary service to the campus. The recipient’s achievements are illustrative of UC San Diego founder Roger Revelle’s vision to attract distinctive and visionary faculty leaders. The Medal honors a record of accomplishment that advances UC San Diego in fulfillment of the campus mission of exceptional teaching, research, service, and patient care.
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| Biorepository Customer Satisfaction Survey
The MCC Biorepository and Tissue Technology Shared Resource (BTTSR) is preparing a response for College of American Pathologists (CAP) certification renewal. Please complete this Biorepository Customer Satisfaction Survey to share your thoughts and feedback about the BTTSR.
The survey will take approximately 2 minutes to complete. All responses will be confidential. Your feedback submission is appreciated on or before Tuesday, November 15, 2022.
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Join the Work in Progress Seminar Series
Please join MCC's standing Work in Progress (WIP) Seminar Series every first Wednesday of the month. If you are interested in presenting or joining, the please reach out to Program Coordinator, Diana Arroyo at d1arroyo@health.ucsd.edu.
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Highlights from The Cancer Letter |
NCI Directors Report - Dr. Douglas Lowy: NCI to focus on multi-cancer detection tests, diversity in workforce, and clinical trials
Read full article on page 18 of The Cancer Letter, volume 48, number 32.
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DRM Seminar Series
Analysis and Engineering of Antigen-Specific B Cells
Monday, November 14, 2022 from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Conference Room 1013 A/B
Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine
2880 Torrey Pines Scenic Drive, La Jolla, CA 92037
Zoom Link
Justin Taylor, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Immunology and Vaccine Development Program
Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
Hosted by Qingfei Jiang, Ph.D.
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Pharmacology Seminar Series
Elucidating the Signaling and Protein Interaction Networks of the O-GlcNAc Transferase During Cellstate Transitions
Tuesday, November 15, 2022 at 12:00 p.m. PT
Leichtag Biomedical Research Building (Room 107)
Optional Webinar Registration
Samuel A. Myers, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Laboratory for Immunochemical Circuits
La Jolla Institute for Immunology
Hosted by Alexandra Newton, Ph.D.
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Cancer Biology and Signaling Seminar Series
a-arrestin ARRDC3 is a Multifaceted Tumor Suppressor for GPCRs
Wednesday, November 16, 2022 from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Moores Cancer Center, 2nd Floor, Comer Commons
Lunch provided
Zoom Link
Joann Trejo, Ph.D., M.B.A.
Professor, Department of Pharmacology
Assistant Vice Chancellor for Health Sciences Faculty Affairs
UC San Diego
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UCSD, Moores Cancer Center, Joint Distinguished Scientist Seminar Series and Cancer Therapeutics Training Program CT2 Lecture
Mutations in Normal Cells
Monday, November 21, 2022 at 12:00 p.m. PT
Moores Cancer Center, 2nd Floor, Goldberg Auditorium
Zoom Link
Meeting ID: 874 8822 3587
Password: 419961
Professor Sir Mike Stratton, FMedSci, FRS
Director of the Wellcome Sanger Institute Chief Executive Officer Wellcome Genome Campus Cambridge, UK
Hosted by Ludmil B. Alexandrov, Ph.D.
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Pharmacology Seminar Series
Melanoma Addiction to GCDH
Tuesday, November 22, 2022 at 12:00 p.m. PT
Leichtag Biomedical Research Building (Room 107)
Optional Webinar Registration
Ze'ev Ronai, Ph.D.
Director, NCI-Designated Cancer Center
Jeanne and Gary Herberger Leadership Chair in Cancer Research
Professor, Tumor Initiation and Maintenance Program
Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute
Hosted by J. Silvio Gutkind, Ph.D.
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49th Annual MilliporeSigma-UCSD Lectureship Series
Lipid Nanoparticles: From Model Membranes to COVID Vaccines and Gene Therapies
Wednesday, November 30, 2022 at 4:00 p.m.
Fifty Years of Lipids and How That Led to the Lipid Nanoparticles Enabling the COVID-19 mRNA Vaccines
Thursday, December 1, 2022 at 4:00 p.m.
Lipid Nanoparticles That Enable Gene Therapies: The Next Generation of Pharmaceuticals
Health Sciences Education Center Auditorium, Lower Level, Skaggs School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences Building, UC San Diego
Refreshments at 3:30 p.m. both days. Reception following Wednesday lecture.
Dr. Pieter Cullis
Director, Nanomedicines Research Group
Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of British Columbia
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Cancer Control Program, Work in Progress Seminar Series
Colorectal Cancer Disparities across Latin America: A Mortality Trend Analysis from 1990 to 2019
Wednesday, December 7, 2022 at 12:00 p.m.
Hybrid Meeting (In-Person/Virtual)
Moores Cancer Center, 2nd Floor
Comer Commons Conference Room
Zoom Link
Raphael Guimaraes, Ph.D.
Visiting Associate Researcher
Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health & Human Longevity Science
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Solid Tumor Therapeutics Program
S1609 DART: Lessons Learned in Rare Tumor Immunotherapy
Wednesday, December 14, 2022, from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Location Forthcoming
Sandip Patel, M.D.
Professor, Medical Oncology
Leader, Experimental Therapeutics
Director, Clinical Trials Office
UC San Diego
Deputy Director
San Diego Center for Precision Immunotherapy
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COMMUNITY OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT
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New Community Outreach and Engagement (COE) Newsletter
We are thrilled to share our first quarterly COE newsletter! Please take a moment to read Elena Martinez's welcome message and make a note of COE resources and upcoming events.
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| CT2 2022-2023 Lecture Series
A Narrative from Discovery to Delivering Care
Monday, November 14, 2022 from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.
In-Person and Virtual
Moores Cancer Center, 2nd Floor, Comer Commons
Zoom Link
Jonathan Pachter, Ph.D.
Chief Scientific Officer at Verastem
Vanderbilt University, School of Medicine, Basic Science
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CT2 2022-2023 Lecture Series
Title Forthcoming
Monday, November 21, 2022 from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.
In-Person and Virtual
Moores Cancer Center, 2nd Floor, Comer Commons
Zoom Link
Eric Kowak
Vice President, Program Leadership & Strategic Alliances
Xencor
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Student Volunteers Available
Cancer Research, Training, and Education Coordination (CRTEC) has identified three motivated undergraduate students who are interested in volunteering in a lab at MCC. This is a win-win research experience for the students and your lab. Please contact Amy Spilkin, Ph.D. (aspilkin@health.ucsd.edu), if you would like to connect with one or more of these students:
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- Third-year UCSD undergraduate majoring in Biology, minoring in Math
- Second-year UCSD premed undergraduate majoring in Human Biology
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First-year UCSD undergraduate majoring in Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience
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CRTEC administration will complete all necessary paperwork for these student volunteers.
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Speed Mentoring Workshop, Faculty Sign Ups
Faculty Members of MCC are invited to serve a mentors at the MCC Speed Mentoring Workshops, organized by MCC Cancer Research, Training, and Education Coordination (CRTEC). These workshops serve not only undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate students, but also project scientists, and research scientists, and junior faculty. Please select the session(s) for which are are available to mentor, and please select all that apply. You will be scheduled for only one of the dates that you choose—providing several dates merely helps to coordinate schedules. You will be contacted with a confirmation of the schedule.
CRTEC Speed Mentoring takes place on the second Thursday of each month from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Zoom. Participating faculty members will receive 1 hour of mentorship credit, approved by MCC leadership.
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HIGHLIGHTED FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
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2023 ACTRI Pilot Projects – Clinical and Translational Research
These UCSD, Altman Clinical and Translational Research Institute (ACTRI), Pilot Project grants are (1) 1-year competitive awards (up to $30,000) to provide funding for early stage projects and (2) available to all ACTRI members with faculty appointments; funding priority is given to early-career faculty.
First Stage Application Deadline: Monday, November 14, 2022 by 5:00 p.m. PT
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Department of Defense (DoD) Breast Cancer Research Program (BCRP), Clinical Research Extension Award (CREA)
Three expected awards; estimated total program funding $26,400,000
The FY22 DoD BCRP CREA aims to extend the data collection, follow-up, and analysis of breast cancer clinical research studies. The goal of this award is to increase the clinically relevant effect of breast cancer patient participation in clinical research by addressing the knowledge lost due to limited or early termination of patient follow-up and sample collection and analysis. The award may not be used to directly support a clinical trial.
Deadline: December 13, 2022
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Advancing Head and Neck Cancer Early Detection Research (AHEAD)
Maximum funding $500,000 direct costs/year for 5 years.
The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to accelerate translation of research to improve early detection of head and neck cancers (HNC). This FOA seeks applications that target early detection of HNC by (1) applying molecular, cellular, and multi-omics signatures to clinical studies for differentiating benign from premalignant lesions and (2) identifying prognostic signatures on the transformation from premalignant to malignant lesions.
Deadline: January 27, 2023 at 5:00 p.m.
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2023 ACTRI Pilot Projects – Community Research Partnership
These UCSD, Altman Clinical and Translational Research Institute (ACTRI) grants are (1) 1-year competitive awards (up to $30,000) to provide funding for early stage projects and (2) available to all ACTRI members with faculty appointments; funding priority is given to early-career faculty.
Requests for assistance with identifying potential community or academic partners: October 2022 - November 2022
Full application Deadline: Friday, February 24, 2023 by 2:00 p.m. PT
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American Cancer Society (ACS) Request for Applications (RFA): Pilot and Exploratory Projects in Palliative Care of Cancer Patients and Their Families
Purpose. The development of the palliative medicine speciality is a necessary step in addressing the unmet needs of both patients with serious illness and their families.
Pilot data typically are needed before funding agencies (e.g., NIH, VA, and ACS) will consider funding a research project. To support clinician investigators conducting patient-oriented research in palliative care, the ACS, in parallel with the National Palliative Care Research Center (NPCRC), is soliciting applications for pilot/exploratory research grants in palliative care for cancer patients and their families. These grants will generate the pilot data necessary to maximize an investigator's chances of successfully competing for larger grants.
This RFA is limited to applications that feature palliative care research projects for seriously ill cancer patients and their families in the following three areas:
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Exploring the relationship of pain and other distressing symptoms on quality and quantity of life, independence, function, and disability and developing interventions directed at their treatment in patients with advanced and chronic illnesses;
- Studying methods of improving communication between cancer survivors living with serious illness with their families and health care providers;
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Evaluating models and systems of care for patients living with advanced illness and their families.
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OTHER FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
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Early-Stage/Advanced/Sustained Development of Informatics Technologies for Cancer Research and Management (R21/U01/U24 Clinical Trial Optional)
Award: $275K unlimited direct costs 2-5 years, depending on mechanism
This component of the NCI Informatics Technology for Cancer Research (ITCR) program targets the development of enabling informatics technologies to improve the acquisition, management, analysis, and dissemination of data and knowledge across the cancer research continuum.
Deadline: November 17, 2022
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Cancer Prevention-Interception Targeted (CAP-IT) Agent Discovery Program Centers
Award: Up to $1.2M/year for a maximum of 4 years
Deadline: November 21, 2022 at 5:00 p.m. PT
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Damon Runyon, Physician-Scientist Training Award
Award: Total of $460,000, distributed over 4 years
Deadline: December 1, 2022 at 4:00 p.m. ET
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Alex's Lemonade Stand 2023 Young Investigator Grant
This grant offers up to $50,000 in direct costs per year for 3 years
Deadline: December 12, 2022 at 8:00 p.m. ET
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Basic/Translational Research on Health Disparities Among Underrepresented People Living with HIV (PLWH) and Cancer (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
NCI intends to commit $3.5M in FY 2023 to fund 7-10 awards and $3.5M in FY 2024 to fund another 7-10 awards.
Deadline: December 15, 2022 at 5:00 p.m. PT
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Basic/Translational Research on Health Disparities in Underrepresented People Living with HIV (PLWH) and Cancer (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
The combined budget for direct costs for the 2-year project period may not exceed $275,000; no more than $200,000 may be requested in any single year; the maximum project period is 2 years.
Deadline: December 15, 2022 at 5:00 p.m. PT
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| Comprehensive Partnerships to Advance Cancer Health Equity (CPACHE) (U54 Clinical Trial Optional)
Budgets are limited to $2 million in direct costs per year for partnerships of two institutions and $2.5 million in direct costs per year for partnerships of three institutions; maximum duration 5 years.
Deadline: January 6, 2023 at 5:00 p.m. PT; LOI due 30 days prior
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Feasibility Studies to Build Collaborative Partnerships in Cancer Research (P20 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
The combined budget for ISUPS and CC cannot exceed $375,000 in direct costs per year; maximum duration 4 years.
Deadline: January 6, 2023 at 5:00 p.m. PT; LOI due 30 days prior
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Precompetitive Collaboration on Liquid Biopsy for Early Cancer Assessment: Liquid Biopsy Research Laboratories (U01 and U24)
U01 Award: $600,000 direct costs per year for 5 years
U24 Award: $450,000 direct costs per year for 5 years
Deadline: January 10, 2023 at 4:00 p.m. ET
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| Damon Runyon, Clinical Investigator Award
Award: $600,000 award for 3 years, distributed as $200,000 per year.
Deadline: February 1, 2023 at 4:00 p.m. ET
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Secondary Analysis and Integration of Existing Data to Elucidate the Genetic Architecture of Cancer Risk and Related Outcomes (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
Maximum budget $375,000 direct costs/year for 5 years; NIH R01 standard due dates apply.
Deadline: February 5, 2023 at 5:00 p.m.
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Coordinating Center for Cannabis and Cannabinoid Use Among Adult Cancer Patients During Treatment: Assessing Benefits and Harms (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
Limited $500,000 direct costs per year; maximum project period is 5 years.
Deadline: February 17, 2023 at 5:00 p.m. PT
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Cannabis and Cannabinoid Use in Adult Cancer Patients During Treatment: Assessing Benefits and Harms (U01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
$500,000 direct costs per year; maximum project period is 5 years.
Deadline: February 18, 2023 at 5:00 p.m. PT
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Pfizer-Cell Signaling, San Diego Postdoctoral and Graduate Fellowships
Postdoctoral Fellowship - $70,000 for postdoc salary and benefits
Graduate Fellowship - $46,000 for tuition in full and balance towards stipend
MCC is delighted to announce a new partnership with Pfizer Oncology to support one postdoctoral fellow and one graduate student for up to 2 years. Please see the RFA link below. The deadline to receive application materials (as a single PDF) is Monday, November 28, 2022. We encourage submissions from postdocs and graduate students in your labs who are working in the area of cell signaling and oncology. This is a remarkable opportunity for trainees to interact with the Pfizer Oncology team in La Jolla.
Deadline: November 28, 2022
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Pink Shabbat Weekend
December 2nd - 4th, 2022
This weekend is all about getting our members to think about their health in a positive way, and improve the lives of our congregants and families who are living with or have an increased genetic risk for breast cancer. Let's help raise awareness for breast cancer.
Events include pink parve challah fundraiser for breast and ovarian cancer research, campfire shabbat dinner and service, pink shabbat service, a panel discussion sponsored by Moores Cancer Center, and more!
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3rd Annual Roger Tsien Cell Signaling Symposium
December 6, 2022 from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Sanford Consortium, Roth Auditorium
2880 Torrey Pines Scenic Drive, La Jolla, CA 92037
Register Here
1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. - Junior Faculty Talks
3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. - Roger Tsien Lecture
4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. - Poster Session and Reception
Questions? Email cellsigsd@health.ucsd.edu
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Saturday, January 28, 2023
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Newly Opened Clinical Trials
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SHARED RESOURCE SPOTLIGHT
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The MCC Microscopy Shared Resource provides access to a wide array of equipment and services, which include not only regular epifluorescence, bright field, deconvolution, and confocal microscopy, but also specialized methods such as total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) and super resolution imaging. In addition, in vivo live animal imaging using the IVIS 200 imaging system permits non-invasive monitoring of cancer progression, gene expression patterns, cell trafficking, drug delivery, and treatment. Major equipment and capabilities include the following:
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Nikon A1R Laser Scanning Confocal / TIRF / STORM System
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- High-resolution and high-speed multidimensional confocal imaging, photo activation and bleaching, FRET, and FRAP
- Fast live-cell imaging in TIRF mode
- Super resolution (20 to 50 nm resolution) using stochastic optical reconstruction (STORM) and photo activation localization microscopy (PALM)
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Keyence BZ-X700 Fluorescence Microscope
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- Automated brightfield and fluorescence microscopy
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Fast multi-channel X-Y stitching and Z acquisition
- Sensitivity ranging from the UV to the far red (800 nm)
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IVIS 200 Whole Animal Imaging System
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- Bioluminescence and fluorescence imaging in living animals (GFP, RFP, Cy5.5 ICG)
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- Basic analysis tools such as segmentation, counting, and quantification; advanced Ai tools for automated denoising and image clarification
- 2D and 3D object measurement and tracking tools and deconvolution
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Huang DQ, Sharpton SR, Amangurbanova M, Tamaki N, Sirlin CB (STT), Loomba R (CCP). Clinical Utility of Combined MRI-PDFF and ALT Response in Predicting Histologic Response in Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2022 SEP 05; S1542-3565(22)00832-1.
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Henry NL, Somerfield MR, Dayao Z, Elias A, Kalinsky K, McShane LM, Moy B, Park BH, Shanahan KM, Sharma P, Shatsky R (STT), Stringer-Reasor E, Telli M, Turner NC, DeMichele A. Biomarkers for Systemic Therapy in Metastatic Breast Cancer: ASCO Guideline Update. J Clin Oncol. 2022 SEP 20; 40(27):3205-3221.
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Smith GL, Banegas MP (CCP), Acquati C, Chang S, Chino F, Conti RM, Greenup RA, Kroll JL, Liang MI, Pisu M, Primm KM, Roth ME, Shankaran V, Yabroff KR. Navigating financial toxicity in patients with cancer: A multidisciplinary management approach. CA Cancer J Clin. 2022 SEP 01; 72(5):437-453.
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Knorr J, Kaufmann B, Inzaugarat ME, Holtmann TM, Geisler L, Hundertmark J, Kohlhepp MS, Boosheri LM, Chilin-Fuentes DR, Birmingham A, Fisch KM (SFG), Schilling JD, Loosen SH, Trautwein C, Roderburg C, Demir M, Tacke F, Hoffman HM (SFG), Feldstein AE, Wree A. Interleukin-18 signaling promotes activation of hepatic stellate cells in mouse liver fibrosis. Hepatology. 2022 SEP 04; Online ahead of print.
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To submit any announcements, funding opportunities, events, or other important items to the newsletter, please utilize the submission form link below.
Please direct any questions to our Marketing and Communications Coordinator, Sarah Christie, at sjchristie@health.ucsd.edu
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Want to be highlighted in the Moores Cancer Center newsletter or on the MCC website?
We want to know and share in all of our successes at MCC. To that end, we have created a pipeline for our members to share recent publications, awards, new appointments, and research highlights that you would like to see in our MCC weekly newsletter or on the website. Please provide us with the data we need to showcase your great work by completing the Member Survey linked below.
Thank you in advance for your time!
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Moores Cancer Center (MCC) is not only one of only 52 National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated comprehensive cancer centers in the nation, but also the only one providing multidisciplinary, research-driven detection, treatment, survivorship, and prevention of cancer in San Diego County. The 360 MCC member scientists and clinicians hail from 22 UC San Diego specialty departments, Rady Children’s Hospital, San Diego State University, and the La Jolla Institute of Immunology.
With strengths in stem cell research, immune-oncology, precision medicine, cancer disparities, and pre-cancer and risk research, MCC researchers address translational oncology and drug development through partnerships with biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. MCC was founded and received its NCI designation in 1978.
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Department of Research Administration
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