See also our related blog for the Pediatric Preclinical Testing Initiative.

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Koichi's paper to be Highlighted in Cancer Research

We've just been informed that Koichi's paper has been selected for the Highlights section of the upcoming issue of Cancer Research. Congratulations, Koichi!

Friday, March 27, 2009

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Bench to Bedside

We're excited to share that Charles has been appointed as a full time member of the Children's Oncology Group (COG) Soft Tissue Sarcoma Committee. This committee designs clinical and translational trials for rhabdomyosarcoma and other soft tissue sarcomas. This appointment follows other COG activities in recent years including ad hoc participation in the Soft Tissue Sarcoma Committee since 2001. Also, Charles has also been an awardee of the COG Young Investigator Award (2001) and a recipient of the COG Translational Research Award (2001-2002). The results of the latter are published as a COG report entitled, "Rhabdomyosarcomas utilize developmental, myogenic growth factors for disease advantage". This study was the foundation upon which our more recent from-the-bench-towards-bedside efforts have been focused. Our lab looks forward to being able to contribute more to clinical and translational trial design as new, molecularly-targeted drugs become available to pediatric patients.

Collaborator Andrew Brack visits GCCRI

Friend and collaborator, Dr. Andrew S. Brack, gave a terrific seminar presentation at GCCRI today. Andrew is an Assistant Professor at the Center for Regenerative Medicine at MGH, as well as a member of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute. A recent trainee of our other valued colleague, Dr. Thomas A. Rando at Stanford, Andrew has established a productive independent laboratory of his own and is a young rising star in the muscle biology field. As ever, the cross-pollination between muscle cancer biologists and muscle biologists leads to interesting conversations, novel ideas, and new outlooks on ways to treat muscle cancer. We are grateful to Andrew for making the trip to San Antonio and giving such a great seminar on satellite cell (muscle stem cell) renewal.

[ PICTURED: Andrew (left) with Koichi (right)
at the Alamo ]

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Koichi and Tohru's paper accepted to The FASEB Journal

Congratulation to Koichi and Tohru as first and second author on a muscle stem cell physiology / rhabdomyosarcoma study that was accepted today to The FASEB Journal. Other lab members who co-authored this work include Bev, Suresh and Mandy - as well as lab alumnist Ali Bahadur. We are grateful for the contributions of our collaborators, especially Chris Bjornson who is a member of the laboratory of Thomas Rando and our pathologist collaborator, Brian Rubin.  We are grateful, too, to the Scott Carter Foundation for sponsoring Koichi's fellowship.  

  
[ pictured on above right: a green myotube and its blue nucleus with an adjacent pink-white muscle stem cell (satellite cell). Pictured below, Koichi (left) and Tohru (right). ]

[ Koichi & Tohru's paper is now online. ]











Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Imran awarded AMA Seed Grant

Congratulations to Imran, who has been awarded a 2009 Medical Student Seed Grant from the American Medical Association Foundation. Imran's project will investigate the role of interleukin receptors in rhabdomyosarcoma biology and therapeutic strategies. This is a great start to Imran's project as a candidate for the M.D. with Distinction in Research Program at our medical school. We're very impressed with the trajectory of this future physician-scientist.

[ pictured at right: Imran hard at work in the lab following a set of medical school exams. ]


[ update 05/22/09: Imran has been accepted to the MD with Distinction program at UTHSCSA! Congratulations, Imran! ]