The Keller Laboratory at cc-TDI: 04/01/2009

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Strategic Planning Feature in NCURA

Thanks to our colleague Cory Hallam, our laboratory retreat last month has been featured in a essay and case study on Bringing Strategic Planning to the Research Lab for the National Council of University Research Administrator’s magazine (as a “Feature”). The article is written by Cory (Assistant Vice President of Commercialization at UTSA) and co-authored by Charles. The strategy, however, is a true lab team effort. To see the NCURA Magazine feature, click here and go to page 42.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

KENS TV Coverage (muscle stem cells)

We sincerely thank Wendy Rigby of KENS Channel 5 for her coverage of our recent muscle stem cell publication. It was thoughtful of Wendy and her camerman, Richard, to have included so much of our team in the story. To see the local video, click here. For the CBS national link, click here.

[ to right: Mandy with mus musculus (a house mouse) ]

Monday, April 6, 2009

Lor Randall visits GCCRI

It was our pleasure to host our colleague and collaborator, Dr. Lor Randall, who visited UTHSCSA to give an Orthopaedic Surgery Grand Rounds presentation entitled, "Sarcomatology: A Transdisciplinary Approach". An orthopedic oncologist and researcher himself, Lor is the Director of the Huntsman Cancer Institute Sarcoma Service - and our frequent collaborator and good friend. We appreciate his time to visit with us to share his recent work.

Friday, April 3, 2009

Rally Foundation funds PPTI Study

We are grateful to the Rally Foundation for a recent grant in the amount of $17,076 which will fund testing of one novel therapeutic compound for medulloblastoma and another for rhabdomyosarcoma in our genetically-engineered mouse models. The Rally Foundation for Childhood Cancer Research is a non-profit organization, which through volunteers across the country, aims to raise awareness and funds specifically for childhood cancer research to find better treatments and cures for childhood cancers.

These awards fromt he Rally Foundation are in honor of Matthew Butterfield and in memory of Coleman Larson.

[ This blog entry is also mirrored at the Rally Foundation blog site. ]

You Can Participate in our Novel Therapeutics Studies !

One would like to think that tangibly better treatments for rhabdomyosarcoma, medulloblastoma and other childhood cancers can be found in a matter of years, instead of tens of years. Finding new treatments starts with research, perhaps even a new research approach to identifying effective new treatments. The Children's Cancer Therapy Development Institute focuses on finding molecules in childhood cancers that can be directly turned off or on by drugs so that the tumor stops growing. Behind our novel approach is the use of genetically-engineered mice. Our Pediatric Preclinical Testing Initiative uses mice modified from before birth so that at a certain age, and in a certain tissue, the same mutations found in a child’s cancer are activated in the mouse. These special mouse models of childhood cancer can be used to test a treatment to see whether the tumor growth and spread (metastasis) can be reversed. The specific aspect of these mice having normal immune systems is a real plus, too, because white blood cells play an important role in how tumors evolve and respond to therapy.

Our program is designed around community participation. Through the Children's Cancer Therapy Development Institute, you can contribute directly to this grass-roots initiative. Donations through small gifts or grants will assist in studying compounds that may be effective in treating such childhood cancers as alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma, or medulloblastoma (the alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma model was featured by Dr. Keller's long time collaborator and former mentor, 2007 Nobel laureate Mario Capecchi, in his Nobel Prize lecture {see 16 minutes onward}.)

For additional information regarding supporting this program please contact Charles Keller at charles@cc-tdi.org. Results obtained through these studies will be shared with the National Cancer Institute’s Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program, as well as the Children’s Oncology Group, which designs clinical trials for childhood cancer.