The Keller Laboratory at cc-TDI: 07/01/2012

Friday, July 6, 2012

Welcoming Summer Student, Melissa

“I am a student at Sheldon High School, where my main concentrations are math and science, particularly chemistry. The area that most fascinates me at this time is neuroscience, because the brain is the most complex organ in the body and works in such advanced and amazing ways. I find it riveting that I could study the brain for my entire life and never completely understand how it works. A related interest is oncology. Like the brain, there is much about this field that remains unknown. I consider cancer one of life’s greatest mysteries that I believe be solved through the hard work of enthusiastic scientists in medical laboratories. I have the enthusiasm that comes from knowing the pursuit of a cure will have a profound affect on everyone.”

"My initial interest in pediatric oncology occurred after I first read My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult. When I read this book I was especially interested the character Kate who is diagnosed with leukemia at a very young age. Since then, I have developed this interest and hope to one day become a pediatric oncologist helping children in their fight against cancer. Because of this ambitious goal, I am already planning my future to make a medical career within reach. For instance, I have dedicated myself academically to the sciences and math at the college level during sophomore year. I became interested in the research being done at the OHSU Keller Laboratory when I heard Dr. Laura Davis speak at the Doernbecher Open House for Kiwanis Club. I eagerly await this summer and the research I will be doing at Keller Lab."

Melissa is a Faith Fulmer Foundation Summer intern for osteosarcoma research.

Welcoming Summer Student, Claire

"I grew up in the Portland area attending Jesuit High School and am currently a sophomore in the Oregon State University Honors College majoring in Biochemistry & Biophysics with the hope of attending medical school. My interest in pediatric oncology began six years ago when I began volunteering and fundraising for the Children's Cancer Association, a small Portland-based nonprofit. My experience with children with cancer along with my passion for chemistry are what make me so excited to become a part of the Keller lab team and have the opportunity to learn from the other lab team members."

“I want to work at the Keller Lab this summer because I think that it will be a really great opportunity for me to get an idea of what I want to do career-wise. Also, it will give me great experience working in a real research laboratory and doing something worthwhile with my time. I have always been very interested in how cancer affects of the body and the ways that chemotherapy can cure cancer. I have also been very fascinated with all the different ways to treat cancer and all the new developments in the field, which is why I am so excited to get a chance to work in a lab where those developments are taking place. I have had a limited amount of experience working in an undergraduate Biochemistry/Biophysics lab doing an experiment with E. coli, but I have not had extensive experience in a research laboratory. By the start of summer I will have completed a full year of Biology, General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Physics, and Multivariable Vector Calculus, along with a number of Baccalaureate Core classes. I am a student in the Oregon State University Honors College, a member of National Society of Collegiate Scholars, on the Dean's List at Oregon State, and I am currently receiving multiple scholarships based on my academic achievements and campus involvement. I am a quiet, considerate person who is very eager to learn and help the Keller Lab team this summer. I look forward to what is ahead of me this summer.”

Claire is a Faith Fulmer Foundation Summer intern for osteosarcoma research.

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.