News | DirectConnect | 2010 | 2010-12-17

December 17, 2010

December 17, 2010

Announcements

Yossi Schlessinger Named Director of Cancer Biology Institute

It gives me great pleasure to announce the appointment of Joseph Schlessinger, PhD, a world-renowned leader in the field of signal transduction, as the founding director of the University's Cancer Biology Institute.

Yossi has an unparalleled track record of identifying molecular targets for new therapeutic agents. His insights have resulted in drugs that are having a major impact in the lives of patients with liver, kidney, stomach, and skin cancers. His research group has made fundamental observations on the nature of the signaling process, and this work has broadened our understanding of cellular growth regulation at the most basic level.

Under Yossi's direction, the institute will hire 150 research scientists, including 11 principal investigators, over the next three to four years. They will work closely with scientists at the new Yale Center for Genome Analysis at West Campus in order to identify the genes that drive cancer. The genome center is applying the fast-moving technology of automated DNA sequencing, which has become dramatically quicker and less expensive, to better understand and exploit the molecular profiles of various tumor types.

Please join us in congratulating Yossi on this important appointment.

I am confident his leadership will accelerate the development of cancer therapeutics and further establish Yale as a top center for translational cancer research.

Happy Holidays!
It was wonderful to see so many of you and your families at the annual Yale Cancer Center holiday party at the Peabody Museum earlier this week. The mix of colleagues from Yale Cancer Center, Smilow Cancer Hospital, and Yale School of Medicine was a great way for us to celebrate the holiday season together. Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedules to attend. I wish a joyous holiday season and all the best for a successful and prosperous 2011!

Research in the News

Insulin Levels Found to Affect Breast Cancer Survival

Women treated for breast cancer who have elevated levels of circulating insulin face substantially higher mortality rates than their peers with lower levels, according to a new study authored by Melinda Irwin, PhD, Co-Director of the Yale Cancer Center Prevention and Control Program. The research is published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Patients with amounts of an insulin marker known as C-peptide greater than 1.7 ng/mL were at a two-fold higher risk of breast cancer death compared with women with C-peptide levels lower than that. Women with type 2 diabetes had an even greater risk of breast cancer death compared with women without type 2 diabetes.

Development Update

The Yale Cancer Center development office is continuing their partnership with BJ's Wholesale Club to raise funds to support cancer research at Yale.

BJ's is offering a reduced membership price to anyone who signs up, or renews, through Yale Cancer Center. A portion of the membership fee will be donated back to support our cancer research efforts.

Funding Opportunities

NCI Funding for Research on Cancers in Women

The National Cancer Institute's Office of Science Planning and Assessment announces the opportunity for supplemental funding for research and conferences/meetings related to women's health. Two types of awards are supported. (1) $50K for projects including: new analyses of existing data, pilot projects, etc. (2) $10K for R13 conference grants and other relevant workshops and meetings. Approximately four $50K awards and five $10K awards will be made. Supplements will be attached to active NCI awards; all proposed projects must fit within the scope of the parent grant.

Application Deadline: January 14, 2011

2011 Connecticut Stem Cell Research Grant
The Connecticut Stem Cell Research Advisory Committee, in consultation with the Commissioner of the Department of Public Health (DPH) and Connecticut Innovations (CI), is pleased to announce the availability of the 2011 RFP to support the advancement of embryonic and/or human adult stem cell research in Connecticut.

Any non-profit, tax-exempt academic institution of higher education, any hospital that conducts biomedical research or any entity that conducts biomedical research or embryonic or human adult stem cell research may apply for grants from the Connecticut Stem Cell Research Fund.

Application Deadline: January 14, 2011 at 4:30 PM

Learn More >>

Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program Awards

Postdoctoral Fellowship Award Eligibility

The Principal Investigator (PI):

Must have no more than 2 years in the proposed research setting and no more than 4 years of postdoctoral research experience as of the application deadline.

Mentor or formal co-mentor must have breast cancer research experience, including funding (past or current) and publications.

Proposed research should be innovative and address a critical problem in breast cancer research.

Funding Amount: Maximum funding of $300K for direct costs ($100K per year; plus indirect costs).

Era of Hope Scholar Award Eligibility

Independent, non-mentored investigators within 6 years of their last mentored position as of the application submission deadline.

Supports exceptionally talented, creative early-career scientists who have demonstrated that they are the "best and brightest" in their fields.

Individuals should exhibit strong potential for leadership in the breast cancer community.

Funding Amount: Maximum funding of $2.5M for direct costs (plus indirect costs).

Innovator Award Eligibility

Associate Professor or above

Supports visionary individuals who have demonstrated creativity, innovative work, and leadership in any field.

Provides opportunity to pursue novel, visionary, high-risk ideas that could ultimately lead to the eradication of breast cancer.

Funding Amount: Maximum funding of $5M for direct costs (plus indirect costs).

Transformative Vision Award Eligibility

Independent investigators at any academic level

Supports a coordinated translational research effort involving multiple PIs to answer a question of major importance in breast cancer prevention or treatment as quickly as possible.

Teams must include consumer advocates who will be integrated into the planning and implementation of the research project.

Regular in-person meetings among all team members will be required.

Pre-proposal is required; application submission is by invitation only.

Funding Amount: Maximum funding of $12M for direct costs (plus indirect costs).

Idea Award (REVISED) Eligibility

Independent investigators at any academic level

Supports research that has extraordinary potential to yield highly impactful data and lead to critical discoveries or major advancements in breast cancer.

Impact is the most important review criterion. Innovation is encouraged, but not required.

Preliminary data is allowed, but not required.

Collaborative Option supports combining expertise of two PIs to more effectively address a research question.

Pre-proposal is required; limit of 1 pre-proposal per PI; application submission is by invitation only.

Funding Amount: Maximum funding of $500K for direct costs (plus indirect costs).

For all Department of Defense Award Opportunities

A pre-application will be required and must be submitted through the CDMRP eReceipt website (

http://cdmrp.org

) prior to the pre-application deadline. Applications must be submitted through the federal government's single-entry portal. (

www.Grants.gov

)

Senior Scholar Program in Aging, Sponsored by Ellison Medical Foundation

The award is intended to provide significant support to established investigators in order to allow the development of new, creative research programs by investigators who may not currently be conducting aging research or who may wish to develop new research programs in aging. The foundation particularly wishes to stimulate new research, which has rigorous scientific foundations, but which may not be currently funded adequately, because of its perceived novelty, its high risk, or because it is from an area where traditional research interests absorb most funding. Senior Scholar awards provide funding up to $150,000 per year for a four-year period.

Learn More >>

Lasker Medical Research Awards

To recognize and honor individuals who have made significant contributions in basic or clinical research in diseases that are the main cause of death and disability.

The awards are intended to recognize contributions that have opened new fields of research, advancing novel concepts or their applications in a particular biomedical discipline.

The deadline for submitting a nomination and all supporting materials is February 1, 2011.

Learn More >>

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