Therapeutic Radiology Welcomes 3 New Faculty Members
Ranjit S. Bindra, MD, PhD joins Yale School of Medicine from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center where he completed his residency in radiation oncology this year. He is a physician-scientist and will care for patients with CNS malignancies and pediatric solid tumors. His lab will be focused on developing novel therapeutics, which can be used concurrently with radiation therapy and chemotherapy for the treatment of both adult and pediatric brain tumors. Dr. Bindra is a graduate of Yale School of Medicine.
James E. Hansen, MD joined the faculty at Yale after serving as Chief Resident in Therapeutic Radiology for the last year. A physician-scientist, Dr. Hansen's laboratory research focuses on exploring the potential use of cell-penetrating lupus autoantibodies in cancer therapy. His clinical interests include the treatment of lung, CNS, and gastrointestinal malignancies. He is a graduate of David Geffen School of Medicine at the Univeristy of California - Los Angeles.
Zain A. Husain, MD completed his residency at the University of Maryland Medical Center before joining Yale earlier this month. He will care for patients with head and neck and lung cancers at Smilow Cancer Hospital. Dr. Husain has a special interest in using stereotactic radiosurgery for early stage lung tumors and tumors that have metastasized to the spine. He is a graduate of the University of California - Irvine School of Medicine.
Faculty Profiles
Please take a few minutes to review your profiles on the Yale Cancer Center website to make sure they are accurate and complete. You can easily find your profile by searching your name in the website search box. All faculty, and their administrative assistants, have access to edit profiles in the Yale School of Medicine system by clicking on "edit this profile" at the bottom of the page and sign in using your Yale login credentials. The information entered into your profile populates the Yale Cancer Center, Yale School of Medicine, Yale-New Haven Hospital, and Yale Medical Group websites so it is important that it is regularly updated. Please contact Renee Gaudette if you have any questions or concerns.
Notables
Roy S. Herbst, MD, PhD has been elected as one of four new Translational Science Representatives serving on the Thoracic Malignancy Steering Committee (TMSC) for the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The TMSC was established in 2008 to harmonize an efficient, cost-effective, science-driven, and transparent process that will identify and promote the "Best Science" in clinical research of lung and other thoracic malignancies by addressing the design and prioritization of phase III clinical trials and large phase II studies in chest malignancies.
The Association of Residents in Radiation Oncology (ARRO) named Bryan Chang, Assistant Professor of Therapeutic Radiology and a member of the Radiobiology and Radiotherapy Research Program, Educator of the Year for the 2011-12 academic year.
Stacey Scirocco has been named Associate Director of the Office of Protocol Review and Monitoring for Committee Administration for Clinical Research Services at Yale Cancer Center. Stacey returns to Yale Cancer Center from the Yale Center for Clinical Investigation and will work closely with Susan Anderson.
Eileen Dehm, RN and Matthew Burke, APRN, members of the Thoracic Oncology Program care team, will present "From Clinical Trials to Commercial Use: Oncology Drugs and the Oncology Nurse Coordinator Role in a Clinical Setting" during a poster presentation at the 2012 Annual Evidence Based Practice Conference sponsored by the Connecticut Nursing Research Alliance Review Committee.
Cynthia Waddock has joined the Yale Cancer Center billing office as a Certified Professional Coder - Apprentice (CPC-A).
In the News
With Drug-Loaded Nanogel, Yale Researchers Attack Cancerous Tumors
Yale University scientists have developed a new mechanism for attacking cancerous tumors that intensifies the body's immune response while simultaneously weakening the tumor's ability to resist it.
The Yale team, led by Tarek M. Fahmy, a bioengineer at Yale University and member of the Yale Cancer Center Developmental Therapeutics Research Program, developed a new biodegradable nanoparticle that delivers a combination of two very different therapeutic agents to tumor sites, gradually releasing the agents into the tumor vasculature. One agent, a large soluble protein called a cytokine, stimulates the body's innate immune response. The other, a small-molecule inhibitor, interferes with the tumor's ability to suppress the immune response. Other drug combinations are possible.
The War on AIDS: Newly Developed Proteins Inhibit HIV Infection
Yale Cancer Center scientists have developed a new class of proteins that inhibit HIV infection and may open the way to new strategies for treating and preventing infection by the virus that causes AIDS. The findings appear in the July 18 online edition of the Journal of Virology.
AIDS slowly weakens the immune system and allows life-threatening infections and cancers to thrive. Led by Daniel DiMaio, the Yale team isolated six 44- and 45-amino acid proteins that inhibited cell-surface and total expression of an essential HIV receptor and blocked HIV infection in laboratory cell cultures.
The proteins were modeled after a protein from a papillomavirus that causes warts in cows. This bovine papillomavirus is related to the human papillomaviruses that cause cervical cancer and some head and neck cancers.
The BoDeans, the 80s and 90s rock band who released "Closer to Free" on their 1993 album will perform on the New Haven Green on Friday, August 10th at 7PM as part of the free Music on the Green series sponsored by Yale-New Haven Hospital. Closer to Free is the inspiration behind the advertising campaign for Smilow Cancer Hospital, the Closer to Free fund and our annual Closer to Free bike ride.
The Employee Profile recognizes the diverse contributions made by Yale Cancer Center and Smilow Cancer Hospital staff have to meet our patient care, research, education, and outreach goals.The staff profiled are examples of the great work being done here, and the dedication and values we possess. To suggest someone to be profiled, please contact Emily Fenton.
Teresa White, RN, BSN, OCN, is a Clinical Research Nurse for our Clinical Trials Office (CTO). She works with physicians and clinical trial assistants to review patient cases and helps patients navigate through the process of participating in a clinical trial. She begins by reviewing their history, and assessing whether or not they are eligible for a specific trial.
Teresa became a nurse right out of high school, and has always been involved in the field of oncology. She has been in her current position for just under a year, and is focused on Phase I trials for Gastrointestinal tumors. It is the nurses' role within each disease area to make sure patients have access to the trials that are available to them.
Teresa's main role is patient education. She meets with patients on a daily basis to make sure they are receiving the appropriate treatment and care. She helps them to understand the medications they are taking, when and how to take them, which ones need to be taken with food, and which ones without. She monitors side effects, makes sure patients are scheduled for the correct tests and scans, and that they are meeting with their doctor regularly. Teresa commented that it is very labor intensive, but she enjoys working with patients and their families and is very happy that she gets to be part of a process that may have great benefit for the patient.
"Patients are coming to us because all other options have failed. We are doing Phase I, II, and III clinical trials here at Yale and for a lot of people, it's their final hope. It is an amazing experience to see a new drug benefit these patients that are so full of hope and still have so much to offer," Teresa said.
Recent Publications
Transmember protein aptamers that inhibit CCR5 expression and HIV co-receptor function.
Scheideman EH, Marlatt SA, Xie Y, Hu Y, Sutton RE, Dimaio D.J Virol. 2012 Jul 18.
Combination delivery of TGF-β inhibitor and IL-2 by nanoscale liposomal polymeric gels enhances tumour immunotherapy.
Park J, Wrzesinski SH, Stern E, Look M, Criscione J, Ragheb R, Jay SM, Demento SL, Agawu A, Licona Limon P, Ferrandino AF, Gonzalez D, Habermann A, Flavell RA, Fahmy TM.
Nat Mater. 2012 Jul 15.
Multitargeted Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors in Unselected Patients With Advanced Non-Small-Cell LungCancer (NSCLC): Impressions From MONET (the Motesanib NSCLC Efficacy and Tolerability Study).
67 days until our CCSG
grant is due on
September 25, 2012.
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Uniting Against Lung Cancer announces funding opportunities for research aimed at improved treatment and a cure for lung cancers. Last year, Uniting Against Lung Cancer funded over $1 million in research; we look forward to increasing our support this year.
The Foundation is prioritizing novel ideas with potential to make a significant impact on current treatment of lung cancer and patient survival, adding years rather than months. We have placed high priority on funding research that has a clear path to clinical application and/or therapeutic development. Proposals for basic science are greatly aided by a forward-looking research plan outlining clinical potential. UALC funding is intended primarily as seed money for promising and potentially transformative new projects, rather than funding projects that already receive considerable support. Cross discipline collaborations are strongly encouraged. Proposals do not require large amounts of preliminary data, but must have a clear hypothesis and research plan to be completed within the two-year grant term.
Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation Epidemiology Grants
These grants are designed to support the research of investigators who have a specific focus on the epidemiology, early detection or the prevention of childhood cancer. ALSF will award support to established investigators who have a track record of peer-reviewed publications in relevant areas. These awards are expected to provide additional funds that will allow investigators to pursue novel and promising epidemiological approaches to understanding the cause of childhood cancers and how such insight can be used for early detection or prevention of childhood cancer.
funds the nation's best science in the fields of leukemia, lymphoma, and related cancers of the blood. The Foundation not only funds conventional scientific research, but also projects that combine integrative (complementary) therapies or botanical agents. We focus on projects for cancer prevention, detection and treatment that are most likely to be translated into clinical trials within a 3-5 year period. These Medical Research Awards, distributed on a yearly basis, each total $225,000.00 and are given over a three-year period.
Teresa White, RN, BSN, OCN, is a Clinical Research Nurse for our Clinical Trials Office (CTO). She works with physicians and clinical trial assistants to review patient cases and helps patients navigate through the process of participating in a clinical trial. She begins by reviewing their history, and assessing whether or not they are eligible for a specific trial.
