Faculty News

Manufactured CAR T cells ready for infusion into a patient

FDA approves BCMA-targeted CAR T-cell therapy for multiple myeloma

The Food and Drug Administration approved idecabtagene vicleucel (Abecma) for people with multiple myeloma that has not responded to or has returned after at least four different prior cancer treatments. The approval is based, in part, on earlier clinical work led by James N. Kochenderfer, M.D., Senior Investigator in the Surgery Branch.

In Memoriam: George Vande Woude, Ph.D. (1935-2021)

The CCR community mourns the recent death of longtime National Cancer Institute colleague, George Vande Woude, Ph.D. He was an expert in molecular oncology and discovered the human MET oncogene.

CCR scientists and alumni honored by the American Association for Cancer Research

Several CCR scientists and alumni will be awarded for their exceptional contributions to cancer research at this year’s American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting. The meeting will be held virtually April 10-15 and May 17-21.

Brigitte Widemann named a Top Ten Clinical Research Achievement Awardee

Brigitte C. Widemann, M.D., Chief of the Pediatric Oncology Branch, has been named a Top Ten Clinical Research Achievement Awardee by the Clinical Research Forum, and she was awarded a Distinguished Clinical Research Achievement Award for her study “Selumetinib in Children with Inoperable Plexiform Neurofibromas.”

Anish Thomas featured in The Cancer Letter for SCLC study

In a conversation with The Cancer Letter, Anish Thomas, M.B.B.S., M.D., NIH Lasker Clinical Research Scholar and Investigator in the Developmental Therapeutics Branch, discussed his study, published in Science Translational Medicine, that found some patients with small cell lung cancer may have actionable germline mutations, which may be used to inform personalized screening and targeted therapies. The study challenges the notion that small cell lung cancer is exclusively tied to smoking.

Curtis C. Harris elected as a fellow of the AACR Academy

Curtis C. Harris, M.D., Chief of the Laboratory of Human Carcinogenesis, has been elected to the 2021 class of fellows of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Academy. Fellows of the AACR Academy serve as a global brain trust of top contributors to cancer science and medicine who help advance the mission of the AACR to prevent and cure all cancers through research, education, communication, collaboration, science policy and advocacy, and funding for cancer research.

Peter Choyke and Louis Staudt elected to the National Academy of Medicine

Peter Choyke, M.D., F.A.C.R., Chief of the Molecular Imaging Branch, and Louis Staudt, M.D., Ph.D., Chief of the Lymphoid Malignancies Branch, have been elected to the National Academy of Medicine (NAM). Dr. Choyke is elected for pioneering advances in the imaging of prostate cancer that have enabled accurate localization of clinically significant tumors. Dr. Staudt is elected for demonstrating that genetic profiling can distinguish lymphoma subtypes, predict patient survival, and individualize therapy, thus playing a key role in launching the era of cancer precision medicine.

Ira Pastan receives 2020 Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement award

Ira Pastan, M.D., NIH Distinguished Investigator and Co-Chief of the Laboratory of Molecular Biology, has received the 2020 Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement Medal from the Partnership for Public Service’ Service to America Medals, also known as the SAMMIES. The Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement Medal recognizes federal employees who have led significant and sustained achievements over 20 or more years of service in government. Dr. Pastan was recognized for discovering a new class of drugs that can successfully treat a rare form of leukemia and hold promise to be effective therapies for pancreatic and lung cancer as well as mesothelioma.

Ruth Nussinov and Kandice Tanner named American Physical Society Fellows

Ruth Nussinov, Ph.D., Senior Investigator in the Laboratory of Cancer Immunometabolism, and Kandice Tanner, Ph.D., Senior Investigator in the Laboratory of Cell Biology, were named as American Physical Society Fellows. The fellowship program recognizes members who made advances in physics through original research and publication or made significant innovative contributions in the application of physics to science and technology.

Jordan Meier receives the 2021 Eli Lilly Award in Biological Chemistry

Jordan Meier, Ph.D., Senior Investigator in the Chemical Biology Laboratory, received the 2021 Eli Lilly Award in Biological Chemistry for outstanding research of unusual merit and independence of thought and originality. Dr. Meier’s efforts in defining how metabolism regulates epigenetic signaling in cancer and how metabolite-protein interactions occur in all living organisms were cited as meritorious examples of advancing two fundamental areas of research.

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