At the end of last week I was at an exciting meeting to kick off a new U54 grant for a Center for Cancer Systems Biology led by Bob Clarke. This award focuses on breast cancer and includes investigators from Lombardi, Virginia Tech’s VBBI and Fox Chase Cancer Center. This is one of only ten such centers in the United States and represents continuing evidence of Lombardi’s commitment to further develop its world class capabilities in both breast cancer and systems biology.
I’m lucky enough to have a project in this effort. Rochelle Nasto, a visiting graduate student in my lab from Drexel University’s biomedical engineering program, has constructed an estrogen receptor network-based siRNA library and is screening breast cancer cell lines to identify determinants of survival and drug resistance. I guess it’s hard to come to Lombardi and avoid being bitten by the breast cancer research bug. Congratulations to Bob and all of our colleagues for successfully competing for this important mechanism of research support.
On Monday, President DeGioia hosted a delegation on Monday from Queen’s University in Belfast, Northern Ireland, which also happens to be where Bob Clarke completed his graduate work. A small delegation of us from Georgetown visited Queen’s University last October to discuss collaborations related to our institution’s respective cancer centers, focusing on G-DOC and related endeavors, with an initial emphasis on our shared interests and strengths in gastrointestinal cancer. The meeting this week was a follow-up to strngthen our collaborations and define future directions.
No blog would be complete without my latest Avon Walk update. I’m happy to report I purchased new running shoes and I’ve even used them. The Lombardi/CBCC team is up to 33 members and going strong. My longest walk thus far has been eight miles, but that was in my old sneakers. I expect greatly improved performance now that I’m properly outfitted. This weekend promises to provide no excuses to prevent me from tacking on extra miles to my total. Plus, I suppose I have less reason to watch the NCAA tournament now that the Hoyas have been bounced. We’ll get them next year.