I assume many folks in DC are both thrilled and terrified by the Redskins’ win and RGIII’s injury on Sunday. I managed to watch that game and the Eagles’ win over Tampa Bay simultaneously, while working on emails and other work. I do hope that RGIII is OK; he is a tremendously exciting player and winner. It will be hard for him to be that player with one bad knee.
I am happy to report that the CCSG renewal is proceeding well, since I had extra time to work on it this week. I was scheduled to be in San Diego this past week but had to cancel the trip because of my aching back. On Wednesday I finally bit the bullet and started some anti-inflammatory meds, and began to feel better within a day or so – better, but still not able to travel. So, I was feeling OK, but had no meetings scheduled; ergo, the extra time to work on the CCSG.
I was back for a full day of work on Friday, and I was able to pack in a fair amount of activity. In the morning, I met with Priscilla Furth and Sandy Jablonski to discuss a new collaboration. Priscilla has created and tested a series of murine triple-negative breast cancer cell lines, and is looking at the effects of conditional cellular reprogramming on their biological properties. We have gotten involved because of our work using NCI chemical libraries to evaluate chemotherapy sensitivities in conditionally reprogrammed cells. We reviewed data done by Priscilla and her colleagues with these cells, and some very interesting early drug screening data in these cell lines that Sandy is performing. This work ultimately will answer a really important question about whether (or when) in vitro assays of drug sensitivity will be predictive of in vivo anti-tumor activity as well. Such findings will inform future clinical evaluations of predictive drug screening in human cancers.
Later that day I attended Frank Rauscher’s excellent Visiting Professor lecture. Frank is an old buddy – while we never worked together when I was in Philly we have a ton of mutual professional acquaintances, and I served on the editorial board when he was Editor-in-Chief of Cancer Research. After his talk I attended a meeting on the CPC write-up for the CCSG and then scooted over to the French Embassy to join Frank at a lunch hosted by Jeff Toretsky. I got there in time for a small dessert and coffee. Then it was time for me to give a lecture to the TBio 508 students on the topic of antibody-targeted cancer immunotherapy. I used the lecture as an opportunity to more broadly discuss the relevance of immunity to cancer; I don’t know how the students liked my lecture, but I sure enjoyed doing it.
Harriet and I had hoped to drive up to Philly for the weekend to help our son Ken and his wife Sarah work on their new house. But, we decided to take it easy and let my back heal more fully. Ken is amazingly handy, and is doing all of the work himself; Sarah is a very busy first-year medical student, so her time is limited. This weekend’s highlight was a near electrocution, precipitated by the positioning of a previously unknown exposed live wire adjacent to an exposed gas line in the laundry room by the former owners. Fortunately, there were no injuries, explosions or other catastrophes and the house now has been thoroughly vetted for electrical safety. Ken has been working on the house whenever he is not at work, and has made remarkable progress. Since taking possession of the place 8 days ago the house has been cleaned and painted, though it remains borderline habitable, lacking a functional kitchen. But, by the time we get up to the house next weekend, the floors will have been redone, with one remodeled bathroom and walls knocked down to open up the kitchen, followed by painting of the new spaces. The new kitchen will be installed next weekend. I admit to amazement, particularly because my handiness around the home is limited to lightbulb changing and check writing. It’s not a surprising observation, but this is additional proof that genetics is a tricky business!
I am looking forward to this week. On Monday, we are hosting Dr. Saul Levin, the Acting Commissioner of Health for the District of Columbia to familiarize him and his team with the work we do at Lombardi and more broadly at GUMC. We hope to develop collaborations that can have an enhanced impact in our own town.
Meanwhile, have a terrific week, and watch out for live wires!