Seminar on Translational Research Slated for February
On February 14, NCI will present the next installment in its continuing series of seminars for science reporters and freelance journalists. "The Basics of Clinical Advances" will describe some recent developments in translational research: laboratory-based cancer research with clinical implications. The seminar will take place at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) from 11:00 a.m.-1:30 p.m. in the Moores UCSD Cancer Center in La Jolla.

The four scientists who will present are: Dr. Jerry Collins, NCI, "NCI's role in turning discoveries into medicines;" Dr. Reuben Shaw, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, "How decoding circuitry underlying tumor development may lead to targeted cancer therapies;" Dr. Dwayne Stupack, UCSD, "New opportunities to control tumor spread;" and Dr. Kristiina Vuori, Burnham Institute for Medical Research, "From breakthroughs in the laboratory to the discovery of new drugs: San Diego Center for Chemical Genomics." To register for the seminar, contact NCI's Media Relations Branch at 301-496-6641 or at ncipressofficers@mail.nih.gov.

TRWG Comment Deadline Extended
The deadline for public comment to NCI's Translational Research Working Group (TRWG) has been extended until January 27. TRWG is seeking input on key areas from a wide range of individuals and organizations. Anyone wishing to post a comment can do so at http://www.cancer.gov/trwg.

ALA Issues Tobacco Control Report
On January 10, the American Lung Association (ALA) released the American Lung Association State of Tobacco Control: 2005 report, which rates state tobacco control policies in four key areas: tobacco prevention spending, smokefree air laws, cigarette tax, and youth access laws. The report also grades the federal government in four areas: Food and Drug Administration regulation of tobacco products, cessation, cigarette tax, and the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. The report can be found online at http://lungaction.org/reports/tobacco-control05.html?tr=y&auid=1328660.

In the report, ALA issued its "Smokefree Air 2010 Challenge," calling on state and local policymakers to pass comprehensive smokefree air laws, creating a "smokefree United States" by 2010. Currently, there are nine smokefree states: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maine, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington. A "smokefree state" prohibits smoking in most workplaces, including restaurants and bars.

caBIG™ Seminar Series Starts January 26
All NCI and NIH staff - including researchers, research administrators, IT, and other lab support personnel - are invited to attend the seminar series on NCI's cancer Biomedical Informatics Grid (caBIG™) initiative. The introductory sessions will begin January 26 and run through mid-March at several NIH facilities. The seminar series spans four different topics covering caBIG's rapidly expanding efforts to create a "World Wide Web" of cancer research. Attendees can pick and choose or attend all the sessions on: a) caBIG™ overview; b) overview of caBIG™ activities for clinical trials and tissue banking; c) overview of caBIG™ activities for integrated cancer research; and d) caBIG™ interoperability and compatibility basics. For detailed information on seminar topics, dates, times, and locations, go to the caBIG™ Web site at https://cabig.nci.nih.gov/seminars.

Film on Childhood Cancer to Air on Public TV
A Lion in the House, a 4-hour documentary that follows 6 years in the lives of five families fighting childhood cancer, will be broadcast on public television stations nationwide on June 21-22. A portion of the film was shown last year on the NIH campus (See NCI Cancer Bulletin, October 26, 2004.) NCI is 1 of 20 national sponsors participating in a national outreach campaign to increase awareness of childhood cancer, cancer health disparities, and survivorship and end-of-life issues. NCI's Office of Communications, Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities, and Office of Survivorship are advising the campaign. For additional information about the film, go to http://www.itvs.org/outreach/lioninthehouse.

NCI Exhibits at AAAS
Look for NCI at booth 103 in the exhibit hall at the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting in St. Louis on February 16-20. Attendees can learn about clinical trials, funding, and training opportunities at NCI. Publications and other resources for researchers will be available at the booth.