If Memory Serves...

In 1937, little was known about the origins of cancer. Some doubted that the cause of the disease would ever be understood and discouraged investment in this research. But scientists already understood that environmental exposures could cause tumors and that there may be a genetic component to certain types of cancer. (Read more)

For more information about the birth of NCI, go to http://www.cancer.gov/
aboutnci/ncia.

2007 Pioneer and New Innovator Awards Announced
On September 19, NIH Director Dr. Elias Zerhouni announced the recipients of the 2007 NIH Director's Pioneer Awards and the New Innovators Awards. This is the first group of New Innovator Awards and the fourth group of Pioneer Awards. Both programs are part of an NIH Roadmap for Medical Research initiative that tests new approaches to supporting research.

Pioneer Awards support scientists at any career stage, while New Innovator Awards are for new investigators who have not received an NIH regular research (R01) or similar grant. The 12 new Pioneer Award recipients will each receive $2.5 million in direct costs over 5 years. The 29 New Innovator Award recipients will each receive $1.5 million in direct costs over the same period.

Four New Members Appointed to DCLG
NCI Director Dr. John Niederhuber announced his intention to appoint four new members to the Director's Consumer Liaison Group (DCLG):

Marie Dahlstrom, of Portland, OR, represents De La Mano Frente Al Cancer: Latino Cancer Coalition. She is also a member of the Komen Breast Foundation National Hispanic/Latina Advisory Council and conducts research in cancer prevention, access to care, and domestic violence in the Latino community.

Everett Dodson, of Silver Spring, MD, represents Prostate NET. He is also a clinical research associate at the Howard University Cancer Center, where he serves as the director of prostate cancer screening.

Joyce Wilcox Graff, of Brookline, MA, is the Executive Director of the VHL Family Alliance, a nonprofit support organization that serves more than 15,000 patients and their family members dealing with von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease.

Arlene Wahwasuck, of Horton, KS, represents the Four Tribes Women's Wellness Coalition. She is a nurse and retired U.S. Public Health Service officer.

Teleconference Playback Available
Toll-free playback of the most recent "Understanding NCI" teleconference from the Office of Liaison Activities is available until October 12 at 1-866-443-8027. The call featured a report from NCI Director Dr. John Niederhuber with information about NCI's budget and latest programs. DCLG Chair Doug Ulman addressed the role advocates play at NCI through the DCLG.

The next teleconference will take place on October 31 from 1:00-2:00 p.m., ET. It will feature a discussion of the President's Cancer Panel report on cancer risk reduction. The call can be accessed toll free at 1-800-857-6584; the pass code is PCP. More information about the teleconference series is available at http://ola.cancer.gov/activities/teleconferences.

NCI Releases New Tool for Finding Cancer-Related Proteins
NCI recently released the Computational Proteomics Analysis System (CPAS), a new software tool for the cancer Biomedical Informatics Grid that enables cancer proteomics researchers to store, analyze, and share clinical proteomics data, thus driving the discovery of cancer-related proteins for developing new diagnostic tools and therapies.

LabKey Software, in collaboration with the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, developed CPAS with funding from the NCI Clinical Proteomic Technologies Initiative for Cancer, which was launched in 2006 to help build the foundation of analytical systems, technologies, data, reagents, standards, and infrastructure to advance the understanding of protein biology in cancer and accelerate discovery research and clinical applications.

Researchers can obtain the CPAS software at https://cabig.nci.nih.gov/tools.