NCI Advisors Approve Major Cancer Research Initiatives
Earlier this month NCI's Board of Scientific Advisors (BSA) reviewed and endorsed several of the institute's major, cutting-edge scientific endeavors. Board members approved a proposal that provides 5-year funding for a new network of 4 to 6 physical sciences oncology centers. These centers, which were conceptualized during a series of "think tank" meetings NCI convened this year, would formally engage scientific teams from the fields of physics, mathematics, chemistry, and engineering, to examine cancer using new and often nontraditional approaches.

The BSA also recommended a 5-year renewal of The Cancer Genome Atlas, NCI's joint pilot project with the National Human Genome Research Institute. The pilot has already provided valuable insights into the biology of and potential new treatment approaches for brain cancer. NCI's Division of Cancer Biology's Integrative Cancer Biology Program also received strong support from the BSA, which recommended a 5-year renewal of that program.

Understanding NCI Teleconference: Translational Research Working Group
NCI's Office of Advocacy Relations' next "Understanding NCI" teleconference, titled "Transforming Translation: Implementation of the Translational Research Working Group (TRWG) Report," will take place December 16 from 1:00–2:00 p.m., ET. The featured speakers will be Dr. Lynn Matrisian, TRWG Co-Chair and special assistant to the NCI Director, and Ms. Gwen Darien, editor-in-chief of CR magazine and director of the Survivor and Patient Advocacy Program at the American Association for Cancer Research. A question-and-answer session for participants will follow the presentations.

No registration is required for participation. To join the teleconference, dial 1-800-857-6584; the passcode is: TRWG. Toll-free playback will be available through January 16, 2009 at 1-866-431-2907. A recording of the previous teleconference on P.L.A.N.E.T.: 5-Step Guide to Cancer Control Planning and Programming is available through December 12 at 1-866-434-5243.