CCR Grand Rounds April 11: Dr. Jeffrey N. Strathern, Chief, Gene Regulation and Chromosome Biology Laboratory; Deputy Director, CCR-Frederick, NCI. "Palindromic Gene Amplifications - A New Model for Their Origin." April 18: Dr. Samuel A. Wells, Jr., Professor of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine. "Targeted Therapy for Thyroid Cancer." CCR Grand Rounds are held 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. at the NIH campus in Bethesda, Md., in the Clinical Center's Lipsett Amphitheater.

Fisher Receives AACR Lifetime Achievement Award
Dr. Bernard Fisher, the renowned clinical cancer researcher whose career has focused on improving survival and quality of life for women with breast cancer, received the AACR Award for Lifetime Achievement in Cancer Research on April 2 at AACR's 97th Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Fisher's early work on tumor metastasis paved the way for later hypotheses about the spread of breast cancer, and his systematic clinical trials changed the way physicians manage patients with this disease. Dr. Fisher and his colleagues also were instrumental in defining the effectiveness of tamoxifen in treating breast cancer as a systemic disease.

"Dr. Fisher's important work not only helped those who fight the disease, but has also helped prevent breast cancer in women who are at high risk," said Dr. Margaret Foti, chief executive officer of AACR.

Dr. Fisher is a 1943 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, where he has spent the majority of his career.

Enhanced Cancer Research Portfolio Now Online
The Cancer Research Portfolio (CRP), a comprehensive database of NCI-funded projects and cancer research grants funded by participating NIH institutes and centers (ICs), has been updated. In addition to a more user-friendly interface, the enhanced CRP provides a one-stop access to information on extramural research grant awards, contracts, intramural studies, clinical trials, research resources, and funding opportunities.

Users have the option to perform an advanced search of the portfolio and sort results based on the following categories: disease site, special interest category, common scientific outline codes, funding year, principle investigator, awardee institution, funding mechanism, project title, and state. Free-text searching is also available.

The updated CRP is more robust with the inclusion of cancer-related research from four other ICs at NIH and direct access to data in the International Cancer Research Portfolio. For additional information on the CRP, go to http://researchportfolio.cancer.gov.

Postdocs Rank NCI One of the Best Places to Work
NCI was again ranked in the top 15 as the 13th best North American work site for postdoctoral researchers, according to the annual Best Places to Work survey by The Scientist. The features of the top-ranking institutions included a collaborative environment, intellectual stimulation, quality research facilities, and flexibility in designing and conducting research projects. The J. David Gladstone Institutes and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center received first- and second-place honors, respectively.

Survey results, based on responses received from 2,983 nontenured life scientists from the United States, Canada, and Western Europe, are available in the March issue of The Scientist.

NCI Spring Research Festival Slated for May
NCI-Frederick, in partnership with the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command at Ft. Detrick, have announced the 10th annual NCI-Frederick/Ft. Detrick Spring Research Festival, to be held May 17-18 on the campus in Frederick, Md. The festival will include scientific poster sessions, a health and safety exposition, educational information, scientific exhibits, and commercial exhibits of scientific equipment and technologies. For more information, visit http://web.ncifcrf.gov/events/springfest/default.asp.

NIH Budget Hearings Rescheduled for April
The House of Representatives hearing on the NIH budget has been rescheduled for April 6. The Senate hearing has also been postponed; no new date has been set.