CCR Grand Rounds March 1: Dr. Jeffrey S. Rubin, Senior Investigator, Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Biology, CCR; "Keratinocyte Growth Factor: From Basic Research to Clinical Application" March 8: Dr. Peter M. Blumberg, Chief, Molecular Mechanisms of Tumor Promotion Section, Laboratory of Cellular Carcinogenesis and Tumor Promotion, CCR; "From Roadside to Bedside: Natural Products Providing a Path to Therapeutic Targets" 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.

Dr. Gerhard has spearheaded a number of OCG initiatives, including the Cancer Genome Anatomy Project, the human transcriptome program, and a pilot program to evaluate the technologies and process for an expanded human cancer genome project.

Dr. Gerhard received her undergraduate degree from Barnard College, earned her doctorate in genetics and molecular biology from Cornell University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, and performed postdoctoral work in human and cancer genetics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Prior to joining NCI, she was on the faculty of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis in the department of genetics.

Third Annual Cancer Survivorship Telephone Workshop Series
The third annual Telephone Education Workshop Series: Cancer Survivorship: Living With, Through & Beyond Cancer can assist cancer survivors and their loved ones by providing practical information to help them deal with concerns and issues that arise after treatment ends. The workshop series is designed primarily for cancer survivors who have recently completed their cancer treatment, though it also may be helpful for other cancer survivors and health care professionals.

The program is a collaborative effort between NCI, CancerCare, the Lance Armstrong Foundation, the Intercultural Cancer Council, Living Beyond Breast Cancer, and the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship.

The workshops are free; no telephone charges apply. To register, visit the CancerCare Web site at: http://www.cancercare.org/Feedback/Feedback.cfm?r=21&ii=1&ip=0%20. All workshops will take place via telephone Tuesdays from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. ET on the following dates:

Part I: Care & Wellbeing After Treatment, April 12, 2005

Part II: Managing Long-term Lingering Side Effects, May 24, 2005

Part III: Health Promoting Behaviors: Things You Can Do, June 14, 2005

NCAB Quarterly Meeting Held
On February 15-17, the National Cancer Advisory Board (NCAB) held its 133rd quarterly meeting in Bethesda, Md. One of the highlights of the meeting was the presentation of a report by a recently established working group on biomedical technology headed by Drs. Lee Hartwell and Eric Lander. The working group focused its report on four specific areas, including a recommendation that NCI and the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) collaborate on a project to identify the range of genomic alterations that underlie all major cancers. The recommendation was endorsed by NCI Director Dr. Andrew C. von Eschenbach and by NHGRI Director Dr. Francis S. Collins. NCI and NHGRI held a joint workshop to explore the parameters of this project in April 2004. The NCAB Subcommittee also recommended that NCI create a standing working group on cancer technology, expand research in cancer molecular diagnostics (especially in the areas of cancer imaging and biomarker discovery), and restructure clinical trials to accelerate the translation of advances in targeted therapies and diagnostics efficiently into standard treatments.

NCAB also heard from Dr. Anna Barker, NCI deputy director for strategic scientific initiatives, and Dr. Arthur Caplan, chair of the department of medical ethics at the University of Pennsylvania, on ethical issues and concerns surrounding biospecimens and biorepositories for post-genomics research. Dr. Caplan detailed several important areas that must be considered in sample collection, access, privacy, and confidentiality to secure public trust and ensure the future sharing of resources across the cancer research community. Although several issues were discussed, the development of consensus on approaches to consent, data anonymization, and access were considered key to future planning for biospecimens and biorepositories.