LMP News, July 16
Li awarded NIH grant to investigate neurodegeneration biomarkers
NIH’s National Institute on Aging has awarded Danni Li $253,000 for “Identification of plasma hydroxysphingolipids as biomarkers of demyelination and neurodegeneration underlying physical function decline in older adults.”
Farrar receives Cancer Center funds
Mike Farrar and David Potter, Department of Medicine, recently received Masonic Cancer Center funds ($50,000) to investigate the “Potentiation of Immune Checkpoint Blockade by Inhibition of Epoxyeicosatrienoic Acid Driven Tumor Respiration.”
Balfour receives foundation award for EBV vaccine research
The Matt Cwiertny Memorial Foundation has awarded Hank Balfour $10,000 for his team’s research on EBV vaccine. Matt Cwiertny died at the age of 23 from complications of EBV-induced autoimmune disease and cancer.
Yohe promoted July 1
Congratulations are in order for Sophia Yohe who made it through the promotion process to associate professor this year. Congratulations Sophia!
Borges da Silva awarded postdoc fellowship
The Cancer Research Institute recently awarded Henrique Borges da Silva a three-year postdoctoral fellowship for his work on “Harnessing CD8+ T cell antitumor responses by manipulating extracellular ATP signaling”. Borges da Silva works in Steve Jameson’s laboratory.
Innovation Initiative Phase IV Awards announced
The department’s Innovation Initiative Awards for 2018 go to:
- Joe Rudolf and Tony Killeen for “Early detection of sepsis using data from routine clinical laboratory tests”
- Pawel Mroz and Bharat Thyagarajan for “Detection and quantification of BCR-ABL1 fusion transcripts in samples from patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia by droplet digital PCR”
- Elizabeth Courville and Nathan Pankratz for “Use of automated gating and machine learning to streamline and improve the accuracy and sensitivity of clinical flow cytometry workflows”
Killeen recognized as “Top Doctor”
Tony Killeen was recognized as one of Mpls.St.Paul magazine’s “Top Doctors” for 2018. He joined 151 MHealth physicians so honored.
Blood Bank Guy to interview Cohn
Claudia Cohn will be interviewed by Joe Chaffin, the Blood Bank Guy, this month. The interview will focus on “Critical Developments of 2017,” a review of transfusion medicine on which she was senior editor.
Regents approve GI Pathology Fellowship program
The Board of Regents recently approved the Medical School's application for a new GI Pathology Fellowship program. One fellow will be accepted per year and will rotate in the East and West Bank laboratories. Trainees who have finished their AP or AP/CP training are invited to apply.
UMPhysicians transitioning to Empower Retirement
UMPhysicians will transition from its current 401(k) plan administrator, Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BOAML), to Empower Retirement August 1. UMPhysicians also will be introducing a 457(b) Deferred Compensation Plan for physicians. Both the UMPhysicians Retirement and 401(k) Savings Plan and the new 457(b) Deferred Compensation Plan will be administered by Empower. Representatives from Empower will be hosting information sessions throughout July to provide more information. To ensure you have the best experience, register here to come for the group session or 1-on-1 appointment which works best for you.
NIH P3 program deadline approaching
The NIH Proposal Preparation Program (P3) is designed for early-career, assistant professor faculty members in the Medical School preparing their first K- or R-series NIH grant proposal. Applications for the Fall 2018 P3 Cycle are due July 30.
Desktop support changes
AHC-IS desktop support charges have changed from a per device charge to a departmental cost pool charge. This change has been implemented to reduce institutional risk for individuals working in the health care component schools and centers, or working with ePHI, but not formally supporting their devices due to the cost. All computers must be purchased thru and supported by AHC-IS. Information on the services provided by AHC-IS can be found here.
Hoffman to give talk to the Minnesota Neuropathy Association
Bill Hoffman will give a talk titled “Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine: A Revolution Picks Up the Pace” to the Minnesota Neuropathy Association, 10 am. Aug. 4, at St. Michael’s Church in Bloomington, 9201 Normandale Blvd.
Faculty publish
Brett, M. E., H. E. Bomberger, G. R. Doak, M. A. Price, J. B. McCarthy and D. K. Wood. "In vitro elucidation of the role of pericellular matrix in metastatic extravasation and invasion of breast carcinoma cells." Integr Biol (Camb) 2018; 10(4): 242-252.
McCarthy, J. B., D. El-Ashry and E. A. Turley. "Hyaluronan, cancer-associated fibroblasts and the tumor microenvironment in malignant progression." Front Cell Dev Biol. 2018; 6: 48.
Domingo-Musibay E, Murugan P, Giubellino A, Sharma S, Steinberger D, Yuan J, Hunt MA, Lou E, Miller JS. “Near complete response to Pembrolizumab in microsatellite-stable metastatic sebaceous carcinoma. J Immunother Cancer. 2018 Jun 19;6(1):58. doi: 10.1186/s40425-018-0357-3.
Cederberg LM, Rabinovitch MD, Grimm-Geris JM, Schmeling DO, Filtz EA, Condon LM, Balfour HH Jr. Epstein-Barr virus DNA in parental oral secretions: a potential source of infection for their young children. Clin Infect Dis 2018; DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciy464
Send news to Bill
Please send publications, achievement and event information and announcements you think appropriate for the LMP Newsletter to Bill Hoffman at hoffm003@umn.edu. Also, Bill has an ongoing interest in photographs, images, and story ideas you may have for the LMP website.
Upcoming events of interest or things to do
The U of M Farmers Market takes place Wednesdays, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., Gateway Plaza outside McNamara Alumni Center through Sept. 26. Local farmers are looking forward to bringing you the freshest vegetables, berries, flowers, and more. Once again there will be plenty of dining options including the UDS dining tent and several food trucks. Representatives from the U of M's Wellbeing Program will be handing out t-shirts.
There's still time to earn wellbeing points to save money on UPlan premiums. Points must be earned by August 31. More information.
Chainbreaker rider signup is still available! Visit chainbreakerride.org to register or get more information.