Free Public Lecture – Ovarian Cancer
Protein Resists a Common Cancer Drug?
Meet Our New Members
15th Annual Gorder Walk
Therapists Hit a High Note
One Night Gets Lit Up
Crayons for Kids
SU2C Generates $100 Million
Surfin’ for a Cure
MCC Lab Assist
Member Grants – July
Free Public Lecture – Ovarian Cancer
Advances in Ovarian Cancer Treatment
Thurs., Sept. 25, 6:30 p.m.
Goldberg Auditorium, 2nd floor
Ovarian cancer causes more deaths than any other type of gynecologic cancer.
- Don't you deserve the most innovative treatment options available?
- Meet the world-class team of physician-researchers at UCSD
- Learn why UCSD has the most experienced ovarian cancer unit in San Diego
county
- Discover the difference our unique model of collaborative care has on our
patients' treatment, and their lives.
Register: Ovarian Cancer Seminar
Protein Resists a Common Cancer Drug?
Researchers here have found evidence explaining why a common chemotherapy drug, cisplatin (pictured left), may not always work for every cancer patient. They have shown that when a variant version of a key protein that normally causes cell death is active, patients may be resistant to the cancer-killing drug. (more)
Meet Our New Members
Loren K. Mell, M.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Radiation Oncology
Program: Tumor Growth, Invasion and Metastasis
Research: Dr. Mell is the Medical Director for the Dept. of Radiation Oncology and co-director of the Center for Advanced Radiotherapy Technologies. (Research Summary)
Liangfang, Zhang, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Nanoengineering
Program: Tumor Growth, Invasion and Metastasis
Research: Dr. Zhang’s laboratory focuses on the development of nanoparticle-based delivery systems that are capable of simultaneously delivering multiple kinds of therapeutic molecules and/or imaging agents to the same targeted cancer cells. (Research Summary)
15th Annual Gorder Walk
Join us for the 15th Annual Bruce Gorder UCSD 5K Walk For Melanoma, on Sat., Oct. 11 on the beautiful UCSD campus. This walk will help build the public's awareness of the importance of prevention and early 
detection of melanoma, and raise funds to help UCSD researchers at the Cancer Center increase the survival rate for melanoma patients and ultimately find a cure. We have raised more than $900,000 to date. This year we hope to bring the total over $1 million.
Walk alone or form a team and enjoy our route which begins and ends at our Cancer Center and showcases the famous Stuart outdoor Art Collection. This fun-filled event begins at 8 a.m. and features a free event t-shirt (limited supply) and prize drawing entry to all registered attendees, giveaways and professional melanoma and skin cancer screening by community dermatologists. Registration fee is $25. Late registration fee (after Oct. 1) is $30. For more information please contact Jennilyn Tan at 858/822-0023 or jhtan@ucsd.edu, or go to: Gorder Walk 2008
Therapists Hit a High Note
The Cancer Center hosted a music therapy demonstration for a captivated audience of medical students (pictured below) from Dokkyo University on Sept. 3. This was part of an annual 2-week training curriculum established between UCSD and Dokkyo in 2005. Therapists Dayna Coehn, Amy Andrews, Leslie Richardson, and Rachel Kupper (pictured right, l-r) from MusicWorx of California were on hand to lead interactive exercises that demonstrate the power of music to affect the lives of patients and people with special needs. According to Dokkyo’s Professor Paul Ando, who enthusiastically participated with his students in the exercises, music therapy is not yet recognized as ancillary treatment for Japanese patients.
Flutes, drums and a variety of other tune-making props were part of the demonstration. One of the exercises involved singing a simple tune while passing colorful plastic eggs hand-to-hand around a circle. When shaken the eggs give a crisp, rhythmic rattling sound. This has been shown to stimulate eye-hand motor coordination, particularly helpful for people with Parkinson’s disease. Other benefits include reducing anxiety and stress, pain management, and facilitating communication.
How is music therapy different from listening to an iPod? When an individual just listens to music, only the ears are involved. Music therapy sessions are designed to relieve a patient’s symptoms as they are occurring “in the moment.” The human body will adjust quite naturally to external rythmic sound. For example, a person experiencing an elevated heart rate can bring this down by slowly and steadily beating a drum.
These board-certified therapists are affiliated with the American Music Therapy Association, which was established in 1950 to address the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of individuals. Music therapy is a non-invasive treatment modality and therapists work with all age groups in a variety of settings. It is recognized in the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy, released in 2002. MusicWorx
One Night Gets Lit Up
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is hosting the annual Light The Night Walk on Fri., Oct. 24, 5:30 p.m. at Qualcomm Stadium. Now in its 10th year, Light The Night is celebrating a Decade of Difference. During this time:
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Nearly $40 million was disbursed to patients through the LLS Patient Assistance program to help them get the treatment they needed to fight their cancer |
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LLS granted $425 million to more than 400 scientists searching for cures and improved treatments for patients. |
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LLS funding contributed to the development of a host of new drugs that are affecting patient survival and quality of life. |
Anyone can take part—children, adults and seniors are all welcome. This is a casual walk with no fitness requirements, and pays tribute and brings hope to people battling cancer. People form teams of friends and family or co-workers and raise funds for cancer research. On Walk night, people all across the country hold illuminated balloons – white for survivors, red for supporters, gold in memory of a life lost. It’s fun! It’s inspirational! Join UCSD/Sharp BMT Team and the biggest balloon fest in San Diego. Questions? Visit www.lightthenight.org, or contact Nancee Whitson at Ext. 26845.
Crayons for Kids
Folks at the Cancer Center did a great job! School supplies totaling nearly $1,000 were 
donated as part of the UCSD Staff Association’s annual drive to assist needy children in San Diego County schools. Our list of goods was long and comprehensive, and will aid about 280 children in need of binders, lunch boxes, backpacks, and more. Thanks to all who opened their hearts and their pocketbooks for this worthwhile cause. However good the intention, programs like “Crayons for Kids” would not be possible without the willingness of special people to lead it. Hats off to Gaylene Eisenach (pictured left), our special person who called attention to the program and coordinated all aspects of collection and transfer.
SU2C Generates $100 Million
Today's cancer scientists are on the verge of life-saving discoveries, but funds are required to mount an all-out assault – funds that are harder and harder to come by these days. Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) has raised more than $100 million since it was launched by the Entertainment Industry Foundation on May 28, 2008. Its biggest milestone occurred on Sept. 5, with an historic commercial-free simultaneous entertainment telecast on NBC, ABC and CBS.
These funds will accelerate ground-breaking research and bring new therapies to patients more quickly. Seventy percent of the funds raised by SU2C go directly to research through their premier scientific partner, the American Associate for Cancer Research (AACR). It is AACR’s job to identify the best and brightest investigators from leading institutions in the U.S. and internationally to work in collaborative, multi-disciplinary “Dream Teams.” Funding will also be directed at high-risk, high-reward innovative cancer research proposals that often are not supported by conventional funding sources.
AACR will conduct a review of the research projects via its "Blue Ribbon" Scientific Advisory Committee. Two committee members are affiliated with Moores Cancer Center: Richard Kolodner, Ph.D., Professor of Medicine and leader of our Cancer Genetics Program; and Joseph Simone, M.D., Chairman of the Center’s External Advisory Board.
Surfin’ for a Cure
The surf was up at the Aug. 24, 2008 "Luau and Longboard Invitational" near the Scripps Institution of Oceanography pier in La Jolla where guests, surfing legends, scientists, business leaders, cancer patients and survivors came together to celebrate 15 years of surfin' for a cure. Thanks to title sponsor Pfizer La Jolla and Gold Sponsor Genentech Oceanside, this year's event raised more than $500,000 for cancer research at Moores.
Co-Chairs Ian Pyka and Tori Pitruzzello presented a symbolic check to Director Dennis Carson, M.D., and the committee honored Doris Howell, M.D. with the "Rell-Sunn - Queen of Makaha Award" for her selfless devotion to the care of others, especially those whose lives have been affected by cancer. Thanks to all who participated!
MCC Lab Assist
A survey among users of our weekly email broadcast (e-cast), called “MCC Lab Assist,” reveals this to be a valuable service benefiting Cancer Center members. Lab Assist helps wet bench investigators locate such items as vectors, tumor models, and cell lines. Of those polled, 100 percent obtained the item they were seeking. It was suggested that we expand the e-cast to maintain this high level of success. Therefore, Cancer Center members who wish to include a lab manager in MCC Lab Assist e-casts are asked to contact Deborah Davis at dedavis@ucsd.edu.
We wish to thank the faculty who helped us assess this program. The Cancer Center is happy to offer systems of direct benefit to their work.
Member Grants – July
Congratulations to Cancer Center members! The combined total of new and renewal grants awarded for July 2008 to those featured is: $20,275,742. Of this, the National Cancer Institute funded 27%, or $5,415,406.
We invite your submission of any information you think would be of interest to other members of the Cancer Center community. This might include event announcements, new employees, honors and awards, new services, new publications, shared or new equipment that is available at your location, helpful laboratory or administrative tips/techniques, etc. For further information about any of these items, to submit new items or to provide feedback about this news communications tool, contact Deborah Davis, 858/822-1240 or dedavis@ucsd.edu. Please state the best way to reach you, by telephone or email, if we need to clarify a submitted item.
