UPCI Plans 3 Symposia to Mark 25th Anniversary

Nancy E. Davidson

The University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) has planned three symposia to mark the institute’s 25th anniversary. The first symposium, “Stem Cells in Cancer,” will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 5 in Cooper Conference Room D, Hillman Cancer Center, 5115 Centre Ave., Shadyside.

Two additional symposia—“Cancer Genomics” and “Personalized Medicine, in Honor of Jeffery Shogan, MD”— are scheduled for March 10, 2011, and May 5, 2011, respectively. Shogan (MED ’82), who died in January at age 56, was a clinical professor of medicine in Pitt’s School of Medicine and the director of business services and chief business officer for UPMC Cancer Centers.

The Nov. 5 symposium’s keynote address, “New Strategy to Target Cancer Stem Cells,” will be delivered by Linheng Li, a professor of pathology and laboratory medicine in the University of Kansas School of Medicine.

Additional topics and presenters for the Nov. 5 symposium follow.

• “Hematopoietic Stem Cell Protection and Reprogramming,” Tao Cheng, professor of radiation oncology in the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and director of stem cell biology at UPCI;

• “Adipose Derived Stem Cells: Biology and Clinical Applications,” Albert Donnenberg, professor of medicine in the Pitt School of Medicine, director of the UPCI Flow Cytometry Facility, and director of the UPMC Hematopoietic Stem Cell Laboratory;

• “Stem Cells and Cancer,” Eric Lagasse, professor in the Pitt School of Medicine’s Department of Pathology and director of the Cancer Stem Cell Center in the Pitt-UPMC McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine;

• “Use of Blocked Populations of Breast Cancer Stem Cells to Screen for Novel Chemotherapeutic Targets,” Edward Prochownik, The Paul C. Gaffney Professor of Pediatrics and professor of microbiology and molecular genetics in the Pitt School of Medicine and director of oncology research at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC;

• “Aldh and Hematopoietic Stem Cells,” Clayton Smith, a visiting professor of medicine at Pitt and director of UPCI’s Hematologic Malignancy Program;

• “Teasing out Src-Family Kinase Signaling in ES cells and CML Using Chemical Genetics,” Tom Smithgall, the William S. McEllroy Professor and Chair of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics in the Pitt School of Medicine;

• “Generation of Cardiovascular Cells from Human ES/iPS Cells,” Lei Yang, assistant professor in the Pitt School of Medicine and director of the Stem Cell Core Facility in the medical school’s Department of Developmental Biology; and

• “Intestinal Stem Cells in Danger: To Live or Die?” Jian Yu, assistant professor of pathology in the Pitt School of Medicine.

For additional information and to register, visit www.upci.upmc.edu/symposia or call 412-623-3203.

UPCI received notification earlier this fall that the National Cancer Institute (NCI) renewed the center’s $27 million Cancer Center Support Grant to support UPCI’s broad range of clinical, research, and educational programs. Established in 1985, UPCI received its designation as an NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in 1989 and has retained this distinction since then. UPCI is the only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in Western Pennsylvania.

UPCI is headed by Nancy E. Davidson, an internationally renowned expert in breast cancer research and treatment. She also serves as associate vice chancellor for cancer research and as chief of the Division of Hematology-Oncology in the University of Pittsburgh’s Department of Medicine.