Administrative Core Progress

Over the 10-month reporting period, the administrative core was responsible for several initiatives and programmatic functions benefiting the center and its members and fulfilling the mission of the CCRD. These include:

Research support
The COBRE CCRD administrative core provides support for one postdoctoral fellowship via a competitive mechanism. This lab position is currently assigned to Alan Rosmarin, MD. In addition, the administrative core awards the Rhode Island Hospital and Lifespan Institutional-supported pilot project awards through a competitive evaluation process. Seven pilot projects and two transition awards have been made. Three pilot projects were specifically for translational research as recommended by the external advisory board to further collaboration between basic and clinical investigators. COBRE CCRD issued an RFA for translational research projects with guidelines including a requirement for two principal investigators, one in clinical and the other in basic research. Applications were evaluated by a review committee chaired by Rosmarin, the chair of the COBRE CCRD translational research committee, and composed of senior investigators with appropriate expertise. The review committee recommended three applications for funding. Awards of $25,000 were made to the following teams of investigators:

• Maureen Chung, MD, PhD and Howard Safran, MD, to explore the efficacy of a BCG-based MUC1 vaccine for inhibiting pancreatic cancer in a transgenic mouse model of spontaneous pancreatic cancer
• Edward Filardo, PhD, Dilip Giri, MD and Murray Resnick, MD, to evaluate the orphan receptor GPR30 as a novel marker of estrogen responsiveness in human breast cancers
• Yow-Pin Lim, MD and Neal Ready, MD to investigate the role of inter-alpha trypsin inhibitors in the acquisition of metastatic growth by hepatocellular, gastrointestinal and lung cancers. 

Through this RFA, we were able to bring two excellent oncologists, Safran and Ready, into the COBRE CCRD pursuing research with a high potential for translation.

Seminar Series
The COBRE CCRD and the Lifespan Liver Research Center jointly sponsored a seminar series in conjunction with advisory committee meetings. Seminars presented by COBRE CCRD and guest investigators have been well attended by members of both Centers and have attracted faculty from the other three COBREs in Rhode Island.  All four of the full project investigators and four pilot project investigators gave presentations.  Advisory committee meetings were held immediately following the seminar providing junior investigators with recommendations on experimental approaches, grant applications and manuscripts.

Workshops, Seminars and Symposia
The COBRE CCRD has been very active in organizing and/or sponsoring workshops and symposia.  These include:

• A workshop focusing on the regulatory issues surrounding research with human biological materials.
  
• A COBRE CCRD Mini-symposium on translational research with presentations by Olivera Finn, PhD (University of Pittsburgh) on cancer vaccines; Yow-Pin Lim, MD (Rhode Island Hospital and Founder of Prothera Biologics) on the diagnostic and therapeutic applications of inter-alpha trypsin inhibitors; Ray Frackelton, PhD (Roger Williams Medical Center) on Shc proteins as prognostic markers in breast cancer.
  
• Co-sponsor of a workshop on grantsmanship organized by Sharon Rounds, MD, the Brown University associate dean of medical faculty affairs.
  
• Co-sponsorship and organization of a workshop on career development, laboratory management and preparation of publications. The keynote speaker was Kathy Barker, PhD, the author of "At the Bench" and "At the Helm".  Nancy Thompson, PhD, the deputy director, was a member of a panel of seven senior investigators providing advice on dealing with publication issues.
  
• Seminars by guest speakers including:
  • Seminar on the potential of hematopoietic stem cells in treating disease presented by Peter Quesenberry, MD, principal investigator of the Roger Williams Medical Center COBRE for Stem Cell Research
  • Seminar on the role DNA of damage processing in cell injury presented by Anatoly Zhitkovich, PhD, from Brown University
  • Seminar on effectors of senescent states presented by John Sedivy, PhD, the principal investigator for the Brown University COBRE for Genetics and Genomics
  • Seminar on contribution of glycosylation and melanoma adhesion molecule (MCAM) in melanoma invasion presented by Deirdre Coombe PhD; Seminar on desmosome signaling in differentiation and cancer presented by Kathy Green, PhD from Northwestern University
  • Mini-symposium on proteomics and molecular pathology analyses with presentations by:
    • Djuro Josic, PhD, director of the proteomics core, on "Use of High Resolution Analytical Methods in Proteomics"
    • Andreas Rizzi, PhD, professor at the University of Vienna, on "Antithrombin - A New Proteomics Perspective on a Well-Known Protein
    • Edmond Sabo, MD, director of surgical pathology, Carmel Medical Center, Haifa, Israel, on "Image and Pattern Analysis in Pathology"

The Second Annual CCCRD Symposium
This event was held on June 25, 2004 at the Rhode Island Convention Center. An “Open House” of the fully operational proteomics core was held on Thursday, June 24, in conjunction with the annual symposium. Members of the external advisory committee toured the new facility to learn about the proteomics core instrumentation and capabilities.

Web Site
Our Web site was activated in early April 2004. We are actively expanding the information presented.  Data from various applications of the technology available in the proteomics and molecular pathology CORES will be included as well as upcoming events, an updated list of ways the people from the Rhode Island community can participate in the center and details on the upcoming symposia.

Weekly Staff Meetings
Weekly staff meetings are held to discuss long range planning, personnel and staffing issues and administrative matters. 

Initiation of quarterly COBRE Center meetings
These meetings are attended by the directors, assistant directors and administrators of the COBRE Centers for Cancer Research Development, Perinatal Biology and Genetics and Genomics. The goal of these meetings is to identify mechanisms to promote mutually beneficial interactions between the three centers.

Relocation
Administrative and Proteomics Cores moved into newly renovated space in the Coro West building in March 2004.

One Hoppin Street • Providence, RI 02903
Phone: 401-444-7237 • email: AGarcia3@lifespan.org