Nov. 6, 2023, was a bad day for Tom Curran, a charming scientist with a lilting Scottish brogue and the lifelong dream of curing childhood cancers.
Credit: OHSU/Christine Torres HicksAfter a year as director of the Oregon Health and Science University’s Knight Cancer Institute, Tom Sellers has stepped down from his position. He is replaced by Lisa Coussens, chair of the Department of Cell, Developmental & Cancer Biology, who was appointed interim center director.
In an effort to target the right patients, genetic screening is becoming more common in clinical trials. But incorporating it can be complex and add a significant burden for both patients and clinical trial sites. Genetic counseling can streamline that process and help drug and gene therapy developers expedite the recruitment of genetically-eligible participants for their trials and use genetic testing results to accelerate the speed and success of clinical trials.
The latest notice of a funding opportunity for the Cancer Center Support Grants released by NCI no longer requires submission of a Plan to Enhance Diversity.
A federal judge ruled that the FDA lacks the statutory authority to regulate laboratory developed tests, finding squarely in favor of plaintiffs in the consolidated lawsuits brought by American Clinical Laboratories Association, Association for Molecular Pathology, and others. ASCP submitted an amicus brief supporting the plaintiffs.
Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator David R. Liu was awarded the 2025 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences for developing two gene-editing technologies—known as base editing and prime editing—which enable the correction or replacement of virtually any genetic mutation, including those that cause countless human genetic diseases.
Ira Mellman was named president of research at the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy.
Mark Cosentino has joined City of Hope as scientific director of the new Kathleen and Robert Henderson Biorepository, which is designed to be a best-in-class facility that collects and organizes tissue samples and other biological materials across City of Hope’s national system to further boost its cancer and other research.
Filippo Milano, a hematologist-oncologist and clinical researcher, was named the inaugural Endowed Chair in Cord Blood Research at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center.
Dian Wang, William Tseng, and Brian A. Van Tine were appointed to NRG Oncology’s newly formed Sarcoma Subcommittee. Clifton (Dave) Fuller was named vice chair for NRG’s Imaging Committee.
