Inside the Tulane Cancer Center Spring 2002 Newsletter Accolades: Faculty Honors and Awards

Barbara S. Beckman, Ph.D. Mark A. Beilke, M.D. Diane A. Blake, Ph.D. Tyler J. Curiel, M.D. Prescott Deininger, Ph.D. Nina M. Dhurandhar, M.D. Melanie Ehrlich, Ph.D.

Marc J. Kahn, M.D. Alan M. Miller, Ph.D., M.D. Lucien A. Nedzi, M.D. Kim C. O'Connor, Ph.D. Timothy Pearman, Ph.D. Suresh C. Sikka, Ph.D. Raju Thomas, M.D. Roy S. Weiner, M.D.

Barbara S. Beckman, Ph.D.

• Dr. Beckman and colleagues had the following journal articles published recently:
  • Scandurro AB, Weldon CB, Gutierrez YG, Alam J, Beckman BS. Gene microarray analysis reveals a novel hypoxia signal transduction pathway in human hepatocellular carcinoma cells. International Journal Oncology, 19:129-135, 2001
  • Gong P, Hu B, Stewart D, Ellerbe M, Figueroa YG, Blank V, Beckman BS, Alam J: Cobalt induces heme oxygenase-1 expression by a hypoxia inducible factor-independent mechanism in Chinese hamster ovary cells. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 276:27018-27025, 2001
  • Burow ME, Weldon CB, Tang Y, McLachlan JA, Beckman BS: Oestrogen-mediated suppression of tumour necrosis factor alpha-induced apoptosis in MCF-7 cells: subversion of Bcl-2 by antioestrogens. Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 78:409-418, 2001.
• Dr. Beckman was recently re-elected director of the Interdisciplinary Molecular and Cellular Biology Graduate Program at Tulane, January 2002 - December 2005.
• Dr. Beckman was also recently appointed chair of the Education Committee, American Society of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, July 1, 2002 - June 30, 2005.

Mark A. Beilke, M.D.

• Dr. Beilke was recently elected to the local organizing committee of the 11th International Conference on Human Retrovirology, to be held in June 2003.
• Dr. Beilke was recently awarded an NIH/NIAID RO1 grant entitled HIV, HTLV and Drug Abuse. He is principal investigator on this $1.7 million, five-year grant.

Diane A. Blake, Ph.D.

• Dr. Blake had the following papers published recently:
  • Darwish IA, Blake DA. Development and validation of a sensitive one-step immunoassay for determination of cadmium in human serum. Analytical Chemistry, 74:52-58, 2002.
  • Jones RM, Yu H, Delehanty JB, Blake DA. Monoclonal antibodies that recognize minimal differences in the 3-dimensional structures of metal-chelate complexes. Bioconjugate Chemistry, In press.
• Dr. Blake has been busy on the national and international scientific scenes:
  • served as a visiting research professor at the Beijing Vegetable Research Center in Beijing, China, October 14-26, 2001. She gave a platform presentation entitled Monoclonal Antibodies to Metal-Chelate Complexes: Basic Science Links to Biotechnology. The purpose of her visit was to initiate a collaborative project for the development of antibody-based approaches for the measurement of heavy metals in plant tissues and extracts.
  • gave a presentation entitled Biosensors for Real-Time Monitoring at the DOE-sponsored symposium Environmental Stewardship: Promising Solutions to Uncertainty, held in New Orleans, February 5-7, 2002. This symposium featured speakers on monitoring, risk assessment, and information sciences.
  • listed in 2000 Outstanding Scientists of the 21st Century, 1st Edition, 2001, and received the Woman of Achievement Award 2002 from the International Biographical Center, Cambridge, England.
  • served as a member of the EPA Peer Review Panel, STAR Graduate Fellowships for Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Genetics, 2002.
  • Dr. Blake is principal investigator on a Department of Energy, NABIR Program grant entitled Field-Portable Immunosensors and Reagents for Hexavalent Uranium, Other Metal Contaminants, and Chelators, September 2001 - September 2004, $561,487 (direct costs), $226,956 (indirect costs).

Tyler J. Curiel, M.D.
WOW..... On April 13-14, 2002, Dr. Curiel participated in the Mardi Gras Ultra Distance Classic, a 125-mile foot race from Baton Rouge to New Orleans, to raise money for his cancer research. He raised over $1,000, won the race, and set a new course record, completing the non-stop run in 24 hours, 50 minutes and 30 seconds. Congratulations, Dr. Curiel.

Prescott Deininger, Ph.D.

• Dr. Deininger had the following journal articles published recently:
  • Roy-Engel A, Carroll ML, Vogel E, Garber RK, Nguyen SV, Salem A-H, Batzer MA, Deininger P: Alu insertion polymorphisms for the study of human genomic diversity. Genetics, 159:279-290, 2001.
  • Carroll ML, Roy-Engel A, Nguyen SV, Salem A-H, Vogel E, Vincent B, Myers J, Ahmed Z, Nguyen L, Sammarco M, Watkins WS, Henke J, Makalowski W, Jorde LB, Deininger P, Batzer MA: Large-scale analysis of the Alu Ya5 and Yb8 subfamilies and their contribution to human genomic diversity. Journal of Molecular Biology, 311(1):17-40, 2001.
  • Sevtap S, Frischhertz B, Pelias MZ, Batzer MA, Deininger PL, Keats B: Population diversity and evolution of the 45 base pair VNTR in intron 5 of the USH1C gene. Human Genetics, 110:95-97, 2002.
  • Roy-Engel AM, Carroll ML, El-Sawy M, Salem A-H, Garber RK, Nguyen SV, Deininger PL, Batzer MA: Non-traditional Alu evolution and primate genomic diversity. Journal of Molecular Biology, 316:1033-1040, 2002.
• And nationally,
  • invited to give the keynote presentation at the Research Competitiveness for Minority Institutions Symposium/Workshop in Jackson, Mississippi, April 2002. His presentation was entitled New Frontiers in Genetic Toxicology.

Nina M. Dhurandhar, M.D.

• Dr. Dhurandhar was a featured speaker at the Tulane-Xavier Center of Excellence in Women's Health (TUXCOE) Research Seminar, December 3, 2001, at Tulane University Hospital and Clinic. Her presentation was entitled Pap Test in the 21st Century.
• Dr. Dhurandhar also serves as chair of the Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsy Technique subcommittee of the National Committee on Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS). Her subcommittee is commissioned to prepare the NCCLS approved guidelines for fine needle aspiration (second edition).

Melanie Ehrlich, Ph.D.

• Dr. Ehrlich gave the following presentations as an invited speaker in 2001:
  • Chromatin Structure and the FSHD Syndrome, FSH Society Workshop, October 14, 2001.
  • ICF, a DNA Methyltransferase 3B Disease: Microarray Expression and Chromosome Studies, AACR Special Conference, Cancer and Chromosomal Organization and Epigenetics of Cancer, Palm Desert, California, October 16-20, 2001.
• Dr. Ehrlich was invited to submit a review article to the journal Oncogene's special issue on epigenetics and cancer. Her article is entitled "DNA methylation and cancer: too much, but also too little", In press (2002).
• And internationally,
  • presented A Chromosome-Instability and DNA Methylation-Insufficiency Syndrome and its Relationship to DNA Hypomethylation in Cancer at the National Institute of Genetics Research Conference in Mishima, Japan, and at the Nara Institute of Biology and Technology, March 13-15, 2002. She gave the same talk at New England BioLabs in Massachusetts, April 25, 2002.
  • will present Cancer-Associated Epigenetic DNA Abnormalities in Wilms Tumors and Ovarian Epithelial Cancers: Too Little vs. Too Much Methylation at the Spanish National Cancer Centre Epigenetics Conference in Madrid, Spain, May 29-31, 2002.
  • Dr. Ehrlich is founder and current president of the DNA Methylation Society (DMS), an international society with more than 300 scientist members founded in 1994. You can learn more about this society at their web site: http://dnamethsoc.server101.com/.
• Dr. Ehrlich is principal investigator on the following NIH grants
  • DNA Hypomethylation and Cancer, 2000-2004 (Jeffrey Sawyer, University of Arkansas, co-investigator).
  • FSHD Syndrome: DNA Repeats, Methylation, and Chromatin, 2001-2004 (Marilyn Li, co-investigator)
  • Progenitor Colony RT-PCR Analyses in CML Treatment, 1999-2002 (Hana Safah, M.D. and Vincent F. LaRussa, M.D., co-investigators)
  • DNA Methylation and Chromatin Structure of FSHD-Linked Sequences in FSHD Cells, Normal Cells, and Cells from Patients with the ICF Syndrome, 2001-2003.

Marc J. Kahn, M.D.

• Dr. Kahn had the following papers published or accepted for publication recently:
  • Rozans M, Dreisbach A, Lertora JJL, Kahn MJ: The palliative use of methylphenidate in cancer patients: a review. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 20:335-339, 2002.
  • Wolfsthal SD, Beasley BW, Kopelman R, Stickley W, Gabryel T, Kahn MJ, and the Membership Survey and Scientific Data Committee of the Association of Program Directors of Internal Medicine: Benchmarks of support in internal medicine residency training programs. Academic Medicine, 77:50-56, 2002.
  • Naidech A, Weisberg L, Kahn MJ: Guillain Barre syndrome associated with angioimmunoblastic lymphadenopathy. A case report and review of the literature. Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine, In press (2002).
  • Lowentritt J, Kahn MJ, Batuman V: Successful use of recombinant hirudin as an anticoagulant in plasmapheresis in a patient with heparin induced thrombocytopenia (letter). Nephrology Dialysis and Transplantation, In press (2002).
• And nationally,
  • served as visiting professor in January 2002 at the University of Texas Medical Branch Galveston, Department of Medicine, and was a Practical Teaching Skills workshop co-leader.
  • invited to serve as the Teaching in Lecture faculty workshop leader at the Association of Program Directors in Internal Medicine Chief Resident's Workshop, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, April 2002.
• • Dr. Kahn received three recent awards: Owl Club Award T4 Outstanding Professor, as voted by the medical student body of Tulane University Health Sciences Center, 2001
  • Tulane University Health Sciences Center Teaching Scholar Award (Chancellor's Teaching Scholar Award), as selected by the senior vice president for health sciences, the Office of Educational Research and Services, the Dean's Office, faculty and students, 2001
  • Alpha Omega Alpha Faculty Teacher Award, 2001

Alan M. Miller, Ph.D., M.D.

• Dr. Miller co-authored the following recent journal publications:
  • Lazarus HM, Loberiza Jr. FR, Zhang MJ, Armitage JO, Ballen KK, Bashey A, Bolwell BJ, Burns LJ, Freytes CO, Gale RP, Gibson J, Herzig RH, LeMaistre CF, Marks D, Mason J, Miller AM, Milone GA, Pavolvsky S, Reece DE, Rizzo JD, van Besien K, Vose JM, Horowitz MM. Autotransplants for Hodgkin's disease in first relapse or second remission: a report from the Autologous Blood and Marrow Transplant Registry (ABMTR). Bone Marrow Transplantation, 27(4):387-96, 2001.
  • LaRussa VF, Schwartzenberger P, Agrawal K, Kolls J, Weiner RS. Marrow stem cells, mesenchymal progenitor cells and stromal progeny. Cancer Investigation, 20(1):1-13, 2002.
  • Zaydan MD, Turner C, Miller AM. Resolution of chronic thrombocytopenia purpura following syngeneic peripheral blood progenitor transplant. Bone Marrow Transplantation, 29:87-89, 2002.
• Dr. Miller also had the following abstract accepted for presentation at the combined meeting of the ASBMT and the IBMTR/ABMTR, February 23, 2002, in Orlando, Florida:
  • Briggs A, Safah H, List A, Epner E, Weiner RS, Rink J, Miller AM: Immunoablative Transplantation for Lymphoid Malignancies.

Lucien A. Nedzi, M.D.

• Dr. Nedzi is principal investigator on the following two new Tulane Cancer Center clinical trials:
  • A double-blind, placebo controlled study of civemeline (Evoxac) in radiation-related xerostomia (Daiichi Pharmaceuticals)
  • LN-01: A Phase II trial of surgery, stereotactic radiosurgery and stereotactic radiotherapy for favorable patients with limited brain metastases (investigator initiated)

Kim C. O'Connor, Ph.D.

• Dr. O'Connor was recently promoted to professor of Chemical Engineering. She is also an adjunct associate professor of Surgery.

Timothy Pearman, Ph.D.

• Dr. Pearman was guest speaker at the National Abandoned Infants Resource Center Annual Meeting in New Orleans, October 2001. His talk was entitled Bereaved Families: The Interface of Psychology and the Law.
• Dr. Pearman had the following letter published recently: Pearman TP, McKinnon WMP, Weiner RS: Psycho-oncology in breast cancer (letter). Journal of the American College of Surgeons, 194(4), April 2002.

Suresh C. Sikka, Ph.D.
Dr. Sikka presented the following abstract at the 93rd Annual Meeting of the American Association of Cancer Researchers, April 6-10, 2002, in San Francisco:

• Sikka SC, Davis R, Moparty K, Schwinn D, Abdel-Mageed AB. Oxidative Stress Induces Differential Cell Proliferative Response in Benign and Malignant Human Prostate Cells.

Raju Thomas, M.D.

• Dr. Thomas performed a live radical perineal prostatectomy to an audience of 194 paid participants at the first Radical Prostatectomy World Summit, held March 13-15, 2002 at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Cleveland, Ohio. This procedure was simultaneously telecast live to England, Japan, Korea, India, and Italy. Tulane Urology is one of the leaders in the modern approach to radical perineal prostatectomy for localized prostate cancer.

Roy S. Weiner, M.D.

• Dr. Weiner is one of four Tulane University faculty members who hold chairs through the Louisiana Board of Regents Endowed Chairs for Eminent Scholars program recently recognized by a review panel for "exceptional and laudatory contributions to Louisiana. higher education." He will participate in forming a Society for Eminent Scholars in Louisiana. Joining Dr. Weiner are Elizabeth Hill Boone, Ph.D., Zeynel A. Karcioglu, M.D., and William C. Steinmann, M.D.
• At the invitation of the National Dialogue on Cancer, Dr. Weiner presented Tulane Cancer Center's approach to making clinical trials more accessible to patients treated for cancer in their communities. The NDC, chaired by Barbara and former President George Bush, held a two-day conference in Washington, D.C. on April 2-3, 2002, to facilitate progress through clinical trials. Dr. Weiner addressed the role of community networks based in academic centers.

Return to the Spring 2002 Inside the Tulane Cancer Center newsletter.

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