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Johnson Cancer Research Center Newsletter

Category: 2017 Fall

BOLD NEW VISION

 

Dr. Stephen Keith ChapesThe Johnson Cancer Research Center is in its 37th year and impacting K-State research more than ever. We are now poised to expand our capabilities even further.

With outstanding scientists in 100 laboratories across five colleges, we are in a position to initiate the process of becoming a National Cancer Institute-Designated Basic Laboratory Cancer Center.

Currently, the NCI has only seven Basic Laboratory Cancer Centers. Basic research provides the basis for understanding cancer, and leads to the clinical research and new treatments that save lives. K-State excels in basic research.

NCI-designated cancer centers are recognized for their scientific prowess and are allotted more resources. NCI designation would help K-State achieve its vision of becoming a top 50 public research university.

A first step of this mission is to hire a new director—an effective administrator, proven fundraiser and world-class scientist who can guide the Johnson Cancer Research Center toward NCI designation.

To recruit an outstanding director, the highest priority is to endow that position. To do this, we need to raise $5 million. Accomplishing this now could mean millions of dollars more for K-State cancer research down the road, as the center achieves NCI designation.

As part of our growth, our scientists are already busy forming Centers of Excellence to fight cancer as teams, focusing on specific cancer problems through multidisciplinary approaches.

To learn more and support the Johnson Cancer Research Center in the College of Arts & Sciences, please visit our Bold New Vision webpage.

Respectfully,

S. Keith Chapes, Interim Director
Johnson Cancer Research Center
Professor, Division of Biology
Kansas State University

BIG EVENTS IN OCTOBER!

K-State Fighting for a Cure Day Oct. 14

K-State Head Football Coach Bill Snyder holding Fighting for a Cure shirtShow your pride in K-State cancer research with a Fighting for a Cure shirt!

Wear the shirt to the home football game or anywhere Oct. 14 for the 4th Annual K-State Fighting for a Cure Day.

Join First Lady of K-State Football Sharon Snyder and the Snyder family, Emmy Award-winning “Modern Family” actor and K-State alum Eric Stonestreet, K-State Band Director Frank Tracz and many others in celebrating K-State’s fight against cancer and honoring the K-State family’s cancer survivors and researchers.

Eric Stonestreet wearing Cure shirtGet the shirt!  Shirts are available from our center for $20 each. We’ll ship too! All proceeds support K-State cancer research.

Spread the word!  Post photos on social media of yourself and friends wearing the shirt and use #HelpKStateFightCancer! See past photos: 201620152014.

Tailgate with us!  Cheer on the ‘Cats with us Oct. 14 at the College of Arts & Sciences Tailgate Party in Cat Town!

Thanks to all who have supported this campaign over the years! You’ve raised $30,000 and immeasurable awareness for K-State cancer research!

K-State Marching Bands Beat Cancer FormationWatch the Pride of Wildcat Land’s special halftime salute Oct. 14!

Rob Regier Memorial Golf Tournament Oct. 20

Regier Family
The Regier family hosts the tournament.

The 20th annual Rob Regier Memorial Golf Tournament will be Fri., Oct. 20, at Colbert Hills. Check-in opens at 11 a.m. with the shotgun start at 1 p.m. Prizes will be awarded during a steak dinner following the tournament.

Rob was a K-State graduate in pre-dentistry who passed away from cancer at age 26.

This year’s tournament is dedicated in loving memory of Beth Winans, who died of cancer last December.

Pink Power Luncheon Oct. 11

Peggy JohnsonThe Pink Power Luncheon for breast cancer awareness will be Oct. 11 at Holiday Inn at the Campus, 1641 Anderson Ave., Manh. The event is free but reservations are required.

The guest speaker will be Peggy Johnson, breast cancer survivor and Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of Wichita Medical Research and Education Foundation. She will present, “Research and Breast Cancer Survivorship.”

 

See all upcoming events.

RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT

K-State scientists engineer virus to kill cancer cells

Pragyesh Dhungel & Shuai CaoZhilong Yang‘s team in biology has made a discovery that could lead to improved targeted therapies for cancer and many viruses.

Messenger RNA is the template to produce proteins in all organisms. Poxviruses, which can infect people, mammals and some reptiles, use a poly(A) leader in their messenger RNA to synthesize more proteins.

“If we can stop a poxvirus’s use of poly(A) leader, we can kill the virus,” said Shuai Cao, postdoctoral researcher. “This could help develop a novel anti-poxvirus strategy, which could be very important for finding cures for infections and diseases.”

This relates to cancer because a poly(A) leader is present in vaccinia virus, which…can be engineered to selectively infect cancer cells, Dhungel said.

read more

OTHER FACULTY ACHIEVEMENTS

Jun Li and Duy Hua receive large NCI grant

Jun Li (pictured here with his lab team) and Duy Hua, both in chemistry, have been awarded $1,371,309 from National Cancer Institute for “Rapid protease profiling with a multiplex electronic method for detection of metastatic triple-negative breast cancer.” Dr. Priyanka Sharma, of University of Kansas Medical Center, was a collaborator, detecting protease biomarkers in specimens from cancer patients. Previous support from the Johnson Cancer Research Center helped Li and Hua start this project in 2011. A patent on this cancer detection technology was recently granted.

Wallace helping military fight skin cancer

Nicholas Wallace, biology, received $510,231 from the U.S. Dept. of Defense to investigate the role of human papillomavirus in skin cancer. HPV is known as a sexually transmitted disease that causes cervical cancer, but the HPV family of viruses infects the skin of a majority of people. read more

Magnetic Nanotech image
Stefan Bossmann, chemistry, and Hongwang Wang, grain sciences, have published their edited book, “Magnetic Nanomaterials: Applications in Catalysis and Life Sciences,” which appears in the Royal Society of Chemistry series “Smart Materials.” read more

 

 

Bossmann and Schlup honored for teaching excellence

Stefan BossmannJohn SchlupStefan Bossmann, chemistry, and John Schlup, chemical engineering, have been selected to receive the Segebrecht Distinguished Faculty Achievement Award, which recognizes professors who provide inspiration and excellence in teaching. read more

 

Dr. Dong LinGUINNESS WORLD RECORDS ™ names engineers’ graphene aerogel as world’s least dense 3-D printed structure

The world’s lightest 3-D printed structure is so lightweight that it can be placed on top of a cotton ball or the petals of a flower. The record-breaking material is 3-D printed graphene aerogel and it was developed by Dong Lin, industrial and manufacturing systems engineering, and others. read more

Dr. David Poole

 

David Poole, kinesiology, earned distinguished lectureship award from the from the Environmental and Exercise Physiology section of the American Physiological Society. read more

 

 

J. Scott Smith

 

K-State researcher shows black pepper helps limit cancerous compounds in meat

J. Scott Smith, animal sciences and industry, recently discovered that black pepper reduces carcinogenic compounds in grilled meats. read more

 

 

STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS

Biology student uses national fellowship to study baculovirus

Kathlyn Gomendoza

 

Kathlyn Gomendoza uses undergraduate research fellowship from American Society for Microbiology to study baculovirus in Lorena Passarelli‘s lab in biology. read more

 

 

Undergraduate students study yeast ribosomes to reveal a fundamental process of cancer formation

Asano Lab TeamCancer Research Awardees Chelsea Moore, Eric Aube, Ian Harmon and others mentored by Katsura Asano in biology, are using yeast to better understand what goes wrong in cancerous cells. read more

Bassette selected for Amgen Scholars Program

Molly Bassette

 

Molly Bassette, an alumna of Peying Fong‘s lab, was an Amgen Scholar over the summer. She had a paid, mentored research experience at Univ of California, San Francisco, where she studied genes involved in cancer cell response to multiple myeloma treatments. read more

 

Sandhu received Grad Student Award

 

Bhupinder Sandhu, in Christer Aakeroy‘s lab in chemistry, received a University Distinguished Professor Graduate Student Award for her crystal engineering work to improve solubility of potential cancer drugs. read more

 

Undergraduate Cancer Researchers honored by Division of Biology

Jazmine Snow

Kathlyn GomendozaHaley Smalley

 

 

 

 

 

Jazmine Snow, Kathlyn Gomendoza & Haley Smalley were named 2016-2017 Biology Most Promising Students.

Adam Schieferecke

 

Adam Schieferecke received the 2016-2017 Haymaker Award for Excellence.

read more

SPRING AWARDS AND STUDENT BANQUET

We awarded $247,269 for cancer research last spring!

Dr. Raelene Wouda & dog
Raelene Wouda was awarded $25,000 for her work deriving new canine tumor cell lines and characterizing their transcriptome and microRNA generation.

Thanks to our generous supporters, we invested $247,269 in K-State cancer research and education last semester! We awarded faculty $89,000 for innovative research projects, $50,755 for laboratory equipment, and $500 for travel to collaborate or receive training. We awarded graduate students $100,705 in summer stipends and $6,309 for travel. The awardees are listed on our Faculty and Student Awardee webpages.

 

 

Cancer Research Awards Banquet honored 46 undergraduates

Students selected for our undergraduate Cancer Research Award (CRA) program last fall were recognized at our annual CRA Banquet April 21. Also recognized were their faculty mentors and the donors who made the awards possible. All awardees are listed on our Student Awardees webpage and in this news release. View banquet photos

Stefan Bossmann, Julia Tung, awardee Jose Covarrubias, Sarah Young
The Sarah Young and Alex Tung Cancer Research Award was presented by Sarah Young (far right) and her daughter Julia Tung to Jose Covarrubias, senior in chemistry, for his research with Dr. Stefan Bossmann (left).
Dave Lewis & Fernando Nieto selfie on stage
Banquet emcee Dave Lewis, a radio news show host and the public address announcer for K-State football and men’s basketball, took a “selfie” onstage with guest speaker Fernando Nieto, a senior in biology and past awardee.

RECENT EVENTS RAISED $19,000!

Willie the Wildcat at Race to Save 2nd Base 2017Race to Save 2nd Base

Downtown Manhattan, Inc., had its inaugural Race to Save 2nd Base April 22. With the support of major sponsor AJ’s NY Pizzeria and other sponsors and participants, $1,500 was raised for K-State cancer research! View photos

 

dancers at Pink & Purple Polyester Party 2017

Pink & Purple Polyester Party

The groovy party-goers, sponsors and planners of the 6th annual Pink & Purple Polyester Party, which was presented by CivicPlus April 7, raised $9,700! Attendees had fun supporting the fight against cancer with live disco music, retro costumes and decorated bras! View photos and mark your calendars for April 6, 2018.

Kids at Tough Enough to Wear Pink Rodeo 2017

 

 

Tough Enough to Wear Pink Rodeo

Lots of rodeo fans proved they were tough by wearing pink to the Kaw Valley Rodeo Fri., July 28! Thanks to the Kaw Valley Rodeo Association and its “pink committee,” and to the TETWP sponsors, spectators and volunteers, K-State has $5,200 more for cancer research! View photos

 

Team Hartley at Walk Kansas 5K for the Fight 2017Walk Kansas 5K for the Fight

K-State Research & Extension’s Walk Kansas program sponsored the 2nd Annual Walk Kansas 5K for the Fight and fun walk May 6 to promote exercise and support K-State cancer research! Thanks to major sponsor Central Kansas Cancer Center, other sponsors, participants and volunteers, $2,600 was raised! View photos and mark your calendars for May 5, 2018.