Cleveland Clinic, CWRU Dental Researcher Finds Switch That Turns on the Spread of Cancer
Reporting in Nature Cell Biology, researchers describe the discovery of a specific protein called disabled-2 (Dab2) that switches on the process that releases cancer cells from the original tumor and allows the cells to spread and develop into new tumors in other parts of the body.
The process, called epithelial-mesenchymal transdifferientiation (EMT), has been known to play a role in releasing cells (epithelial cells) on the surface of the solid tumor and transforming them into transient mesenchymal cells with the ability to start to grow a new tumor.
This is often the fatal process in breast, ovarian, pancreatic and colon-rectal cancers.
Searching to understand how the EMT process begins, Ge Jin, who has joint appointments at the Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine and the Lerner Research Institute at the Cleveland Clinic, began by working backwards from EMT to find its trigger. Read more.
Campus News
Information Technology Services (ITS) is now offering Case Launchpad and Case Mobile. Both services are based on Google Gadget Technology in conjunction with Case Webstart. Case Launchpad is a site specifically designed for university students, alumni, faculty and staff offering general university information as well as personalized content, providing a similar experience to the MyCase portal. The MyCase portal will be discontinued at the end of the spring semester. Case Mobile offers many services found in Case Launchpad for the mobile environment. It was developed with "A-Grade" mobile browsers in mind, including Apple's iPhone Mobile Safari and the Blackberry browser (requires Blackberry OS version 4.7.1 and above). For questions or technical issues regarding Case Launchpad or Case Mobile, contact the ITS Help Desk by e-mail at help@case.edu or by phone at 216-368-HELP (4357).
The Mandel Center for Nonprofit Organizations seeks nominations for the 2010 John A. Yankey Student Community Service Award. The award will be presented to a current Mandel Center student who has been actively engaged as a volunteer in a successful community service activity or project. The award is accompanied by a $1,000 prize. The nomination deadline is noon, Thursday, Feb. 18. Call Arlene Sheeran at 368-4211 or go online for more information.
Clarification: Stephen J. Trompak is the vice president of the Case Men's Glee Club. He was referred to as the group's president in a previous edition of Case Daily.
For Faculty and Staff
The Case Employee Wellness Program is sponsoring a February Lunch and Learn series discussion on the topic of a "Healthy Heart" from noon to 1 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 25, in Nord Hall 310. Employees can learn more about the risk factors for heart disease. Attendees will have an opportunity to measure their major risk factors. Register by e-mail to baf13@case.edu. Learn more by reading the Employee Wellness February newsletter.
For Students
The Student Alumni Association is a student group that gives undergraduates the opportunity to create relationships with alumni and build professional networks. The group is seeking new members. Meetings are held every other week. Send an e-mail to lxk64@case.edu for information.
A meditation group for students meets at 3:30 p.m. on Fridays on the second floor of University Health Services. This is a drop-in group for students interested in learning about meditation. Elements of Insight Meditation and visualization exercises will be incorporated. Registration is not required. Call at 368-5872 for information.
Events
A Mardi Gras Party will take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 16, in the Thwing Center atrium. The event will feature free food from Fat Fish Blue, free mask making and live music. The event is open to the entire campus community. Sponsored by the Office of Student Activities and Leadership, Thwing Center, University Program Board and Undergraduate Student Government.
The documentary "Food, Inc." will be shown on Friday, Feb. 19 at 7 and 9 p.m., followed by a midnight screening. The film, which was nominated for an Academy Award, is designed to help viewers think twice about what they eat. Come early and get a free ticket courtesy of the Student Sustainability Council (SSC). The screening is co-sponsored by the CWRU Film Society, CARES and SSC. Send an e-mail to tca9a case.edu for information.
The Clinical and Translational Science Collaborative (CTSC) will host a seminar series presentation on the topic of "Persistence and Intensification Bias: A National Study of Evidence-Based Physician Decisions for Growth Hormone Therapy," at 4:30 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 16, in Frohring Auditorium. This seminar will also be broadcast live online. Learn more about the panelists and the program.
The views and opinions of those invited to speak on campus do not necessarily reflect the views of the university administration or any other segment of the university community.
Et al.
Jacek Skowronski, professor of molecular biology and microbiology, recently joined the School of Medicine. A distinguished microbiologist, he joins the university from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, where he was a driving force in HIV research for the past 25 years. In his faculty capacity, Skowronski will take a leadership role in the Center for AIDS Research, and hopes to work closely with the Case Center for Proteomics and Bioinformatics.
