Siteman Cancer Center receives SPORE grant to study endometrial cancer

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has awarded the Siteman Cancer Center and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis a prestigious Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE) grant in endometrial cancer.

Endometrial cancer, which forms in the tissue lining the uterus, is the most common gynecologic cancer. Last year, about 42,000 women were diagnosed with the disease and almost 8,000 women with endometrial cancer died.

The majority of women diagnosed with endometrial cancer are 45 years or older.

The prognosis of surviving endometrial cancer is good when the disease is detected and treated early. However, if the cancer has spread from the uterus, the chances to treat it successfully are small.

The goal of SPORE grants is to implement a strong collaboration between basic scientists and clinicians. The three-year, $1.7 million SPORE grant in endometrial cancer brings together School of Medicine experts in genomics, diagnostics and developmental therapeutics to tackle research projects that can be translated quickly into improved detection and treatment of this type of cancer. This research involves both cancer patients and populations at risk for cancer.

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Genomic data center receives $14 million stimulus grant to expand

Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has received a $14.3 million grant through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to expand its high-powered data center for genomics. The facility’s sophisticated computer networks store massive amounts of genomic data used to identify the genetic origins of cancer and other diseases.
The project is expected to create more than 350 jobs, including 200 in local construction, and accelerate the pace of genomics-based discoveries, for which Washington University is widely known.
The university’s scientists have pioneered the sequencing of cancer patients’ genomes and are engaged in ambitious research to decode the genomes of hundreds of microbes that inhabit the body.
“These projects are helping scientists worldwide understand the genetic basis of cancer and the contributions of microbes to human health and disease,” says Larry J. Shapiro, M.D., executive vice chancellor for medical affairs and dean of the School of Medicine. “We could not continue this vital research without expanding the data center, which houses the computer infrastructure that allows our scientists to analyze unprecedented volumes of data.”
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Biden, Palin set for Oct. 2 VP Debate- TONIGHT!

Sen. Joe Biden from Delaware and Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska, the vice presidential nominees of the Democratic and Republican parties, respectively, will debate each other at 8 p.m. (CDT) Oct. 2 in the Washington University in St. Louis Athletic Complex, according to the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD).
This is the first time the University will host a vice presidential debate. It's the fifth consecutive presidential election that the University has been selected by the CPD, the event's sponsor, to serve as a debate host.
The debate will be moderated by Gwen Ifill, a longtime correspondent and moderator for nationally televised public broadcasting news programs. Ifill, who serves as moderator and managing editor of PBS' "Washington Week" and senior correspondent for "The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer," also moderated the CPD's 2004 vice presidential debate between Vice President Dick Cheney and Sen. John Edwards, held Oct. 5 at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.
Biden was nominated for vice president Aug. 27 at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colo. A week later, on Sept. 4, Palin was nominated for vice president at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn.
Biden, 65, is a 36-year veteran of the U.S. Senate. He was elected in 1972 when he was 29. He is known for his leadership in foreign policy, terrorism, crime and drug policy. He ran unsuccessfully for the presidential nomination of his party in 1988 and in 2008.
Biden is the former chairman and long-time member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Over the years he has been influential in crime and drug policy legislation. His Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, frequently referred to as the Biden Crime Bill, increased police numbers by 100,000 nationwide and brought more federal support for criminal justice.
The 2007 Biden Crime Bill addresses burgeoning crime problems such as online child exploitation, computer hacking and teenage prescription drug abuse.
Palins vice presidential nomination marks the first time that the Republican Party has nominated a woman for the position. On Dec. 4, 2006, she also made history when she became the first woman governor of Alaska.
Palin, 44, has overseen increases in Alaska state savings, education funding and implemented the Senior Benefits Program that provides support for low-income older Alaskans. Her administration has passed an overhaul of the states ethics laws and developed a process to construct a gas pipeline.
Palin is chair of the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission, a multistate government agency that promotes the conservation and efficient recovery of domestic oil and natural gas resources while protecting the environment.
Before becoming governor of Alaska, she served two terms on the Wasilla City Council and two terms as mayor/manager of Wasilla. Palin also has served as chair of the Alaska Conservation Commission, which regulates Alaska's oil and gas.

Washington University is the only institution to host more than two debates.
In 1992, the university hosted the first nationally televised three-candidate presidential debate in CPD history, was selected to host a presidential debate in 1996 that eventually was canceled, hosted the third and last presidential debate of the 2000 campaign season and the second of three presidential debates before the 2004 election.

For additional information on the October 2 debate, please click here.