2006 Archive

October 2006

Chen Gives Keynote at Biological Therapy Meeting

Dr. Lieping Chen, Professor of Dermatology, Oncology and Immunology, and Director of Dermatology Research at Johns Hopkins, was honored to deliver the keynote address at the recent meeting of the International Society for Biological Therapy of Cancer (iSBT). The Annual Meeting of the iSBT, which this year took place in Los Angeles, CA, October 26-29, is devoted to recent developments in the basic scientific, clinical and translational aspects of biological treatments for cancers including melanoma. Dr. Chen’s lecture on “Lymphocyte Co-Signal Molecules in Cancer Immunotherapy” presented his authoritative work on the identification and characterization of co-signaling molecules which cooperate to control immune responses. Dr. Chen’s laboratory has performed pioneering research studies demonstrating that immune responses are tightly regulated by positive and negative signals delivered through unique receptors present on the surface of T lymphocyte. The functional consequences of co-signaling events, inducing the activation or tolerance of T cells involved in anti-tumor immune responses, is an area of intense interest in the field of cancer immunotherapy. By precise manipulation of these cell surface molecular pathways using recombinant proteins, monoclonal antibodies and small molecules, Dr. Chen and his collaborators in the Hopkins Melanoma Program are working to develop new agents for the treatment of melanoma.

"Dine to Win" the Battle Against Melanoma
Honorary Chair Miss Maryland 2006

Westminster, MD – The Joanna M. Nicolay Melanoma Foundation is sponsoring a fundraising reception and dinner at Linwood’s Restaurant in Owings Mills, MD on October 9. The gourmet evening, chaired by recently crowned Miss Maryland 2006 and melanoma survivor, Brittany Lietz, will feature cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and a five-course dinner with a special array of accompanying wine pairings. The tax-deductible donation for the evening dinner event benefits the Foundation’s array of activities to support the mission to be “the voice for melanoma prevention, detection, care and cure.”

Winning the title of Miss Maryland in July 2006, deservedly elevates Ms. Lietz and her fight against melanoma onto the national stage as her platform and message to share throughout the U.S. Leitz intends to highlight the importance of melanoma prevention and public awareness of the great risks of sun exposure and tanning.

According to Robert E. Nicolay, JMNMF chairman, “As a melanoma survivor, Brittany has been an avid supporter of our Foundation and its mission. She participated in our ‘give-away’ of 8,000 bottles of sunscreen at this year’s Bay Bridge Walk and competed in the “Tri-to-Win” Triathlon we sponsored on Father’s Day. She also recently completed a public service announcement with us to address sun-safe practices. She is a great spokesman for our cause and will raise greater visibility as she represents the State as Miss Maryland.”

Melanoma is the most serious and lethal form of skin cancer. One person dies every hour in the U.S. from melanoma. The incidence rate in Maryland has increased over 300% in the past two decades and nationwide there are an estimated 60,000 new cases each year.

Also in attendance at the “Dine to Win” event will be special guest, Dr. Rhoda Alani, Associate Professor of Oncology, Dermatology, Molecular Biology and Genetics and Director of the Laboratory of Cutaneous Oncology in the Kimmel Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Under Alani’s oversight, members of the Laboratory of Cutaneous Oncology work diligently to develop novel therapies for melanoma based on studies conducted in this renowned laboratory. The Foundation announced this past spring the formation and inaugural presentation of an annual Foundation Research Scholar Award to a graduate student at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine to advance melanoma research and increase the number of professionals working in this important field.

The Joanna M. Nicolay Melanoma Foundation, founded in 2004, recently opened an office in the new Carroll Non-Profit Center in Westminster, MD. The mission of the Joanna M. Nicolay Melanoma Foundation is to support medical research that will ultimately lead to a cure for melanoma; seek opportunities to educate the general public on prevention and the seriousness of melanoma; and be a resource for patients and the entire melanoma community.

Further information on the Foundation and the “Dine to Win” gourmet event is available at www.melanomaresource.org or by contacting the office at jmnmf@carr.org or (410) 857-4890.

Contact:
Robert E. Nicolay, JMNMF Chairman
Cell (443) 370-7104

Johns Hopkins Melanoma Expert Part Of "Distinguished Speaker Series"

Dr. Rhoda Alani has been selected as a lecturer for the Internationally Distinguished Speaker Series at the Cleveland Clinic Cancer Center. She will be presenting a lecture entitled: "Update on Melanoma: New Knowledge, New Treatments."

September 2006

Hopkins Expert Presents At International Melanoma Research Congress

Dr. Rhoda Alani, Director of the Laboratory of Cutaneous Oncology, has been selected to participate in a Special Symposium on “Novel Concepts in Basic Research Reaching the Clinic” at the Third International Melanoma Research Congress September 14-16 in The Netherlands. Dr. Alani was selected to participate in this symposium with other international leaders in melanoma research because of her renowned clinical and research expertise in melanoma genetics and melanoma patient care. Also to be honored at this meeting is Ms. Staci Cummings, a graduate student in Dr. Alani’s laboratory. Ms. Cummings was selected to give a lecture on her groundbreaking discoveries on the role of the Id1 transcription factor in melanoma development and progression.

June 2006

Melanoma Treatments Vary By Region, Insurance And Hospital Type

Abstract #6027, poster presentation by Julie Lange, M.D., Johns Hopkins Melanoma Program, at the 42nd annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, held June 2-6, 2006 in Atlanta.

In a review of more than 10,000 melanoma patients, Johns Hopkins researchers found that geography often determines whether patients get sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy and biological therapy after surgery. Certain types of insurance and hospitals are also more frequently associated with these treatments, which are considered important in overall survival.

The Hopkins researchers sifted through data collected by the National Cancer Data Base from 1994 to 2003, and found that patients treated at hospitals in the Mountain region of the United States, which includes Arizona and Colorado, were most likely to have a standard SLN for locally invasive melanoma. New Englanders were least likely to have the procedure.

On the other hand, New England hospitals and those in the West North Central (from Kansas to Nebraska) outpaced other regions in treating melanoma patients with biologic therapies, including interferon, which is typically used for disease that has been removed by surgery but has spread to lymph nodes. Patients least likely to get the therapy lived in states in the West South Central area, such as Arkansas and Texas.

Says Julie R. Lange, M.D., Sc.M., assistant professor at Johns Hopkins and lead author of the study, “It is not clear why these differences exist, but it may provide important feedback for health care providers and policymakers.”

Other factors that increased the likelihood of using SLN and biologic therapies included treatment at a teaching/research hospital (compared to community hospital), commercial insurance (compared to medical assistance or no insurance), and younger age. Stage of disease, treatment during 1999-2003, and higher income factored more in SLN-users. Study results also show that biologic therapy was given more often from 1994-1999 and to those with more disease-positive lymph nodes.

Co-authors include D. Chang, B.E. Palis, S. Dy, and C.M. Balch.

May 2006

Hopkins Surgeon Gets Top Honors From Surgical Oncology Society

Surgical oncologist Charles M. Balch, M.D. was honored with the Society of Surgical Oncology’s (SSO) Heritage Award, one of the Society’s top awards. It is given to former presidents of the Society for their contributions in the field of surgical oncology and to the SSO. Balch served as President of the Society from 1991 – 1992, and currently is Professor of Surgery and Oncology at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions where he specializes in melanoma and breast cancer. Widely known for his clinical research achievements, Balch received the award from Alfred Cohen, M.D., Past-President of the SSO and Director of the University of Kentucky’s Markey Cancer Center. Cohen described Balch’s SSO presidency as one that “made the greatest impact on our Society” in its 65-year history. SSO membership includes close to 2,000 surgical oncologists worldwide.

March 2006

Innaugural Johns Hopkins Scholar Award Announced
Melanoma Foundation Supports Kimmel Cancer Center Researcher

Baltimore, MD – March 1, 2006 – The Joanna M. Nicolay Melanoma Foundation (JMNMF) and the Johns Hopkins Sydney Kimmel Cancer Center announce the formation and inaugural presentation of the Joanna M. Nicolay Melanoma Foundation Research Scholar Award. Ms. Staci Deaton, currently a graduate student in the Pharmacology and Molecular Science Program at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, is the first recipient of this scholarship to advance melanoma research. Ms. Deaton is focusing her research on cancer biology, specifically a project that involves defining the role of certain proteins present in melanoma development. Melanoma is the most serious and lethal form of skin cancer responsible for 79% of all skin cancer deaths, but only receives about 10% of all funding provided to skin cancer research.

According to Dr. Rhoda Alani, Associate Professor at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, “This partnership with the Joanna M. Nicolay Melanoma Foundation, the first funding of its kind dedicated to scholarships for graduate student researchers, provides the Kimmel Cancer Center with greater research resources and cultivates relevant academic capacity in developing professionals in the field.”

Dr. Alani, who is an Associate Professor of Oncology, Dermatology, Molecular Biology and Genetics in the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, is currently working on assessing Id1 as a marker for early melanomas in conjunction with the efforts of collaborators at other institutions. Under Alani’s oversight, members of her laboratory work diligently to develop novel therapies for melanoma based on ongoing studies in this renowned laboratory.

Robert E. Nicolay, JMNMF chair stated, “The JMNMF is extremely pleased to support the research efforts of the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, a world-renowned organization at the forefront of this promising field. Supporting melanoma research is an integral part of the JMNMF mission and the synergy created through this new partnership will contribute to the progress of melanoma biology research – truly a successful step forward for both organizations.”

Since its inception in 1973, the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins has been dedicated to better understanding human cancers and finding more effective treatments. One of only 39 cancer centers in the country designated by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) as a Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Kimmel Cancer Center has active programs in clinical research, laboratory research, education, community outreach, and prevention and control. The Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center is the only such NCI Comprehensive Cancer Center in the state of Maryland.

Formed in 2004, the Joanna M. Nicolay Melanoma Foundation is a 501©(3) non-profit, public charity. The mission of the Joanna M. Nicolay Melanoma Foundation is to support medical research that will ultimately lead to a cure for melanoma; seek opportunities to educate the general public on prevention and the seriousness of melanoma; and be a resource for patients and the entire melanoma community.