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APRIL 2024
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IN THIS NEWSLETTER:
- From the Cancer Consortium
- CCSG Updates
- Consortium Kudos
- In the Spotlight
- Current Funding Opportunities
- Save the Date - Upcoming Events
- From the Office of Education and Training
- From the Consortium Shared Resources
- Consortium Leader Close Up: Dr. Alex Zevin
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Consortium members are encouraged to share this newsletter with trainees or other members of their labs who may find the content relevant.
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FROM THE CANCER CONSORTIUM
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CCSG Updates
The Cancer Consortium's NCI site visit is coming up in just a few weeks! The site visit, which will take place on the Fred Hutch campus on April 25, is the final step in the CCSG Competing Renewal process. Until then, the Consortium admin team and Consortium leadership will be working to finalize logistics, hone presentations, and prepare materials.
Please note that our responses may be delayed during this time, and any non-urgent requests will likely be pushed until after April 25. Thanks for your patience, and wish us luck!
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Consortium Kudos
Congratulations to Dr. Liz Swisher, Consortium deputy director and co-leader of the Breast & Ovary Cancers program! Dr. Swisher was just awarded the Rivkin Center/CARE Fund Award for her project, "Optimizing genetic testing uptake and outcomes for hereditary ovarian cancer risk." This award represents a collaboration between the Rivkin Center and Washington's Andy Hill CARE Fund to invest in ovarian cancer research in Washington State.
"In this study, we will discover reasons for non-completion of genetic testing for hereditary cancer risk in a mixed methods analysis of people who started, but did not complete the testing process in the MAGENTA trial," said Dr. Swisher. "Our improved understanding of genetic testing barriers will then be used to design supportive strategies to broaden access to cancer genetic testing and bring us one step closer to our goal of eliminating hereditary ovarian cancer."
Congratulations also to Dr. Vida Henderson, who is a member of the Cancer Epidemiology, Prevention & Control program and serves as the deputy associate director for Community Outreach & Engagement. Dr. Henderson is a co-investigator on this project.
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In the Spotlight
The following interinstitutional collaborations by Consortium members were featured in the most recent edition of the Science Spotlight: Please join us in congratulating these investigators!
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CURRENT FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
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Cancer Consortium New Investigator Award - Application Now Open!
Funds are available from the Cancer Center Support Grant (CCSG) to provide developmental support to new or junior faculty who are establishing their research within the Cancer Consortium. These funds provide a flexible source of funding designed to allow new investigators to work toward obtaining future, independent research funding. Departments are also eligible to apply for this funding to support new faculty being hired by a Consortium institution. Two to three New Investigator Awards of up to $100,000 direct costs each (plus F&A/indirect costs) will be made from Consortium funds. Applications are due Wednesday, May 17th by 5:00pm PST.
Note: To access InfoReady and apply, Fred Hutch faculty can start by using the Single Sign-On on the InfoReady landing page. Seattle Children’s and University of Washington applicants will first need to set up an account.
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Lung SPORE Career Enhancement Program
The Fred Hutch Lung SPORE is seeking applicants for a career enhancement award in lung cancer translational research. The overall goal of the program is to develop highly productive and innovative investigators in lung cancer translational research. Ideal proposals will include a laboratory-based component with a clear path for translation into humans.
Award Amount: up to $50,000 in direct costs
Applications Due: May 1, 2024
Start Date: June 1, 2024
Eligibility:
- Fellows in their final year of clinical or post-doctoral fellowship
- Junior faculty (not higher than assistant professor rank)
- Senior faculty (associate or higher) changing their field of interest to lung cancer
- All applicants must demonstrate a commitment to lung cancer translational research
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NCI Notice of Special Interest: Mentored Research Scientist Development Award (K01)
This Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) invites applications from early career scientists conducting research within the mission of the Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences (DCCPS) for the Mentored Research Scientist Development Award (K01) ( NOT-CA-24-022). The first available due date is February 12, 2024 (expires on May 8, 2029).
The mission of NCI's DCCPS is to advance research in cancer control and population sciences to eliminate cancer and its consequences for all.
Related Notices:
- Notice of NCI’s Participation in NIH Mentored Research Scientist Development Awards (Parent K01) Notices of Funding Opportunity (NOT-CA-24-020)
- NOSI: National Cancer Institute Supports Applications for the Mentored Research Scientist Development Awards (K01) Within the Mission of the Division of Cancer Prevention (NOT-CA-24-023)
For questions related to the Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences' research interests, please contact April Oh, PhD, MPH ( april.oh@nih.gov).
For questions related to the NCI K01 Mentored Research Scientist Development Award, please contact Sergey Radaev, PhD ( sradaev@mail.nih.gov).
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UPCOMING EVENTS
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» April 3 - May 29, 2024: PAM IRC Seminars
Please see below for a list of upcoming seminars hosted by the Pathogen Associated Malignancies Integrated Research Center and organized by PAM IRC trainees:
Wednesday, April 17, 2-3pm: Dr. Hazem Ghoneim (Ohio State University):
Talk Title: “The Road to Unlocking T Cell Immunotherapy by Epigenetic Reprogramming”
Wednesday, May 22, 2-3pm: Dr. Heather Brandt (St. Jude's)
Talk Title: TBA
Wednesday, May 29, 2-3pm: Dr. Manuel R. Amieva (Stanford University School of Medicine)
Talk Title: "Beyond the Surface: Helicobacter pylori's hideouts in the gastric glands link pathogenesis with persistence"
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» [Ongoing] Steam Plant Seminar Series, Wednesdays at 4pm
Please join us for the Steam Plant Seminar Series (O’Mack Suites, Steam Plant Building, Fred Hutch Campus). Seminars will be followed by beer hour in the first floor lounge. See below or visit our CenterNet page* for a list of upcoming dates and hosts:
- Wednesday 4/17/2024 - (Phil) Bradley Lab
- Wednesday 4/24/2024 - Markey Lab
- Wednesday 5/1/2024 - Adair Lab
- Wednesday 5/15/2024 - Setty Lab
- Wednesday 5/22/2024 - (Rob) Bradley Lab
*Requires Fred Hutch credentials.
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» [Ongoing] NCI Cancer Moonshot Seminar Series
This seminar series showcases research from different Cancer Moonshot initiatives. These presentations will inform the community about the progress of Cancer Moonshot–funded projects, provide outreach related to Cancer Moonshot projects, enhance discussions and collaborations related to Cancer Moonshot research, and promote the sharing of data from Cancer Moonshot initiatives. See below for a list of upcoming events and speakers:
April 25, 2024 (12:00-1:00pm ET / 9:00-10:00am PT) [Junior Investigator Session]: Implementation Science and Patient Engagement Approaches to Improve the Early Detection and Treatment of Cancer, featuring Drs. Rachel Issaka (Fred Hutch) and Francesco Tomassoni-Ardori (NCI).
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» April 20, 2024: Health & Wellness Festival
You're invited to this year's Health & Wellness Festival!
When: Saturday, April 20, 11am-3pm
Where: Ranier Beach, Seattle, WA
This is a community event in celebration of Minority Health Month. Join us for health resources, raffles, Zumba, family fun activities, cancer prevention information, and get a tour through CECE the giant inflatable colon!
If you are interested in hosting a table offering free health screenings and resources, please contact Liz Tallent ( etallent@fredhutch.org).
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» April 28 - May 1, 2024: Annual National Organization of Research Development Professionals (NORDP) Conference
The 16th annual NORDP Conference will be held in Bellevue, WA, this year. The theme for this year's event is "Shaping the Future: Building on our Research Development Tools." Attendees can look forward to a variety of keynotes, panels, and networking opportunities focused on research development and supporting team science.
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» May 7, 2024: PAM IRC, Cancer Consortium PAM Program, and Microbiome Research Initiative (MRI) Joint Retreat - Register now!
Registration is now open for the 2024 Pathogen Associated Malignancies IRC and Microbiome Research Initiative Joint Retreat that will take place on Tuesday, May 7, 2024, at Pacific Tower (Seattle).
The retreat's agenda will include keynote presentations by Drs. Curtis Huttenhower (Harvard University, Chan School of Public Health) and Shannon Kenney (University of Wisconsin Department of Medicine). For more information about the retreat, visit our CenterNet page (FH users) or email Marcie Dominguez ( mdomingu@fredhutch.org) (non-FH users).
Click here to register. Registration will be open until March 29, 2024.
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» May 16, 2024: Spring Open House at Fred Hutch
More than 45 groups representing teams at Fred Hutch and University of Washington who support scientific and clinical research will be hosting a fun and collaborative gathering in May. Please join us for our third annual Open House. Last year, we had more than 500 attendees! This year we have even more participants and a new location.
Who is invited? Everyone! Faculty, clinicians, postdocs, grad students, technicians, administrators, operations…
When: Thursday, May 16th, 2024, 11:30am-1:30pm
Where: Sze-Suites (Thomas Building) and B-Suites (Weintraub Building), Fred Hutch Campus
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Snacks will be provided, and you will have an opportunity to enter a raffle for a prize!
Teams hosting this event include Shared Resources, Clinical Research Support, Integrated Research Centers (IRC), Office of Scientific Career Development, Cancer Consortium Programs, Global Oncology, Seattle Translational Tumor Research (STTR), Hutchinson Institute for Cancer Outcomes Research (HICOR), Arnold Library, Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and more!
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» May 29: CBB Postdoc Symposium & Call for Abstracts
The Cancer Basic Biology (CBB) program’s postdoctoral event and symposium series is excited to announce its first 2024 event! Postdocs at all three Consortium institutions are welcome to attend and submit abstracts. Please find symposium details below:
Date: Wednesday, May 29, 2024
Location: Behnke Suites, Arnold Building, Fred Hutch Campus (1100 Fairview Ave N)
Keynote: Dr. Maralice Conacci-Sorrel, UT Southwestern
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» June 6, 2024: Pathways to Equity Symposium - Registration now open!
Registration is now open for the 2024 Pathways to Equity Symposium on June 6th at Fred Hutch Cancer Center in Seattle and online. This is a space for learning and dialogue between researchers, community members, and community-based organizations. Join us as we focus on our 2024 theme: "Taking the next step: Bidirectional partnerships for health equity."
Date: June 6th, 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Location: Fred Hutch Cancer Center, 1100 Fairview Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109
More information about the symposium, including a preview agenda, can be found on the OCOE website. We’ll hear from keynote speakers Dr. Tabia Henry Akintobi and LaShawn Hoffman from the Morehouse School of Medicine. We’ll also learn from two panels of patients, researchers, and community-based organizations on building trust in research and taking the next step in collaborative partnerships.
Nominations are open for the Beti Thompson Community Health Champion Award, Beti Thompson Cancer Health Equity Research Award, and the Stephaun Wallace Health Equity Staff Champion Award. Please visit the OCOE Awards Page for award information and to submit a nomination before April 15th. These awards will be presented during the Pathways to Equity Symposium.
This event is free, and breakfast and lunch will be provided to those attending in person. This event will be livestreamed for those joining online.
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» June 25 - 27, 2024: Cancer Prevention Research Conference
Registration is open for the Cancer Prevention Research Conference, which will take place in Boston from June 25-27, 2024. In its first edition, the event is hosted by the American Cancer Society, in collaboration with the National Cancer Institute and Cancer Research UK. This conference will feature sessions exploring health inequalities in cancer incidence and prevention, mechanistic insights in prevention strategies, and precision prevention in high-risk populations.
Early-Bird Registration Deadline: April 12, 2024
Registration Deadline: June 11, 2024
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» November 14, 2024: Save the date for the joint BOC + CEPC Program Retreat!
Please save the date for a joint retreat hosted by the Breast & Ovary Cancers (BOC) and Cancer Epidemiology, Prevention & Control (CEPC) Programs. The retreat will take place from 8:00AM – 3:00PM on Thursday, November 14th, 2024, in the O’Mack Symposium Suite in the Steam Plant Building located on the Fred Hutch campus.
The theme for this retreat is "Understanding disparities contributing to oncogenesis and cancer outcomes." This is a unique opportunity to learn from leading minds in the field, alongside basic scientists, epidemiologists, and clinicians involved in developing genetic tests for predicting patient outcomes and response to therapy.
We are especially thrilled to announce that our keynote speaker for this year's retreat is the esteemed Professor Melissa Davis from Morehouse School of Medicine. Dr. Davis’s pioneering research is leveraging high-throughput genomics technologies to the uncover how genetic underpinnings interplay with social factors to drive health disparities. A testament to her original and highly rigorous research program is that her team was just awarded a Cancer Research UK Grand Challenge Award.
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FROM THE OFFICE OF EDUCATION & TRAINING
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Seattle Diverse Research Opportunities for Postdocs - Virtual Recruitment Event
Please join the Fred Hutch/University of Washington/Seattle Children's Cancer Consortium on Tuesday, May 7, for a collaborative postdoc recruitment initiative! This virtual event, which will take place from 8:00am-2:30pm, is a great opportunity to learn more about research opportunities in Seattle, hear from leading Consortium mentors with T32 grants, and enjoy a free lunch!
All are welcome to attend; individuals from groups underrepresented in biomedical research are encouraged to come. For more information, visit our web page.
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FROM THE CONSORTIUM SHARED RESOURCES
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Cellular Imaging Shared Resource New Microscopes
The Cellular Imaging core is happy to announce our new Leica Stellaris 8 scanning confocal microscopes.
These microscopes provide:
- High resolution confocal imaging with an extended range white light laser (440 - 790 nm) and sensitive spectral detectors (410 - 850 nm),
- 2D or 3D stimulated emission depletion (STED) imaging for down to 50 nm resolution, including TauSTED with lower light dose for long time-lapse live-cell nanoscopy,
- FALCON fluorescent lifetime (FLIM) capabilities for removing auto fluorescence, separating additional fluorescent dyes, FLIM FRET, and more, and
- Two systems for standard or advanced applications.
- Located in DE-520 for standard confocal.
- Located in DE-522 for standard confocal plus STED and FALCON.
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CONSORTIUM LEADER CLOSE-UP
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Dr. Alex Zevin joined the Consortium in December 2022 as director of the Genomics Shared Resource. Alex received his PhD in Biological Design from Arizona State University, then held a postdoctoral appointment at the University of Washington, where he studied the effects of HIV infection on the human gut microbiome. Most recently, he held a Senior Scientist position within the IVD Assay Development group at Invitee (formerly ArcherDX) in Boulder, Colorado, focusing on the development, transfer, and validation of NextGen Sequencing assays intended for use in clinical trials or as in vitro diagnostics.
In this newsletter, we talked to him about cool places he's lived, all the things the Genomics shared resource has to offer, and megalodons.
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How did you find your way to this field and this job?
I was involved in scientific research starting my second year of college – before that I was painting houses and working in the dorm halls. When I got into this lab position, it was at the behest of one of my advisors, and it was great – it was a huge change from what I had been doing and I really loved it. I got paired up with this really great postdoc and he had me working on some biophysical method development and it was really interesting and exciting. I kind of got bit by the bug at that point, and in talking to the PI I decided, “Okay, I guess I have to go to grad school if I want to pursue this as a career.” That undergrad research was all really basic protein biochemistry and biophysics, and I wanted to do something a little more applied. So, when I went to graduate school I got into a lab that was doing mostly wastewater treatment and biofuel development – like microalgae development. That project focused on growing genetically engineered microalgae that were making a product that we could take and then convert into jet fuel. But the problem was that other bacteria were getting into this system – it was a 2,000-liter reactor, so it was really hard to keep sterile or axenic. My project was to understand, using genomics technologies, what were those other bacteria getting in and how do we exclude them from the system? What methods can we use to exclude them from the system? This was all kind of at the very beginning of when people really started getting into the microbiome space using next-generation sequencing, so I was kind of lucky in the timing of that and I really got to get involved in deploying those methods.
At my lab I was working with multiple different sequencer types and were doing some other assay development like qPCR and things like that and I really, really liked the assay development part of that work. So then, after that I wanted to branch out a little bit, so I went to a more human health-focused lab for my postdoc, and that was at UW. The research I was doing was all microbiome in the context of HIV, and that’s how I first got exposed to Fred Hutch and collaborated with a couple of researchers here during that time. Then my PI was like, “Oh, I’m moving to Miami,” so I said, “Goodbye” and I went and found a job at a local biotech company that was doing immunoassay development – that was kind of my one foray out of the genomics space, but it was really great because I was in this setting where I was doing focused product development on something t hat eventually got FDA approved.
After that, I went to a company called ArcherDX in Boulder, Colorado, that was doing oncology diagnostics using next-generation sequencing. So I got to take all of my background in genomic method development and pair that with what I had learned in the diagnostic development space from my time at the immunodiagnostics company. I was at ArcherDX for about four years. We got bought by a larger entity and eventually they closed the division, so after that I was looking for jobs and I saw this director of genomics position here at Fred Hutch advertised and was like, “Holy smokes.” I couldn’t believe that this position was even something that was available and that I had a chance to get it. I knew about Fred Hutch and how great the institution is and how important it is to the community and all the great research that goes on here. So, I was really excited for the opportunity and I applied kind of thinking “Oh, there’s no chance they will even call me back.” And they did, and they kept calling me back for next rounds of interviews, and here I am. So in December of 2022, we moved the family back up here and I started this job. It’s been really great to be able to continue using the skills that I built in terms of working with different genomics technologies, method development – but also, everything I learned in my other jobs about lab management, product development, operations management – so it seems like a really natural next step in my career to find this position. I feel really lucky to have gotten it and the timing was spectacular.
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Can you talk more about the Genomics & Bioinformatics Shared Resource? Anything that you’d like Consortium members to know about it that they might not already?
Sure. The Genomics & Bioinformatics Shared Resource provides access to genomics technologies and methods for the community, as well as the necessary downstream data analysis capabilities. So, we have all of the Illumina sequencers, we have a PacBio sequencer, we’re hoping to bring on some of the Oxford Nanopore sequencers. We have technologies for single-cell sequencing and we also have more traditional technologies like Sanger sequencing and qPCR. Some instruments are user-accessible – the users sign up and walk up and use the instrument and walk away – for others, they drop off the samples to us and we’ll run the instrument.
Beyond providing the access and the expertise to use these technologies, we also provide a lot of what are called library preps or sample prep. So someone can just hand us RNA from their sample and we can convert that into a sequencing-ready library and do the sequencing. Our bioinformatics team, which is fully integrated with genomics, will then take those data and they can generate basic data, QC, and for the example of RNA sequencing, they can do differential gene expression analysis as well. Or, another example would be whole-genome sequencing, where someone hands us DNA from their organism of choice and we convert it into a sequencing-ready library and sequence it, and then the bioinformatics team will take those data and perform variant calling against the reference genome. We have all kinds of these library prep services – it’s a long list. I think the thing that’s really unique about the core is the breadth of services that we offer, and also our willingness and ability to collaborate with researchers within the Consortium to develop and deploy new assays or technologies. A great example of that would be CUT&RUN, which is a method developed by the Henikoff lab. They transferred that technology to us and we automated it, so now we can run high-throughput, what we call “auto-CUT&RUN,” and we can do the same thing for CUT&TAG– we’ve got high-throughput, auto-CUT&TAG as well. So that’s something I really enjoy, is that collaborative method development and being able to provide these sort of boutique or bespoke methods to the research community that you might not be able to find at any old genomics facility.
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Can you talk about any leadership lessons or big takeaways that you’ve learned since stepping into this role?
Yeah – I did lead a smaller group at ArcherDX, so I had some leadership experience there. I think a big benefit I have here is that the team is really well established. I didn’t have to walk in and build the team, the team was there and I just kind of inherited this fantastic team.
I’m learning a lot about picking and choosing how I communicate with folks. I’m learning a lot about just shutting my mouth and listening as well. I try not to be a “boss” or whatever – I try to be a team member. I’m a big believer in a more or less flat organizational chart. I’m in the role where the buck stops here, so to speak, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t try to provide opportunity and the ability for my team to kind of choose their own career progression and development. I’ve been trying to be really good about spending time talking to the team about, “What do you want to do? How does this help drive your career?” and that’s something I hope to continue to work on in the coming years. That’s the harder part of the leadership role, is helping to develop that next generation of researchers and scientists.
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You’ve lived in a few different places. Rate the places you’ve lived, and explain your choices.
I grew up in Denver, I went to college in Fort Collins, Colorado. I went to graduate school in Tempe, Arizona, and then I did my postdoc here in Seattle. Now we live in Kenmore, but that’s basically Seattle.
Fort Collins is hands-down number one. It’s just a great little town. Maybe I’ve got rose-colored glasses from my college days. My wife and I – we were living in Seattle at the time – we went back and got married at CSU, on the campus, because we were both alumni. We held our reception at a brewery there. It’s just a great town – really easy to get on your bike and ride around town, and it was never too far to go anywhere. Good access to mountains, great access to hiking – we really love the outdoors, so that was important to us.
So yeah, Fort Collins is number one. I think Seattle and Denver are basically the same city. You just trade water for taller mountains and better skiing. The skiing in Colorado is a lot better, but there’s no comparison for the lakes and the sound we have out here. They’re both places with great nature. Seattle doesn’t have a professional basketball team, so that’s a little ding on it – and the Nuggets are pretty good right now, so that’s a win for Denver. But overall they’re very similar. We didn’t experience any culture shock when we moved. We lived in Seattle, moved to Denver, and then moved back here, all within the span of about eight years, and it’s a very similar living style. I wish that Seattle had the Denver gas prices, though.
Tempe was nice, it’s got great outdoors – it’s just hot. It’s so hot. I’m not built for 120-degree heat in the summers. When we were leaving Tempe to move up to here the first time, we said, “Boy, I hope that it’s as cloudy in Seattle as they say it is, because I never want to see the sun again.”
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What’s your favorite recreational activity when you’re not at work?
We love to go hiking. I try to go snowboarding every so often. It’s harder now because I have young kids. I do try to take my son up with me once or twice a season – he’s five – just to get him on a snowboard and get him used to the snow. But he does pretty well. My daughter is two, so we’ll get her started eventually.
We like to ride our bikes. My son just started riding without his training wheels. I like to go running, so I’ll take him out to the Burke-Gilman and put him on his bike and jog next to him. That’s really fun. And now he’s getting fast enough that it’s actually exercise for me, so that’s great.
We like camping, too. We’ll probably start doing more camping now that the kids are getting a little older. We have an inflatable kayak from when we lived here before, but we haven’t busted it out in many years, so hopefully it’s still intact.
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What is your most low-stakes controversial or unpopular opinion?
I would like to believe that there is a megalodon out there somewhere, swimming in the great blue ocean, and we just haven’t found it yet because it’s just the one guy. He’s 10,000 years old and he’s just hanging out avoiding humans at all costs.
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FRED HUTCH/UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON/SEATTLE CHILDREN'S CANCER CONSORTIUM
1100 FAIRVIEW AVE. N., SEATTLE, WA 98109
Award number P30 CA015704-49
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