“This funding is another key resource in UofL and Norton Children’s ongoing work to build a cutting-edge pediatric cancer research program,” said Michael Ferguson, chief of the Division of Hematology, Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation in the UofL School of Medicine Department of Pediatrics and chief of Norton Children’s Cancer Institute. “This will allow us to develop new pediatric cancer treatments and bring them to families in Kentucky and surrounding states before they are available anywhere else – ensuring children here have first access to the latest approved therapies.”

Previous grants funded some of the biggest findings within the UofL Department of Pediatrics and Norton Children’s Cancer Institute. One notable example is conducted by the late William Tse. The research involves reprogramming the immune cells of brain cancer patients to kill their own brain cancer cells that have resisted conventional therapy.

Previous grants funded a basic science program that helps researchers better understand how certain chemotherapy drugs impact the heart and what adjustments can be made to prevent those side effects, along with work that is helping children manage pain during cancer treatment. Earlier this year, the Kentucky Pediatric Cancer Research Trust Fund also awarded a grant to help establish the , a space to support patients and families through every step of their cancer journey.

“The partnership between the University of Louisville School of Medicine and Norton Children’s creates an unparalleled environment for pediatric cancer care and research in Louisville and beyond,” said Jeffrey Bumpous, dean of UofL School of Medicine and executive vice president for health affairs. “Through Norton Children’s Cancer Institute, our dually employed faculty are able to offer innovative treatments and clinical trials while advancing research for our most vulnerable cancer patients and training the next generation of physician-scientists.”

The new researchers are expected to join UofL in early 2026.

By Jaimie Weiss

This year, students from Atherton, Butler, Christian Academy of Louisville, Collegiate, Fern Creek, Jeffersontown, Kentucky Country Day, Male, Martha Layne Collins (Shelbyville), Manual, New Albany, (IN), Sacred Heart, Seneca and Waggener are taking part in the summer experience.

With support from the Humana Foundation and the Regional Cancer Center Corporation, for the first time in its 23-year history, the eight-week program was able to offer students an increased stipend of $4,000 to participate and gain valuable experience in medical research. Students interested in science but who may have needed to work summer jobs, now have the opportunity to follow their interests.

UofL News spoke with the BCC High School Summer Research Program Director, Robert Mitchell, professor in the Department of Surgery, UofL School of Medicine, and deputy director of basic and translational research at UofL Health – Brown Cancer Center.

We also caught up with Erin Brock, Seneca High School science teacher and program coordinator, and participating Fern Creek High School student, Aliete Yanes-Medina.

UofL News: What is the main goal of the summer cancer research program?

Robert Mitchell: We want to give students who are passionate about science an opportunity to experience – firsthand – how a cancer research lab operates and how important it is for developing new and improved cancer therapies. I’ve heard of three or four students from this summer’s program who are now considering going into a graduate research program after finishing college. For us, that’s a huge victory.

UofL News: Each student has their own mentor and research project. How has that helped them develop as students and scientists?

Mitchell: Each student has the opportunity to present their own project at the end of the summer in poster form – a project that they were forced to learn, understand and, most importantly, put into words how scientific problems are approached and completed. It’s a powerful thing to see a young student’s pride in describing something that they’ve accomplished on their own at the end of the summer.

One of the most popular things that was added this year is the weekly rotations through five different core laboratories that make up our Drug Discovery Platform (DDP). These rotations expose students to each step of the process involved in discovering new anti-cancer drugs. I’ve witnessed kids who are painfully shy or introverted become extremely animated and excited while they were doing their own enzyme inhibition experiment during one of the DDP rotations.

UofL News: Erin, this is your first year working with this summer program. How do you see this experience helping students define their future career goals?

Erin Brock: Our model is helping kids make connections to the community, and UofL has been a huge partner. When I was in high school, I knew I loved science, so I assumed I needed to be a medical doctor – but there are so many alternatives I wasn’t aware of, just like for these students. One of the best parts of this program is getting them exposed to scientific research and helping them to discover their own passion. I think they all got something meaningful out of it.

Aliete Yanes-Medina displays her project at the poster presentation

UofL News: Aliete, what has this summer’s research experience meant to you? What has been your biggest takeaway?

Aliete Yanes-Medina: I always wanted to get into medicine, and I thought I would be going straight into patient care, but when I saw this opportunity, I realized this was something I wanted to explore. Also, personally, a lot of people in my family have had cancer, so I was emotionally connected.

My takeaway has been the fact that I’ve been learning so much and how everybody in the lab is supportive. They’ve said, ‘Hey I found this article that you may like’ and then they send it to me, or ‘Hey, I found this resource that may help you to understand the articles’ and they send it to me. It has definitely opened my mind, and my plan now is to do research in the future. I was thinking about going to college out of state, maybe doing biology, but it has completely changed what I want to do now. I’m staying at UofL.

Mitchell: It’s so amazing seeing a student light up and become inspired by cancer research. Just reaching one student like this is reward enough.

The 18-hour event is the university’s largest student-run philanthropy and generates money for and the

The dynamic event, which included themed hours, karaoke and sports tournaments, kicked off Friday at 6 p.m. and ended at noon Saturday with the heartwarming reveal of the total amount raised. As students on stage flipped signs showing the total of $516,485.76, the crowd of students, patients and supporters erupted in a massive celebration.

The funds raised from the 2024 dance marathon brought the cumulative total over the event’s history to more than $5 million.

Read more about this year’s event.

“The disease of cancer used to be terminal,” explained Jason Chesney, director of Brown Cancer Center. “Today, most of our patients are living long lives because of the treatment we offer. It’s a dramatic change.”

The Brown Cancer Center (BCC) first opened in 1981, four years after the Regional Cancer Center Corporation (RCCC) raised nearly $12 million for its construction and operation. At the time,  took care of about 50 patients a day. Today, they care for over 500 patients per day. The number of oncologists has grown from seven in the early 1980s to nearly 80 now. As late as 1999, BCC hosted four clinical trials. In 2022, there are more than 130 open clinical trials. In addition to patient care, more than 65 University of Louisville faculty investigators conduct basic and translational research to find new and better ways to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer.

“Certainly, much has evolved in the science and technology of cancer treatment after 40 years, and I’ve enjoyed seeing the depth of talent develop in many specialties of oncology,” said Henry V. Heuser, Jr., an RCCC board member who helped lead this effort alongside several other architects of change, including Lt. Gov. Wilson Wyatt.

The Brown Cancer Center offers dozens of services, including treatment for breast cancer, endocrine cancer, gastrointestinal cancer, lung cancer, bone cancer, skin cancer and more. In 2021, the Brown Cancer Center expanded its services to UofL Health – Medical Center Northeast and UofL Health – Mary & Elizabeth Hospital, further opening up access to treatment for patients.

Forty years ago, the Louisville community came together to ensure local cancer patients did not have to travel to get the best possible cancer treatments. In a state with some of the highest rates of cancer and cancer deaths, Kentuckiana made a considerable investment to create an academic cancer center that would lead the charge in the war on cancer and educate the next generation of oncologists and cancer researchers.

“The Brown Cancer Center has a remarkable legacy but, most importantly, it is positioned to dramatically shape the future,” said Tom Miller, UofL Health CEO. “Of all the cancer teams I’ve worked with across the country, this group of clinicians and researchers is the most dedicated I’ve seen. When a cure for cancer is discovered, and I believe the cure will be discovered here, it will because of the collaborate and compassionate dedication of all those at our Brown Cancer Center.”

Since opening the doors in 1981, the BCC has been the site of significant research breakthroughs and groundbreaking treatments.

Major cancer research discoveries at the Brown Cancer Center include:

• Development of the first anticancer drugs that inhibit cancer cell metabolism
• Discovery and first in world trial of anticancer DNA aptamers (AS1411)
• Creation of the world’s largest nonprofit computer grid in Kentucky High Schools, already used to discover more than 20 new anticancer drugs
• The first clinical trial of cancer metabolism, following the date of glucose at the ATOMIC level
• The discovery of a novel population of multipotent stem cells called Very Small Embryonic-Like (VSELs).
• Development of the first stem cell vaccine to prevent cancer
• Clinical trials of beta-glucans as immune-stimulants in combination with therapeutic monoclonal antibodies

The Brown Cancer Center’s milestones in the clinical arena include:

• 1990: Creation of Kentucky’s first mobile mammography program to reach underserved communities providing access to advanced cancer screenings
• 2002: Dedication of the Molecular Imaging Research Center, housing Kentucky’s first positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) scanner and a Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) suite that serves as a catalyst for advanced cancer research
• 2010: The Multidisciplinary Breast Cancer Program became the first in Kentucky to receive full three-year accreditation from the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers.
• 2017: The first melanoma patient undergoes TILs procedure
• 2019: Creation of a Good Manufacturing Practices Facility and the Dunbar CAR T-Cell efforts where the patient’s white blood cells are re-engineered with a chimeric antigen reception (CAR) into the T-cells, multiplied by the millions then infused back into the patient where they bind to an antigen on the cancer cells and destroy them
• 2021: Expanded services to UofL Health – Medical Center Northeast and UofL Health – Mary & Elizabeth Hospital, further opening access to treatment for patients

Building on more than two decades of success in cancer research, the University of Louisville is poised to advance immunotherapy with a grant of $11.5 million from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences to establish the (CCII). The new center will develop and improve strategies that use the immune response to fight cancer. The five-year grant also will allow UofL to establish the CCII as a National Institutes of Health-designated Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (CoBRE) to support young investigators and develop additional basic, translational and clinical research at the .

“One of the university’s Grand Challenges is to advance the health of all people,” said UofL President Neeli Bendapudi. “Through this center, our cancer researchers will grow the field of immunotherapy, saving the lives of many more patients with cancer in the future.”

“Our mission is to harness the power of the immune system to eradicate cancer,” said Jason Chesney, director of the Brown Cancer Center. “The University of Louisville, UofL Health and the Brown Cancer Center have been at the forefront of the clinical development of a new generation of immunotherapies that have been proven to increase the survival of cancer patients. This grant from the federal government leverages our existing strengths in cancer immunology and clinical trials to accelerate the development of new immunotherapies that will translate into lives saved across the globe.”

Cancer survivor Jeff Habermel received two different immunotherapies at Brown Cancer Center in the course of treatment for three different cancers, including metastasized melanoma.

“I consider myself very fortunate to have the type of care that Dr. Chesney and Dr. (Donald) Miller and the whole staff provide at the Brown Cancer Center. We have a world-class facility right in our backyard,” Habermel said. “I truly feel I am the luckiest man in the world to live in a time when we have such technologies and such amazing abilities to treat cancer in these ways.”

The newest cancer treatments often are available at Brown Cancer Center through clinical trials before they are available anywhere else. One such treatment is CAR T-cell therapy, in which a patient’s own immune cells known as T cells are modified in the lab to more effectively attack cancer cells. UofL announced the creation of the at UofL in October.

“Our leading-edge cancer program improves access for patients in our region, giving them the opportunity to benefit from life-saving immunotherapies through clinical trials,” said Tom Miller, CEO of UofL Health. “Thousands of our cancer patients – our neighbors and family members – are alive today because of this early focus on drugs that activate immunity against cancer.”

Researchers within the CCII will build on expertise and resources gained from previous research at UofL to develop better cancer immunotherapies. This will be achieved in part by enabling talented junior investigators who have not yet obtained major funding to advance their research and subsequently obtain major grant awards of their own.

“One of the major goals of the center is to cultivate the next generation of cancer scientists in immunology and immunotherapy,” said Jun Yan, professor, director of the CCII and chief of the UofL Division of Immunotherapy. “Starting in year two, we will call for pilot projects that will bring in more researchers and investigators to work on immunotherapy and immunology.”

The young researchers are provided funding, mentorship and access to sophisticated facilities to advance their research. Once CCII-supported researchers obtain their own funding they rotate out, allowing new investigators to come in to the program.

“It’s training a cohort of new investigators who will have their own large grants and expertise,” said Paula Bates, professor of medicine and co-investigator for the CCII along with John Trent. “We are building a critical mass of well-funded researchers in the area.”

Senior UofL faculty members Robert Mitchell, Nejat Egilmez, Haribabu Bodduluri, Huang-Ge Zhang and Bing Li will serve as mentors and core directors for the CCII. In the first year of the program, four junior researchers at UofL are conducting projects to improve the effectiveness of immune therapies.

• Chuanlin Ding is investigating the impact of chemotherapy on anti-tumor immunity in breast cancer order to discover effective combination regimens that improve conventional chemotherapy.
• Qingsheng Li is exploring a method to improve immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy for non-small cell lung cancer. Immune checkpoint inhibitors are a type of immunotherapy that blocks proteins (checkpoints) made by immune system cells, such as T cells. The checkpoints can prevent T cells from attacking cancer cells.
• Corey Watson is studying immune cells to determine which of these cells are beneficial to lung cancer patient outcomes and how they may help kill tumor cells.
• Kavitha Yaddanapuddi is studying immune checkpoint inhibitor resistance in lung cancer patients. This will help in developing therapies that reduce resistance and improve treatment.

This grant may be extended for two additional five-year phases. A previous CoBRE program for cancer research at UofL was extended through all three phases, lasting 15 years. That program significantly expanded the contingent of both junior and senior investigators at UofL, including Chesney, Trent and others whose research was funded by the previous program.

“This type of funding has been truly transformative for this cancer center,” Trent said. “The research for the current generation of immunotherapeutic checkpoint inhibitors was done more than 18 years ago. This grant’s research will feed into the clinical work in time. These grants lay the groundwork for the next generation of therapies.”

To extend the impact of the CCII still further, Kosair Charities has provided an additional $200,000 to facilitate the discovery and development of immunotherapy drugs for children with cancer. This gift bridges the CCII and the UofL Kosair Charities Pediatric Oncology Research Program, allowing the CCII to focus also on immuno-oncology for children.

“Kosair Charities is proud to be the first community partner to support the UofL Center for Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy,” said Kosair Charities President Keith Inman. “The UofL Kosair Charities Pediatric Cancer Research Program will allow this new center to include crucial pediatric cancer research as well as expand the scope to all people living with cancer – children and adults alike.”

Yan, an immunologist and researcher with the , along with UofL Professor of Anesthesiology Jiapeng Huang and MD/PhD student Samantha Morrissey, conducted a patient study to better understand the most severe cases of COVID-19.

Approximately 20% of COVID-19 patients experience severe disease, including pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). In some of these patients, the rapid influx of immune cells to the lungs to fight the infection leads to complications in the lung and blood coagulation disorders, resulting in heart attack, pulmonary embolism, stroke or deep vein thrombosis.

To better understand these serious complications, Yan’s team evaluated levels of various immune cells in blood samples of COVID-19 patients and compared those levels with those of healthy individuals. They discovered that one type of immune cells, low-density inflammatory neutrophils, became highly elevated in some patients whose condition became very severe. This elevation signaled a point of clinical crisis and increased likelihood of death within a few days.

Neutrophils are one type of immune cells that serve as the first line of defense in the body. When an individual acquires an infection, neutrophils rush to the site to clear the pathogen causing the infection. However, if their presence is persistent or there is a very high volume of cells at the site of infection, in this case the lungs, they can cause unwanted adverse effects. In the case of patients with severe COVID-19, a blood clotting disorder known as coagulopathy occurred, that can manifest as pulmonary embolism, heart attack or stroke.

The study, as a preprint, details shifting levels of these neutrophils and other immune cells through repeated blood samples from study participants, correlated with improvement or worsening of the patients’ condition. If clinicians could detect a rise in these cells, they may be able to provide therapy to prevent the potential life-threatening conditions associated with them.

“Based on this study, we believe that the low-density inflammatory band neutrophil population contributes to COVID-19-associated coagulopathy (CAC) and could be used as a clinical marker to monitor disease status and progression,” Yan said. “Identifying patients who are trending toward a cellular crisis and then implementing early, appropriate treatment could improve mortality rates for severe COVID-19 patients.”

To provide additional clinical options for physicians in addressing these crises, Yan is now working with other researchers at UofL to test potential therapies.

The UofL technology works by targeting the RAS protein. When mutated, RAS turns into a stuck accelerator pedal, says Dr. Geoffrey J. Clark, a co-inventor of the technology.

“Normally, it gets pressed when you need to grow and then the foot comes off and the cell slows down,” said Clark, an associate professor of pharmacology and toxicology at UofL. “When it becomes mutated, the accelerator’s jammed on.”

Cells suddenly start growing very fast and don’t stop growing when they’re supposed to. They become aggressive, he said, and penetrate other tissue, just like a tumor cell.

“The argument’s always been that if we could stop this RAS protein from working, we could shut down probably at least a third of human tumors,” he said.

But that’s easier said than done. There were a lot of potential compounds to test, and no attempt before had been successful.

So, Clark enlisted fellow professor and researcher Dr. John Trent, who runs the Molecular Modeling Facility at UofL. Trent used the school’s partnership with DataSeam, a non-profit with a network of school computers across the state.

When the computers aren’t being used, they’re connected to act as a distributed supercomputer, allowing researchers to process and analyze huge amounts of data — for example, running through millions of possible drugs to combat RAS in a matter of days.

The result was a drug that could inhibit the deregulated RAS protein. 

“The patient impact could be extremely broad, because RAS is involved in a lot of different cancers,” said Trent, also a co-inventor. “It’s one of the holy grails that has just been unsuccessfully targeted until now.”

The drug targets only the active RAS protein, and so has little toxic effect on healthy cells. Current non-targeted treatments, such as chemotherapy, can hurt both healthy and cancerous cells, leading to painful side effects.

The drug was tested and optimized at the Brown Cancer Center’s Medicinal Chemistry Facility, which works with researchers to improve the drugs and eliminate any potential problems.

“Our goal is to take these initial discoveries and elaborate on them, and potentially get them into the clinic,” said Dr. Joe Burlison, the facility’s director.

Getting the drug to the clinic is crucial, they said, because that’s where it can benefit patients.

To reach that goal, the team has been working with resources around campus and within the .

The team received funding through ExCITE and other grant programs to further development, and is now working with the Office of Technology Transfer to protect the technology and find a commercial partner.

The report sets out a detailed roadmap to deliver on the Blue Ribbon Panel recommendations, including a focus on prevention, a new model for drug discovery and development, a vast expansion of patient access to clinical trials, and an emphasis on targeted interventions to improve cancer care for underserved groups, specifically children, cancer survivors and minority groups. The report emphasizes the importance of addressing health disparities in all recommendations.

The Lancet Oncology Commission on Future Research Priorities in the USA is authored by more than 50 leading oncologists in the United States, including University of Louisville surgical oncologist, Kelly M. McMasters, MD., PhD, and other members of leading U.S. cancer organizations, and sets out 13 key priority areas, each with measurable goals, to focus the $2 billion of funding released to the National Cancer Institute as part of the 21^st Century Cures Act.

It highlights how technological advances, including understanding and mapping pre-cancer biology and the rapid adoption of big data, as well as new collaborations across industry, patient groups, academia, government and clinical practice will be critical to advancing research, and ultimately improving patient care.

“Among the thousands of technical details necessary for the success of an actual Moonshot, some fundamental principles remained the same; chief among them was the necessity of reaching the moon. The Commission brought together experts from across the spectrum of oncology research to help define the proper trajectory for the mission ahead,” says McMasters, president, Society of Surgical Oncology and Ben A. Reid, Sr., MD, professor and chairman, The Hiram C. Polk, Jr., MD Department of Surgery, University of Louisville School of Medicine.

The Commission will be launched on Nov. 1 at an event on Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C. and presented on Nov. 3 at the United Nations Association of New York Humanitarian Awards, where former Vice President Joe Biden is being honored for his work on improving cancer outcomes as part of the U.S. Cancer Moonshot Initiative.

Professor Elizabeth Jaffee, president-elect of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and co-chair of the Commission from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, says: “The U.S. 21st Century Cures Act provided nearly $2 billion in funding to accelerate cancer research, but strategic allocation of resources will be crucial to accelerate research, treatment and ultimately patient care. This commission maps an ambitious path ahead to guide researchers, funders, industry, and policy makers in prioritizing the best research to benefit patients.”

Professor Chi Van Dang, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, New York and The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia; and co-chair, says: “The cancer research community has embraced the extraordinary opportunity of the Moonshot initiative with remarkable energy. To ensure that cancer research in the United States continues to be world-leading, it is imperative that investment is concentrated into specific research areas. The commission identifies key areas to prioritize across technology, clinical research, public health and drugs policy to achieve this goal.”

Commenting on the commission, Gregory Simon, president of the Biden Cancer Initiative, says the report “provides a roadmap to change the course of cancer in our lifetime—a journey in which we should actively participate. Patients, caregiver, doctors, researchers, nurses, and scientist all need to embark on the course of action proposed by the report, without delay. Time is of the essence, and so action must be taken now.”

The commission highlights the importance of cancer prevention, including the development of a premalignant cancer atlas to identify small changes in healthy tissue at the earliest stages of cancer development, opening up new opportunities for precision-based cancer prevention. The need to move towards targeted screening will also be important.

Professor Scott Lippman, University of California San Diego Moores Cancer Center, co-author, says: “Past efforts to prevent cancer have been limited and sometimes hindered by serious and substantial disparities. A one-size-fits-all strategy does not work. That’s the premise of precision medicine and it should be for prevention efforts as well, such as screenings, which should be tailored by age, risk, demographics and other factors. Colorectal screening, for example, is extremely poor in Latinos, especially of low income, but there are new programs that overcome language and social barriers to boost breadth and success. Obesity research is crucial given the growing global epidemic and promise of recent work in special energetics, sedentary behavior and meal timing. These strategies will have a great effect on minimizing morbidities and mortality from cancer in future generations.”  

Data sharing and patient-centered priorities will be critical to advancing research and improving care. The report strongly supports developing data systems that allow patients to input their own personal data for use by the cancer community and, in return, provide outputs to patients that allow them to identify the most scientifically sound clinical trials for which they might be eligible. The ultimate goal is to align research and care in a seamless continuum such that all patients have access to clinical trials as part of standard care and their clinical course and experience informs future research.

An unprecedented increase in the number of therapies have been approved for marketing by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in the past two to three years, but this continues at immense costs, with hundreds of drugs failing in clinical trials. Bringing a single new therapy to the market is estimated to cost $2.6 billion. Among the commission’s recommendations is the need for an overhaul of the drug discovery process so that projects can be discontinued earlier in the clinical development phase, and to transform how academia, industry and clinical groups collaborate to vastly improve efficiencies.

Patients with cancers that were once lethal are now living longer with cancer as a chronic condition, meaning that guidelines must be developed to address the long-term health care needs of patients while undergoing therapy and of survivors. Finally, patient outcomes are greatly affected by racial, cultural, and socioeconomic background and there is a need both to better understand the context of care, and ensure equitable access to care that is financially sustainable for the individual and society.

Professor Jeffrey Peppercorn, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, co-author, says: “As we make advances in cancer care, one of our priorities must be to ensure that all patients who may benefit have access to high quality care. We need to better understand and address costs of cancer care and disparities in care in the United States and internationally. This is an exciting time in cancer care and research and we need to make sure that the oncology community comes together, working beyond national borders whenever necessary, to accelerate global effort to control cancer and improve the lives of patients.”

Clifford Hudis, chief executive officer of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and former chief of breast medicine at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, and co-author, says: “Although clinical research has been challenged by reduced support as well as regulatory and administrative burdens, we have recently seen truly remarkable progress across a range of malignancies. The blueprint laid out by the BRP and this commission should help us prioritize our efforts to accelerate meaningful clinical advances in the next four to five years. The provisions provide an opportunity for cancer investigators, federal agencies, universities and research institutes, and private philanthropic supporters worldwide to direct their investments and help the global community meet the ambitious goal of delivering ten years progress in half that time. The time for action is now.”

Levi Beverly, PhD, a cancer researcher with the UofL James Graham Brown Cancer Center, will attempt to answer that question at the next Beer with a Scientist, August 9.

Beverly will provide a brief history of cancer and cancer research and discuss recent breakthroughs in our understanding of cancer research. He also will answer the questions he is asked most frequently about cancer: “What exactly is cancer?” “Is cancer a ‘new’ disease?” “Why can’t we cure cancer?” “Do other animals get cancer?” “Is there a cure for cancer that the government doesn’t want us to have?” “Why do some cancers have such high death rates?”

Beverly, an associate professor at UofL in the Department of Medicine, studies lung cancer and leukemia. He talked on this topic at the first Beer with a Scientist event in 2014. This month’s edition will include a look at the progress cancer researchers have made in the past three years. The talk begins at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, August 9, at Against the Grain Brewery, 401 E. Main St. in Louisville. A 30-minute presentation will be followed by an informal Q&A session.

Admission is free. Purchase of beer, other beverages or menu items is not required but is encouraged.

Next Beer with a Scientist:  Sept. 13

The UofL Cancer ����ֱ�� Program is an intensive summer research and professional development program for outstanding undergraduate and health professional students, supporting their pursuit of careers in cancer research.

The , funded by an R25 grant from the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health, accepts about 30 trainees each summer. The students engage in a 10-week research project under the guidance of UofL cancer researchers and lab mentors in basic, clinical, translational, behavioral and population-based cancer research. The mentors are research-intensive UofL faculty, most of whom are affiliated with the James Graham Brown Cancer Center.

This spring, the program was renewed for five years with the leadership addition of director LaCreis Kidd, PhD, MPH, associate professor and Our Highest Potential Endowed Chair in Cancer Research in the UofL Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology. David Hein, PhD, chair of the department, established the program and continues as director along with Kidd. More than 60 UofL faculty members serve as mentors and key contributors to the program.

“The renewal of this program is a clear indication that the trainees are excelling in cancer research during and after completion of the program. In addition, UofL and the James Graham Brown Cancer Center are providing cutting edge research, professional development and networking opportunities for the next generation of cancer research scientists,” Kidd said.

Since it began in 2012, the program has trained more than 150 students, including college undergraduates and medical, public health, dental and nursing students from more than 25 universities across the United States. More than one-third of the trainees have continued their studies as medical, doctoral and MD/PhD students at UofL. Others have continued their cancer research training at institutions such as Johns Hopkins University and Columbia. The five-year award of $1,593,000 supports the students’ research activities, subsistence payments, travel and housing.

To sharpen their professional skills, the trainees participate in engaging professional development activities. The activities include a 90-second elevator pitch contest, speed networking and public speaking activities that allow trainees to connect with their audience and deliver engaging oral presentations.

At the conclusion of the program, the students deliver their work in the form of research posters and oral presentations to faculty, judges and fellow students. Many of the students also present their research at as well as at regional, national and international scientific meetings. Research conducted in the program is frequently published with a student as first author.

“The NCI R25 Cancer ����ֱ�� Program is well poised to prepare the next generation of young investigators in the field of cancer research or clinical oncology,” Kidd said.

One goal of the UofL NCI Cancer ����ֱ�� Program is to reach underrepresented minorities for participation. Of the 156 students who have completed the program, 53 are underrepresented minority students.

The Cancer ����ֱ�� Program is integrated with other summer research activities on UofL’s Health Sciences Center campus, including the Summer Research Scholar Program for students in the School of Medicine and the School of Dentistry’s Summer Research Program.

UofL Training Program in Environmental Health Sciences renewed

Another training program at UofL, the Training Program in Environmental Health Sciences, was renewed for a 5-year term with a $2.4 million T32 grant in late 2016 by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. The program funds predoctoral and post-doctoral students on a full-time basis, incorporating numerous centers, institutes, schools and more than 50 faculty mentors to provide cutting edge basic, clinical, computational and population-based research.

Hein established this program in 2004 and served as principal director until 2016. With the program’s renewal, Gavin Arteel, PhD, professor and Distinguished University Scholar in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, took over as director. The Training Program in Environmental Health Sciences supports six predoctoral and three postdoctoral trainees. Graduates of the program have gone on to positions in the Environmental Protection Agency, the Food and Drug Administration, the pharmaceutical industry, and as faculty members at UofL and other prestigious universities. Kevyn Merten, PhD, assistant vice president for research and innovation at UofL, was among the first graduates, completing the program in 2006.

“The grant renewal recognizes that the university supports a critical mass of research to support the training of students and postdoctoral associates in this area,” Arteel said. “Two very strong programs that we have are the Diabetes and Obesity Center and the Hepatobiology and Toxicology Program.”

Aruni Bhatnagar, Ph.D., Matthew Cave, M.D., and Hein serve as co-directors for the program.