Findings
Houston, Texas
Volume 9, Issue 8
October 2011

News Briefs

Center to focus on genetics of childhood cancer

The new Pediatric Center for Personal Cancer Genomics and Therapeutics has been launched at Baylor College of Medicine through a partnership between the Texas Children's Cancer Center and the Human Genome Sequencing Center at BCM.

The goal is to improve the treatment of children with cancer through identification of the specific genetic mutations responsible for their tumors. The center will use state-of-the-art genomic sequencing technologies to comprehensively analyze tumor samples from patients at Texas Children's Cancer Center.

Doctors and researchers at the center hope to eventually sequence all new pediatric cancers in the state – cancers affecting 1,000 children per year – in collaboration with investigators at other Texas academic centers.

"We aim to translate the research advances gained from these sequencing studies into clinically useful diagnostic tests and innovative therapies that will improve outcomes for all children with cancer," said Dr. Will Parsons, center director, assistant professor of pediatrics – hematology/oncology at BCM and a pediatric oncologist at Texas Children's Cancer Center.

Tolias awarded NIH Director's Pioneer Award

Dr. Andreas Tolias, assistant professor of neuroscience at Baylor College of Medicine, has been awarded the National institutes of Health Director's Pioneer Award.Tolias was honored at this year's Seventh Annual NIH Director's Pioneer Award symposium in Maryland.

The award, up to $500,000 per year for five years, is given to scientists who show exceptional creativity in proposing bold and highly innovative research approaches to major challenges in biomedical and behavioral research.

Tolias' research goal is to unravel the elementary principles that underlie cortical computations. His team studies cortical function in vivo, in behaving animals, at the circuit level by following a multidisciplinary approach by combining electrophysiological and two-photon imaging methods for multi-neuronal recording with molecular techniques for circuit tracing and manipulation. His group also uses computational and theoretical methods for data analysis and for modeling cortical circuit function.

"The NIH Director's Pioneer Award will enable us to take a novel and fresh approach to develop methods that will allow us to search for the elementary information processing modules in the neocortex and decipher the neural code. This research direction may also have the potential to provide a new approach to study neuropsychiatric diseases," said Tolias.

Nicholas Mitsiades named third Caroline Wiess Law Scholar

Rising cancer researcher Dr. Nicholas Mitsiades has been named the third Caroline Wiess Law Scholar at Baylor College of Medicine, an award designated to recruit and retain accomplished, young physician-scientists who have the potential to translate scientific discoveries into effective clinical applications.

Mitsiades joined the BCM faculty in September, 2010, as an assistant professor of hematology and oncology and of molecular and cellular biology. He is also a member of the NCI-designated Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center at BCM and a Duncan Scholar, a program which helps recruit new junior faculty members by providing them support for their academic, research or clinical research interests.

An expert in endocrinology and oncology, Mitsiades is a very accomplished young scientist. He has authored more than 115 scientific papers and received numerous awards including the American Society of Clinical Oncology's Merit Award, Young Investigator Award and Career Development Award, as well as grants from the American Association of Cancer Research and the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation.

Katz receives clinical professionalism award

For her professionalism and humanism and her ability to model these qualities in the practice of medicine, Dr. Marcia Katz, associate professor of medicine-pulmonary at Baylor College of Medicine, has been named the 2011 recipient of the Ben and Margaret Love Foundation Bobby Alford Award for Academic Clinical Professionalism.

The award is given annually to a BCM physician. Katz received the award during the White Coat Ceremony for first-year medical students.

"I am truly honored and humbled to be the recipient of this amazing award. It is thrilling to be recognized for what I value most: quality and compassionate medical care. I am a proud member of the BCM faculty and I will continue to work to accomplish our mission of clinical excellence," said Katz.

Katz serves as associate chair of medicine for clinical affairs as well as the medical director of the Faculty Group Practice at BCM. She specializes in the treatment of cystic fibrosis.