Alfred G. Gilman, M.D., Ph.D., chief scientific officer of the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, is the featured speaker at the Greehey Children’s Cancer Research Institute Symposium Feb. 25-26.
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Nobel Laureate Alfred G. Gilman, M.D., Ph.D., chief scientific officer of the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT), will speak at a symposium sponsored by the Greehey Children’s Cancer Research Institute (GCCRI), part of the UT Health Science Center San Antonio. The symposium will be held Feb. 25-26 at the Hotel Contessa, 306 W. Market Street, on the San Antonio Riverwalk.

The scientific meeting, titled “Genetics and Biology of Childhood Cancer 2010: Traveling the road of childhood cancer from cause to cure,” is hosted by the GCCRI Last year’s event brought together more than 100 investigators from a variety of scientific perspectives with a common goal — to understand childhood cancer and work towards a cure.

Sharing scientific knowledge about pediatric cancer
“One of the core responsibilities of the Greehey CCRI is to share the knowledge that is accumulated in our research work and to foster collaborations between researchers to discover new knowledge at the intersections of their disciplines,” said Gail E. Tomlinson, M.D., Ph.D., interim director of the Greehey CCRI. “The symposium is an excellent opportunity to do that, and after the success of our first gathering last year, we anticipate a great event this year. “

Nobel laureate now guides CPRIT research award process
Dr. Gilman’s talk, “The Early Days of the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas,” scheduled for 4 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 25, will discuss CPRIT’s first seven months of operation. In 1994, Dr. Gilman received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery of G proteins and their role in cell signaling. He spent nearly three decades at UT Southwestern Medical Center, rising to executive vice president, provost and medical school dean. He left in June 2009 to take the top scientific position at CPRIT, guiding the state’s $3 billion cancer research and prevention fund. His most visible responsibility is setting up and overseeing the peer-review system that determines which grants in a highly competitive environment are awarded.

Gail E. Tomlinson, M.D., Ph.D., interim director of the Greehey CCRI, noted that the purpose of the symposium is to foster sharing of scientific information and collaboration. National and international experts in children’s cancer will be make presentations.

National and international speakers
For the symposium, Dr. Gilman will join more than a dozen speakers from major institutions, including Harvard Medical School in Boston; University of Toronto in Ontario, Canada; UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas; Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin, Ireland; St. Jude’s Research Hospital in Memphis; Baylor College of Medicine in Houston; and the National Cancer Institute’s Center for Cancer Research in Bethesda, Md.

Topics for this year’s symposium include:

• Cancer Stem Cells in Pediatric Cancers
• Micro RNAs and Pediatric Cancers
  
• Pediatric Cancer Genomics
  
• Pediatric Cancer Population Genetics

To read about the speakers and for other information, visit www.gccrisymposium.org.

How to register
Registration is open through Feb. 22. To register, contact Danette Besancon, (210) 562-9164.