On July 1st, Ji-Hyun Lee, DrPh, joined the UF Health Cancer Center as the director of the division of quantitative sciences and the biostatistics shared resource. Dr. Lee is also a professor with the department of biostatistics in the College of Public Health and Health Professions. Prior to joining the Cancer Center, Dr. Lee was the director of the biostatistics shared resource at the University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center for four years and a faculty member of biostatistics at the Moffitt Cancer Center for 11 years. Dr. Lee earned a doctorate in biostatistics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is an American Statistical Association (ASA) Fellow and a Certified Professional Statistician through the ASA (PStat®). Her research interests include clinical trials, group randomized trials based on communities, methods for repeated measurements, Bayesian approach and best statistical practices. Dr. Lee’s training and extensive experience have given her an excellent working knowledge of P30 cancer center support grants and the biostatistical needs of NCI-Designated cancer centers. This will enable her to successfully serve as the director of the UFHCC biostatistics shared resource as well as the senior biostatistician for the Cancer Center’s clinical components and its research programs.

Commercially available established cell lines are not representative of the our current patient population with cancer.  Whether it is because of the antiquity or the lack of the incrediblyimportant tumor microenvironment, established cell lines are losing their impact in most if not all research funding organizations. Dr. Trevino proposes the use of patient-derived tumors to increase the impact, significance and innovation of research proposals.

Trevino’s lab currently has viable pancreatic, bladder, renal, breast and a variety of other tumors derived from surgically resected patients. They have performed more than 150 implantations of PDXs developed from surgically resected specimens. They also have significant expertise in patient-derived primary cell culture and three-dimensional spheroid models.

They hope investigators will take advantage of this incredible continuing resource. They are establishing tumor models in a variety of cancer types and want to collaborate with groups interested in expanding their research. Trevino’s lab will be happy to discuss how their resources can advance the field of cancer research at the University of Florida:

Jose G. Trevino, M.D.
Assistant Professor, Dept. of Surgery
University of Florida
Phone: (352) 265-0761
E-mail: jose.trevino@surgery.ufl.edu

The Cancer Center recently purchased new imaging equipment in the CGRC – a Typhoon-RGB in room 371.

The Typhoon RGB can be used for:

• Radioactivity using storage phosphor screens of any size and type.
• Fluorescence of just about any fluorophore imaginable from 450 to 700nm.  Narrow emission filters minimize cross-talk in multiplex experiments. Depending on the fluorochrome, additional filter cubes may need to be purchased.
• White-light densitometry, like getting accurate optical density (OD) measurements from a Coomassie gel.  This is an additional feature that older Typhoons could not do quite as well.
• In addition to gels and membranes, it would also be able to be used for imaging a variety of multi-well microtiter plates (9 of them at a time).
• Because of the very large scan area, you can also fit very large sequencing gels.
• Because of the 10 micron/pixel resolution you may also image microarrays and tissue slides.

Congratulations to Stop Children’s Cancer for hosting over 350 guests at this year’s 30th Annual “Out of this World” Fantasy Event which raised over $75,000 for Pediatric Cancer Research!

Founded in 1981 by Howard and Laurel Freeman, Stop Children’s Cancer began as the vision of their daughter, Bonnie, to raise $1 million to end children’s cancer. Thirty-seven years and almost $6 million later, Stop Children’s Cancer has been an integral part of bringing clinical trials to the UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital and the UF Health Cancer Center.

For more pictures, click here.

The 2018 Raising Hope at Work employee giving campaign is now open through Friday, August 17.

Those interested in making a gift can do so in a variety of ways:

• Payroll Deduction: A small amount each pay period can add up to a large impact over time! Payroll deductions will automatically deduct the amount of your choosing each pay period. Deductions begin Sept. 14, 2018, and end Sept. 6, 2019.
• Hour of Power: Hour of Power is a special giving level where donors choose to make a payroll deduction gift equal to one hour of pay, per pay period.

• Online: Gifts by credit card or payroll deduction can be made online.
• Cash or Check: Cash and checks must be submitted with a pledge card that includes employee information and fund choice. Three options to submit checks or cash:
  • Mail: UF Health Office of Development, Attn: Raising Hope at Work, P.O. Box 100386, Gainesville, FL 32610-0386
  • Drop off: UF Health Office of Development, 1329 Building, Suite 3150 (third floor).

If you wish to make a gift to a different fund, contact Jessica Clayton, senior development associate, UF Health annual giving, at clayb@shands.ufl.edu or 352-265-7288.