In this issue
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Vote now! VOICES photo and video contest

A celebration of survivorship and birthdays

Young Relayer helps raise more than $12,000 in honor of her brother

Local artist donates ArtPrize entry to American Cancer Society Hope Lodge

Common types of breast cancer

Notre Dame University researchers raise funds and awareness for ACS CAN

Linda Leibe: Health Care Reform is not an option
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Prostate Cancer Quiz

VOICES in the kitchen

Notre Dame University researchers raise
funds and awareness for ACS CAN
On August 18, ACS funded researchers Dr. Brian M. Baker, and Dr. Kevin T. Vaughan, hosted an event for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) on campus at Notre Dame University, where they are both conducting their research.

The event started with an introduction from Paul Szrom, Director of the ACS North Central Indiana Area Service Center, highlighting the successes and accomplishments of ACS CAN in 2009. ACS CAN is a nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate of the American Cancer Society that is the nation’s leading cancer advocacy organization, working every day to make cancer issues a national priority.

Afterwards, Dr. Baker and Dr. Vaughan talked about the cancer research being accomplished at Notre Dame and then attendees were taken on tours of the laboratories where their research efforts are carried out.

Dr. Baker is a professor of Biochemistry at Notre Dame and is one of twomelanoma researchers being funded in the Great Lakes Division. Dr. Baker and his team are hoping to develop more effective therapeutic cancer vaccines. While Dr. Baker’s study focuses on melanoma, it has the potential for the development of improved vaccines for other cancers for which tumor antigens have been identified. "The lab work is focused on melanoma because it is relatively easy to see when you’re getting an immune response against melanoma. Plus, you don’t usually have to do any invasive surgery," he said.

Dr. Vaughan is an assistant professor in the university’s department of Biological Sciences. His research subject matter is the microtubule binding activity of dynactin and search-capture. A focus in Dr. Vaughan's research group is the mechanism by which chromosomes initiate contact with microtubules for transport during mitosis, and how defects in this process lead to loss of tumor suppressor genes.

The event was a wonderful collaboration of research and advocacy, drawing nearly 30 local volunteers and helping to raise funds and awareness for ACS CAN.

For more information on the Society’s research program and funding, visit www.cancer.org/research. For more information about ACS CAN, visit www.acscan.org.

Pictured: Top right - Dr Brian M. Baker; Bottom right - Dr Kevin T. Vaughan