From left to right: Dr. Andrew Aplin of Jefferson's Department of Cancer Biology, JMNMF's Denise Safko, Awardee Kevin Basile, JMNMF President Greg Safko, and Dr. Richard Pestell, Director of the KCC

Kevin Basile, a Thomas Jefferson University graduate student in the Genetics Ph.D. Program, was one of nine students from leading cancer centers across the U.S. to receive a $10,000 “Research Scholar Award” from the Joanna M. Nicolay Melanoma Foundation (JMNMF) for his exceptional research work.

Two members of the board of directors for JMNMF, including Secretary Denise Safko and President Greg Safko, presented the award to Mr. Basile at the Kimmel Cancer Center’s Bluemle Life Sciences Building on March 26.

Mr. Basile was also accompanied by Dr. Richard Pestell, Director of the Kimmel Cancer Center, and Andrew Aplin, Ph.D., an Associate Professor in the Department of Cancer Biology.

The stop was part of a “road-show” of sorts for JMNMF committee and board members, who are traveling up the Northeast from Baltimore to Boston for RSA ceremonies.

Mr. Basile’s research focuses on resistance to RAF inhibitors in melanoma and methods to enhance the efficacy of those inhibitors.

The JMNMF is a nonprofit public charity founded in January 2004 to foster melanoma education, advocacy and research. In just eight years, the Foundation has grown dramatically to become an influential voice in the melanoma community and is now established as a national, and international, “voice for melanoma prevention, detection, care and cure.”

The nationally competitive grants increased dramatically by nearly 30 percent in 2012 (following a 40 percent funding increase in 2011) to significantly enhance the potential for advancements in the melanoma cancer field and encourage a larger number of students to choose melanoma research as their professional career path.

The 2012 RSA applicant pool and cancer research centers represented grew to include 42 of the country’s most promising young melanoma researchers, and 28 prominent National Cancer Institute (NCI)-Designated Cancer Centers or members of the Association of American Cancer Institutes (AACI).

This represents a dramatic 60 percent increase in students and 75 percent growth in research institutions participating, respectively. As first in the U.S. to fund graduate student melanoma researchers, the JMNMF program is celebrating the program’s sixth anniversary.

“Our Foundation’s ‘Research Scholar Awards’ are invaluable at the grassroots level, to specifically grow interest in melanoma research, at qualified cancer centers across the country,” said Robert E. Nicolay, JMNMF Chairman. “If we can attract the brightest minds that are considering, or are already within, the nation’s cancer research pipelines, to pursue a career in melanoma research – we’re that much closer to better understanding the disease, identifying the means for effective treatments and, most importantly, finding a cure for this deadly and very prevalent disease.”

For more information about JMNMF, please visit: http://www.melanomaresource.org/

Richard Pestell, M.D., Ph.D., FACP, Director of the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson (KCC), has been named a 2011 Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

As part of the Section on Medical Sciences, Dr. Pestell was elected as an AAAS Fellow for his distinguished contributions to cancer care as director of two National Cancer Institute cancer centers, including the KCC and Lombardi Cancer Center at the Georgetown University Medical Center, and research identifying new molecular targets (cyclins, acetylation) and light activated gene therapy.

Richard Pestell, M.D., Ph.D., FACP, Director of the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson

Dr. Pestell is an internationally renowned expert in oncology and endocrinology, who also currently serves as Chairman of the Department of Cancer Biology, Associate Dean of Cancer Programs at Jefferson Medical College (JMC), and Vice President of Oncology Services at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.

Election as a AAAS Fellow is an honor bestowed upon AAAS members by their peers.

Dr. Pestell, who was named Director of the KCC in November 2005, is a highly respected researcher and clinician whose current work is focused on developing new cancer therapies that specifically target tumors, and reduce the side effects that are associated with commonly used cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation.

He has made significant contributions to our understanding of cell cycle regulation and the disturbances that can lead to the malignant transformation of cells. Dr. Pestell has particular expertise in hormonally-responsive tumors, such as those of the breast and prostate, and his work is directed toward the eventual discovery of novel therapies for these cancers.

This year 539 members have been awarded this honor by AAAS because of their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications. New Fellows will be presented with an official certificate and a gold and blue (representing science and engineering, respectively) rosette pin on Saturday, February 18 at the AAAS Fellows Forum during the 2012 AAAS Annual Meeting in Vancouver, B.C., Canada.

This year’s AAAS Fellows will be formally announced in the AAAS News & Notes section of the journal Science on Dec. 23.

Also, as part of the Section on Medical Sciences, Hideko Kaji, Ph.D., of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Thomas Jefferson University, was named a AAAS fellow for her distinguished contributions to biology by discovering specific tRNA binding to mRNA-ribosome complexes, N-terminal protein modification by arginine, and ribosome recycling, the last step of protein synthesis.

Fellows elected in previous years include Eric Wickstrom, Ph.D., a Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at JMC and member of the KCC, and Charlene J. Williams, Ph.D., of the Department of Medicine at JMC.