In 1955, a formal inter-institutional protocol comparing continuous to interrupted combination chemotherapy for treatment of acute leukemia began, the first protocol to be undertaken by the Acute Leukemia Group B (ALGB), forerunner of the CALGB, as it was renamed in 1976 to reflect the increasing scope of the research program.

“The founders of the CALGB were pioneers who forged the discipline of medical oncology, demonstrated that drugs could be used to cure advanced cancer, developed the principles of contemporary multidisciplinary cancer treatment, and recognized that successful cancer treatment must focus on the patient as well as the disease,” says Richard L. Schilsky, M.D., Professor of Medicine and Chairman of the CALGB.

The CALGB is dedicated to improving the lives of cancer patients through the development of improved methods of cancer diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. Recent accomplishments of the CALGB include: the development and FDA approval of new chemotherapy treatments for breast cancer, myelodysplastic syndrome and T cell acute leukemia; the demonstration that older women with early stage breast cancer can safely forego radiation therapy after lumpectomy; the discovery of several new molecular genetic abnormalities in acute leukemia that impact prognosis and may be novel targets for therapy; the demonstration that daily aspirin can significantly reduce the formation of new colon polyps in survivors of colorectal cancer, and the demonstration that hepatic artery infusion of chemotherapy prolongs the survival and improves the quality of life of colon cancer patients compared with conventional treatment.

The CALGB will commemorate fifty years of pioneering cancer research with a gala celebration at the Summer Group meeting this summer.

Institute for Genomics & Systems Biology
Kevin White, Ph.D., will join the Division on July 1, 2006, as Professor in the Departments of Human Genetics and Ecology & Evolution, Director of the new Institute for Genomics & Systems Biology, and Scientist at the Argonne National Laboratory...

Ludwig Center for Metastis Research
The deadliest aspect of cancer is its ability to metastasize, or migrate from one part of the body to another, where cancerous cells use a new substrate to ultimately grow into detectable and deadly tumors. While current cancer research efforts...

Olopade Receives Macarthur Award
The Division of the BIological Sciences held a reception to honor Olufunmilayo (Funmi) Olopade, M.D., Professor in the Department of Medicine and Human Genetics, for her selection as a recipient of a coveted John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation "Genius Grant."

CALGB Celebrates 50th Anniversary
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB), a national clinical trials cooperative group sponsored by the National Cancer Institute and headquartered, since 1995, at the University of Chicago...

Novel Graduate Program Bridges Biological and Physical Sciences
As one who experiences life on both sides of the divide, Tobin Sosnick, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and the Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, understands how valuable cross-disciplinary interactions between the biological and physical sciences can be...

SPOTLIGHT ON: Faculty of Ambulatory Operations
One of the major goals for the Practice Plan in 2006 is successful implementation of the Clinical Operations Task Force's recommendations from last year. These task forces had very specific charges around improvements in patient wait time in outpatient clinics...

Academy of Distinguished Medical Educators
The University of Chicago has long been known as "the teacher of teachers." Our faculty members serve as sources of continual inspiration for medical students to seek careers as educators and academicians...

Perseus Survey Solutions
The Division of Biological Sciences is pleased to announce a new service, PerseusSurveySolutions. Perseus SurveySolutions is a Web-based application that allows individuals to create, deploy, and analyze web surveys...

DEVELOPMENT
Recent Awards and Grants Information for Biological Sciences Division Faculty

ACADEMIC AFFAIRS
Recent Awards and Grants Information for Biological Sciences Division Faculty

ACCOLADES
Recent Awards and Grants Information for Biological Sciences Division Faculty

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